Dawn of the Ice Age
SA4x4|May 2017

History of the first-ever portable fridge-freezer combination

Dawn of the Ice Age

It all started in 1990, when a South African engineering company tendered for a World Health Organisation (WHO) project. The tender called for the development and production of solar-powered medical vaccine refrigerators (as part of a rollout project for large parts of Africa), and National Luna answered the call.

At the time, National Luna was manufacturing bore hole pumps and 12V fluorescent lights, but it jumped at the opportunity. National Luna’s prototype 12V fridge was the only unit to pass the WHO’s stringent specifications; however, the vaccination project was scrapped for political reasons, and National Luna was leftwith a portable fridge project worth R3 000 000. (A total of R3 million had been invested in the development of the prototype refrigeration unit, a figure equivalent to around R10 million today).

This story is from the May 2017 edition of SA4x4.

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This story is from the May 2017 edition of SA4x4.

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