Dutch company Tilbox will provide the underbody storage space. Since 1994, the company’s focus has been on the further development of top-mount and underbody boxes for the automotive industry. 4x4electric was founded by Maarten van Pel and Renske Cox from the Netherlands. They left on a sustainable expedition. However, Tilbox’s standard boxes were not the only reason that they reached out to the company. The pair were also searching for a qualitative storage solution for the solar panels in the car, a protective storage box for the charging system, and a custom roof-mounted storage for their rooftop tent. And Tilbox came through with the goods!
A storage solution for solar panels
Instead of relying on the grid to charge their car, 4x4electric will be self-sufficient in terms of its energy consumption. To this end, the team is taking 60 m² of lightweight solar panels with them, in the car, which they can lay out to charge during stopovers. They expect to be able to drive 150 km after 4.5 hours of charging. The car will be charged directly, from the solar panels, with no additional battery. An innovative DC charging technique, with great potential for various markets in the future.
As part of their challenge, the pair was looking for a quality storage solution. The solar panels will be loaded and unloaded repeatedly and may not be damaged. Former owner Frank Tilburgs and his technical team rose to the challenge. Together they developed a custom storage solution that fit in the car. A lightweight frame with 10 drawers, fitting 6 solar panels per drawer. It prevents the panels from sliding around in the car and getting damaged, and takes up minimal space. There also had to be room for a spare tire, fridge, and all the other supplies that the team needed for their expedition.
A custom roof-mounted storage box and a box for the charging system
Tilbox also developed a custom lightweight roof-mounted storage box. This sits right behind the rooftop tent, which the couple will be sleeping in for the coming year. This provides 4x4electric with 200 litres of additional storage space. Finally, Tilbox also produced a custom box for the charging system. In addition to being well-ventilated, the box also needed to keep out dust. Folding legs were developed for increased convenience. Curious how we can help you? Take a look at our standard range. Need a custom solution? No problem! Contact our Sales Department at sales@tilbox.com or call +31 (0)40 206 86 88. We are happy to help.