Judges at this year’s Energy Awards 2019 — held last month in London — were impressed by Nissan and Mackie’s’ all-electric zero-emission sustainably powered ‘Sky to Scoop’ ice cream van campaign.

The project received both the ‘Energy Efficient Partnership of the Year’ award and the ‘Innovation of the Year: Technology’ award.

The ‘Energy Efficient Partnership of the Year’ award recognises collaborative efforts in energy reduction.

This was demonstrated through Nissan’s partnership with Mackie’s, where “renewable energy was used to remove carbon dependence at every stage of the ice cream journey”.

The concept van combines a zero-emission drivetrain, second-life battery storage and solar-energy generation, while Mackie’s’ ice cream is produced at its family-owned dairy farm using renewable energy — both wind and solar.

The ‘Innovation of the Year’ award focuses on new innovative ideas across the energy sector.

The ‘Sky to Scoop’ campaign demonstrated how Nissan’s ‘electric ecosystem’ could be used as a potential ‘last-mile’ solution for ice cream vendors looking to reduce their carbon footprint.

The on-board ice cream equipment is powered by Nissan Energy ROAM, a portable power pack that uses lithium-ion cells recovered from first-generation Nissan electric vehicles.

This provides a sustainable second life for Nissan EV batteries.

Frank Oldfield, energy services manager at Nissan Motor GB Ltd (www.nissan-global.com), said: “We are extremely proud that our ‘Sky to Scoop’ and its innovative use of energy to solve a real-life problem have been recognised at these prestigious awards.

"This unique project demonstrates how Nissan Intelligent Mobility can help us create cleaner environments and move towards a better world for everyone.”

The Energy Awards aim to help industry set a standard for ‘excellence in future energy consumption’.

Eighteen categories are judged by 14 judges with a wide range of experience in the energy sector.