Electrifying the Cold Chain Without Breaking the Grid with Sam Plunkett
The Logistics of Logistics Podcast
Release Date: 06/23/2026
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The Logistics of Logistics Podcast
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info_outlineIn “Electrifying the Cold Chain Without Breaking the Grid” Joe Lynch and Sam Plunkett, CEO of Nivalis Energy Systems, discuss how self-powered, electrified trailers can drastically cut fleet costs and emissions without overwhelming the power grid.
About Sam Plunkett
Sam Plunkett is CEO of Nivalis Energy Systems, where he is leading the transition away from diesel-powered refrigeration in commercial transport. Under his leadership, Nivalis is developing and deploying electrified refrigerated trailer solutions that help fleets reduce operating costs, lower emissions, and improve the efficiency of cold-chain logistics operations across North America and Europe. Prior to joining Nivalis, Sam led Battery Technology at Beam Global and built a career spanning materials science, electrochemistry, electrical engineering and product development. He holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Argonne National Laboratory in conjunction with the University of Illinois Chicago, where his strong publication record and patented innovations focused on battery thermal safety and advanced Lithium battery chemistry. Today, Sam brings this expertise in electrification, energy storage and commercial transport to Nivalis, helping bring innovative technologies from concept to real-world fleet deployment.
About Nivalis Energy Systems
Nivalis Energy Systems develops electrified refrigerated transport solutions designed to help fleets transition away from diesel-powered Transport Refrigeration Units (TRUs). Supporting refrigerated logistics operations across North America and Europe, the company’s platforms are designed to lower operating costs, reduce maintenance requirements, and improve operational efficiency across cold-chain transport operations. Designed for both retrofit and new-trailer applications, Nivalis solutions support a wide range of trailer sizes, operational requirements, and the system is TRU agnostic. The company’s technology roadmap includes next-generation multi-energy systems combining battery, solar and regenerative technologies to improve the long-haul viability of electrified refrigerated transport.
Key Takeaways: Electrifying the Cold Chain Without Breaking the Grid
- In “Electrifying the Cold Chain Without Breaking the Grid” Joe Lynch and Sam Plunkett, CEO of Nivalis Energy Systems, discuss how self-powered, electrified trailers can drastically cut fleet costs and emissions without overwhelming the power grid.
- Proven Bottom-Line Savings: Nivalis’s electrified solutions have been on the road for over two years, demonstrating average operational savings of $12,000 per trailer, per year by dramatically reducing diesel consumption and mechanical maintenance costs.
- Strategic European Acquisition: The recent acquisition of SolarEdge eMobility brings 25 years of automotive-grade electrification engineering and manufacturing scale, accelerating Nivalis's integration of solar and regenerative braking technologies.
- Independence from the Power Grid: Upcoming next-generation platforms will utilize solar panels and e-axles to harvest braking energy. This allows trailers to generate their own power, drastically reducing or entirely eliminating the need for expensive and time-consuming depot grid charging upgrades.
- Seamless, Agnostic Integration: Designed to be TRU (Transport Refrigeration Unit) agnostic, the technology easily retrofits onto existing Carrier or Thermo King systems. It requires zero operational changes from drivers, automatically powering up or down alongside the existing refrigeration unit.
- Trailers as Mobile Microgrids: Nivalis is building toward a future where returning trailers with latent battery capacity can push energy back into a distribution hub's grid during peak pricing hours, using AI to optimize energy usage across the entire facility.
- Powering Advanced Security and Compliance: The robust onboard battery provides a reliable, redundant power source for critical auxiliary systems—like advanced telematics, door-breach sensors, cameras, and pallet-level temperature tracking—without draining the tractor's alternator or relying on idling diesel engines.
- Expanding into Dry Vans: A new European pilot program applies Nivalis’s solar and e-axle technology to standard, non-refrigerated dry vans. The harvested energy is used to slightly propel the trailer on the highway, reducing the tractor's workload and tracking toward a savings of 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel per year.
Learn More About: Electrifying the Cold Chain Without Breaking the Grid
Nivalis Energy Systems | Linkedin
Nivalis Energy Sustems EU | LinkedIn