How I turned a shipping container into a solar off-grid charging station with A/C
After one of my most recent Alibaba import adventures, I was left with a shipping container in my yard. These engineering wonders are great for many uses outside of merely transferring goods around the world, with one of the most common secondary uses being watertight storage units. That seemed like a great idea to put to use for all of my electric “toys”. Between my electric bikes, e-motorcycles, e-ATVs, electric tractors, and a few other things I’m probably forgetting, having a weather-sealed, solar-powered off-grid charging shed would be a big benefit. And if I could add an air-conditioning unit to keep the machines from baking in the sun (and function as a dehumidifier at the same time), then all the better. As it turned out, the project was a lot easier than I expected. Here’s how I did it.
There are many ways to skin a cat, and even more ways to add solar power to a shipping container.
To be fair, I cheated a bit. Well, not really cheated, but I just went with a retail solar generator system instead of DIYing that part myself from à la carte components. It’s more expensive since you’re paying for a pre-designed and engineered solution, but damn if it doesn’t make it easy! To save a bit of money instead, you can source your own solar panels, solar charge converter, batteries, inverter, and wiring, then make it all play together.
For me and my limited time, an offer from Pecron for a solution that would do all of that for me sounded perfect, so I went with Pecron’s system.
To make it all work as a solar shed, I’d have to mount the various components around the container. I started with the solar panels, which would need a frame. I used pressure-treated 2x4s to build a pair of mounts for the solar panels, each of which would hold three 200W panels.
With 1,200W of theoretical power (and probably more like 900W of solid real-world Florida solar energy), that would be a decent flow rate.
The panels I used are Pecron’s folding panels, which aren’t really meant for this type of long-term permanent installation. They should work, it’s just that you’re not really taking advantage of their folding nature.
They’re really designed for camping and other mobile scenarios where you’d want the ability to pack up and move your solar setup with ease.
You can imagine that with a setup like this, you could easily set up a 1,000-ish watt solar array at your campsite or off-grid cabin for a few days, then stow it all away in your trunk again later.
I mounted the panels using screws and big fender washers to hold them to the wooden panels. You can see it in more detail in my video of the project.
I know that everyone and their brother is going to ask me why I didn’t put the panels on an angle. And the answer is to hopefully give them better wind protection.
As I mentioned, these aren’t really designed for permanent installation, and thus they don’t have rigid frames. They’re pretty rigidly mounted to the wooden frames now, and the frames are lashed to the container, but it’s still a giant sail.
We occasionally get storms with pretty decent gusts, and so I wanted the panels flat to not give the horizontal gusts a surface to push against.
Angling the panels south would have been slightly more efficient, but the site is within spitting distance of the southernmost point in the US, so the efficiency difference of flat vs angled panels isn’t as big as if this was in Maine.
From there I had to get the wiring set up to feed my batteries. Here is where the beauty of the pre-built system really shows. All of the panels are wired for the inverter/battery/charge controller gear (which is an all-in-one unit) and the kit includes all of the adapters.
However, because I had to run the wires much further, I bought a set of 20 ft MC-4 solar panel extension wires. That allowed me to run all of the panels in parallel and then send them on a long enough run to make it through the existing vent hole in the side of the container. I had to drill out the vent hole a bit, and despite it not looking like it, I did put a small drip loop in the wires to prevent rainwater from running down the cables and into the container.
It’s been sitting there through plenty of rainy days over the last month, and not a drop of water has entered the container through the hole for the wires.
Once on the inside, I bundled the wires and ran them down to the Pecron E2000LFP and a pair of EB3000 auxiliary batteries.
Between the three of them, I’d have around 8 kWh of storage capacity. The 1,200W solar array should be able to nearly fill that entire battery bank with a solid day of strong Florida sun, though it’s pretty rare that I’d even use the entire 8 kWh in a day anyway.
The three units are all designed to plug into each other and cascade power between them, making this a simple operation. I literally just plugged in the wires and it worked like magic. I don’t mind getting custom, and I’ve got an engineering degree on my shelf that says I enjoy designing solutions, but sometimes it’s just nice to have something arrive ready to work.
To support them all and keep them off the floor so they don’t cut into my valuable storage space, I built a hanging shelf for them. That’s probably 180 pounds of batteries all together, so the shelf is made out of C-channel galvanized steel and hung from chains.
Next came the air conditioning.
I got one of the cheapest portable air conditioning units on Amazon I could find, and despite now realizing that was probably a bad idea, from an efficiency standpoint, it seems to work pretty well.
I should have gone with a small mini-split type of air conditioning unit, would would have been much more efficient. But I’m generating way more solar power than I can possibly use in this off-grid container, and so peak efficiency is less important to me.
For this cheap portable unit, I had to cut a hole in the side of the container for the hot exhaust air to flow, then drill a smaller hole for the condensation tube to drain.
Despite not being the most efficient solution, it quickly cools the air in there (even if it is also sucking some outside air in through the container’s vents). It also acts as a dehumidifier, which is perhaps even more important to me, as my electric toys are likely just as unhappy about being in a super humid environment as they are about just being hot.
In the end, it all works! I mean, I took the easy way out with the Pecron system, but it’s still a cool feeling to start with a bare shipping container and end up with an off-grid solar charging shed that you put together with your own two hands.
With 8 kWh of stored energy and nearly 1,000W of real-world power in direct sun (and often 600-800W in less-than-ideal conditions), this is a seriously powerful system for just charging up all my EVs.
This could power a tiny home or other small off-grid setup like a hunting cabin. For me though, I’ll start with just keeping my electric tractors and motorcycles charged!
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Veteran bicycle brand and e-mobility innovator Huffy is joining the Black Friday sales festivities with an exclusive deal for Electrek readers on its 36-volt Electric Green Machine drift trike. Use the promo code below for 30% off your purchase.
Huffy puts over 130 years of experience into its products
Huffy is easily a household name in bicycles. The company is celebrating over 130 years in the segment and has shown no signs of slowing down. The brand is sold across thousands of retail locations and ships millions of bikes to customers throughout the US and 40 additional international markets each year.
The Huffy name is known for products that deliver riders comfort, style, and durability. Whether on a bike, trike, scooter, or ride-on, there’s something for every member of the family to enjoy. Since 2019, Huffy has been calling riders together with its rally cry, “Live the Ride,” which encourages families to celebrate togetherness by exploring the outdoors atop its products.
Whether that means leisurely rides through local parks with friends, family outings, traversing local trails, or exploring new cities during a summer getaway, Huffy strives to remind riders of the simple youthful joy that riding can bring.
Since Huffy launched the 20” Green Machine in 2023, teens and adults have been asking for a version that would allow them to experience the same adventure, fun, and thrill of each spin and drift. Huffy answered the call with their new Electric Green Machine, a nostalgic and electrified version of the classic drift trike Huffy fans know and love. This powerhouse drift-trike is packed with 36 volts of electric power and a 250-watt front hub motor that lets riders reach exhilarating speeds of up to 15 miles per hour. Perfect for thrill-seekers ages 14 and up, the Electric Green Machine reignites the fun and excitement of childhood rides.
All of Huffy’s products, including the Electric Green Machine seen below, are thoughtfully crafted for the moments that happen when you pop up your kickstand and see where the path takes you. In the case of the E-Green Machine, Huffy wants riders to unleash a whirlwind of thrilling drifts and slides right when they climb into the cockpit.
To help even more riders experience holiday thrills this season, Huffy is offering an exclusive discount on the Electric Green Machine for Electrek readers. Whether buying it for yourself or friends and family, the Electric Green Machine is the perfect gift to put under the tree this holiday season. If you’re ready to start drifting, use the promo code below to save some “green” on your purchase⎯but only for a limited time!
Don’t miss Huffy’s Black Friday deal on the Electric Green Machine
The new Electric Green Machine is available on Huffy.com for $599.99. However, you can use promo code “ELECTREKGM” at checkout for 30% off your purchase (valid on the Electric Green Machine only).
Huffy’s Black Friday deals are available now, but only until 11:59 PM on December 8, 2024, so act quickly while supplies last. This year, holiday thrills start with red and green at Huffy. Be sure to take advantage of this limited-time offer and check out the other limited-time deals on Huffy’s site this week (offering up to 55% across a range of products).
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Environment
Watch Hyundai’s massive $7.6B Georgia EV plant go up in just 2 years in this video from space
Hyundai’s new EV plant in Georgia is now up and running. The massive $7.6 billion facility was built in just two years as the company preps for new US-made electric models like the upgraded 2025 IONIQ 5 and its new three-row IONIQ 9. A cool new video from space shows just how quickly Hyundai worked to open the facility.
Watch Hyundai’s new EV plant go up from space
Production officially began at the new Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) in Bryan County, Georgia last month.
The accomplishment comes after Hyundai broke ground at the site in October 2022. In May 2022, Hyundai announced plans to build its first dedicated EV plant in the US to meet new requirements for the federal EV tax credit, which provides up to $7,500 for clean car purchases.
Hyundai fast-tracked construction at the plant as it looked to gain an edge in the US, its most important market. The company’s initial $5 billion investment turned into a whopping $7.6 billion.
According to a study from the Center for Automotive Research, Hyundai’s EV plant will help create over 58,200 new jobs while attracting over $12.6 billion in investments in Georgia. Last month, the company secured its 18th supplier as it builds out an extensive US network.
A new video from space-based intelligence company BlackSky shows an impressive timelapse of the construction.
You can see the massive facility go up in just two years as Hyundai looks to secure a leadership role in the US auto industry.
Hyundai’s new EV plant will directly employ 8,500 workers to build up to 300,000 EVs per year. The first vehicle that rolled off the assembly line was the refreshed 2025 IONIQ 5.
The upgraded 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 now features even more range (318 miles), a sleek new style, and it even comes with an NACS plug so you can charge at Tesla superchargers. The base, 2025 IONIQ 5 SE RWD Standard Range model, starts at just $42,500.
Last week, after unveiling its first three-row electric SUV, the IONIQ 9, Hyundai confirmed it would also be built at its Georgia facility.
Despite President-Elect Trump’s transition team reportedly planning to end the $7,500 EV tax credit, Hyundai is confident in the company’s future.
At the LA Auto Show, the company’s newly electric CEO, Jose Munoz, said in an interview, “Hyundai did not build our investment plan based on incentives; the plan was even made before Trump’s term.” Munoz explained even without the credit now, Hyundai is still gaining market share.
Ready to check out Hyundai’s best-selling electric SUV for yourself? With the new 2025 IONIQ 5 arriving, Hyundai is offering closeout deals on 2024 models. You can use our link to find the best deals on 2024 and 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 models at a dealer near you.
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The world’s first electric muscle car is finally here, and Dodge is already sweetening the deal for buyers. The Dodge Charger Daytona EV is launching with 0% APR, making it even cheaper to finance than the outgoing gas-powered model.
Dodge Charger EV launches with 0% APR offer
The first all-electric Dodge Charger has arrived, and surprisingly, it’s already becoming more affordable. In March, Dodge unveiled the Charger Daytona EV, kicking off “the next generation of Dodge muscle.”
According to Dodge brand CEO Tim Kuniskis, the electric Charger “delivers Hellcat Redeye levels of performance.” That’s for the Scat Pack model, which comes with a Direct Connection Stage 2 upgrade kit straight from the factory.
The upgrade delivers up to 670 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque for a 0 to 60 mph sprint in just 3.3 seconds. It can also cover a quarter mile in around 11.5 seconds.
In comparison, the 807 hp Dodge Charger SRT Redeye Jailbreak edition, powered by a Supercharged 6.2L HEMI SRT V8 engine, takes 3.6 seconds to get from 0 to 60 mph.
With a Stage 1 upgrade, the base R/T trim has up to 456 hp and 404 lb-ft of torque, good for a 0 to 60 mph time in 4.7 seconds.
Dodge opened orders for the 2024 Charger Daytona EV in September, starting at $59,995. The High-performance Scat Pack trim starts at $73,190.
According to a new dealer note viewed by online auto research firm CarsDirect, all 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV models are now eligible for 0% APR financing for up to 72 months.
| 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV trim | Horsepower | 0 to 60 mph time | Starting price |
| Dodge Charger Daytona R/T | 496 hp | 4.7 seconds | $59,995 |
| Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack | 670 hp | 3.3 seconds | $73,190 |
The offer makes the electric Dodge charger even cheaper to finance than the outgoing 2023 Dodge Charger at 5.9% APR for the same 72 months. However, this is an individual offer and cannot be combined with other deals. Based on CarsDirect analysis, the 0% APR offer is limited to the Northeast, Southern, and Central US regions.
Dodge is also offering a $1,000 loyalty bonus for Stellantis (Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Chrysler) lessees that trade in for the electric Charger.
With the $7,500 EV tax credit incentive, eligible customers can save up to $8,500 on the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV. You may want to act fast, as these deals expire on December 2, 2024.
Jeep, another Stellantis brand, launched lease prices at just $599 per month for its first luxury electric SUV last week, the Wagoneer S. Jeep’s electric Wagoneer is also available with 0% financing.
Ready to check out the world’s first electric muscle car for yourself? We can help you get started today. You use our link to find deals on 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona models at a dealer near you.
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