Cost of Grid Connection of Foldable Containers for Base Stations in Europe

Can repositioning empty containers reduce the cost of hinterland transport?

Shintani et al. (2010) focused on three scenarios for repositioning empty containers with foldable and standard containers in a hinterland, and the results showed that using foldable containers could reduce the total management cost for hinterland transport compared with the use of standard containers.

How much does it cost to reposition an intermodal shipping 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.

Are foldable containers effective in repositioning empty containers?

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.

Why are foldable containers so controversial?

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.