A product that has attracted worldwide attention – Folding
Shanghai LZY Technologies displayed its innovative folding photovoltaic container at the China Import and Export Fair on April 15, 2025, and the booth welcomed a continuous
One main reason for this controversy is the high purchase cost of the foldable container. The current purchase cost of the developed foldable container is currently set to US$ 20,000 but will be lowered to US$ 10,000 in case of mass production, which is still significantly higher than the purchase price of US$ 5,000 of a standard 40-foot container.
The intermodal shipping container is 70 years old. Over the years it has been refined but ownership costs have increased. For example, this year, the annual operating prices have ranged between $25,000 to $40,000 to reposition an empty container.
Konings and Thijs summarized clearly the conditions for the success of foldable containers in the market: (1) low costs for folding and unfolding the containers; (2) low manufacturing costs; (3) compatibility with existing equipment for intermodal transport; and (4) structural robustness.
Foldable containers are considered an effective solution to deal with the endemic imbalance in the repositioning of empty containers. Several foldable containers were commercialized without clear breakthrough in the market and most current researches are still limited to small pilot projects.
PDF version includes complete article with source references. Suitable for printing and offline reading.
Download detailed product specifications, case studies, and technical data for our off-grid PV containers and mobile energy storage solutions.
15 Innovation Drive
Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
+27 87 702 3126
Monday - Friday: 7:30 AM - 5:30 PM SAST