They turn clunkers into 100% solar-powered homes on wheels: No need of 🔌

Kirsten Dirksen
Kirsten Dirksen
69,042
71
2024-07-14に共有
Brett and Kira Belan have spent the past decade transforming old vehicles into solar-powered campers. Their journey with Solarrolla began in 2015, with their first conversion project, a Volkswagen Bus: a donor vehicle chosen for its ample roof space (enough for 4 solar panels). Brett engineered a mechanism to tilt the entire wall of panels up to a 40-degree angle, optimizing the vehicle’s ability to capture solar energy.

Growing up, Brett hot-rodded Camaros, Chevelles, and a 1932 Chevrolet and he sees his current work as a continuation of this. "I'm a hot-rodder. I grew up street-rodding. My dad and I built street-rods and the idea with street-rods is you taking a part from this car and a part from that car and you make exactly the car you want," explains Brett. "We're now electrical hot-rodders."

With a degree in mechanical engineering, Brett worked at Ford Motor Company and taught CAD at Jaguar in England before leaving it to live off-grid with family. His first foray into solar-powered vehicles involved creating a solar golf cart and a solar postal van.

His projects are diverse from adding 3kw of solar to a Safari Trek 30-foot motorhome to working with master builder SunRay Kelley to turn his wooden “gypsy wagon” into what Kelley called “a solar-power plant that goes down the road that you live in".

Their most recent project is an eStar conversion featuring a 5kW solar array for musician Redfoo (of LMFAO and "Party Rock" fame). This ambitious conversion involved a month-long charging journey, with some necessary plug-ins during a freezing northern winter, from their workshop in Wisconsin to Redfoo’s home in Malibu.

For their most recent project, they built an old eStar van into a solar-electric camper van for musician Redfoo. We follow their month-long journey from their workshop in Wisconsin to Redfoo's home in Malibu camping and charging with their two children where they were forced to slow down for multi-day charges and enjoy the journey.

We visit Redfoo days after delivery where he was still working out the kinks on his new technology. Brett called in to remind us that: "It's not a car. It's first an off-grid power station, then it's a home and then it's a car." Redfoo hopes to use it during the next power outage to charge his home, his other electric cars, or even to provide mobile help to friends and neighbors.

—Website: solarrolla.com/
—Solarrolla channel:    / @solarrolla  
—Redfoo: www.instagram.com/redfoo

On *faircompanies: faircompanies.com/videos/they-turn-clunkers-into-1…
コメント (21)
  • @donwyates
    That gypsy wagon was so awesome it made me a little verklempt. "It sure is nice not to pay for gas" - I wish I knew what that was like.
  • @nrocobc581
    This channel is so awesome! Thanks for presenting this better future. Less dependence on oil and all the problems it brings.
  • @NeuroPulse
    I like this reminder that getting everywhere at 65mph doesn't neccessarily make us feel fullfilled or bring our attention to the most meaningful things. To go along with his theme of going faster by going slower, I will say they are moving forwards by moving backwards. 💚
  • @EmilyBoltz
    I love to watch people breaking the norms and pushing new technology. Where would we be without these great minds!
  • @lukekao8136
    Recommendation: you can build a "rain water collection system" on the next upgrade then all you'll need is walter filterss and uv lights if you plan to drink the water, but if you plan to just use it for showering, you probably don't even need that. Anyway, it elimilates you from getting fresh water all the time. As long as it rains, you're good. :)
  • @Theinternalrewrite
    I saw that control panel and wondered if it can generate 1.21 gigawatts of power and travel at 88 mph.
  • @neglectedloves
    Just love that mix of Hippie vibe and tech nerds... just brilliant 🙌🏻
  • @anthonyp7489
    What a great channel. She always finds the most unique and experimental forward thinking people and alternative living ideas.
  • @vicc.1446
    Now this is the real future! Electric car? Nah.. Solar-powered mobile home, YES!! 👏👏👍👍
  • @cyndeeh
    I WANT ONE! Love Sunray! What an idea! This is the vanlifers dream come true! I WOULD LIVE IN ONE!
  • @ohThaTairra
    Hi Kirsten ✨ i really love your content, please never stop😊❣️♾️
  • @jeanbaardsen2863
    You're not ready for the apocalypse until you figure out water and food too. On a sailboat you can have a watermaker, and maybe catch some fish. Fun video!
  • @huntakilla1234
    I thought to myself ''This Redfoo guys looks familiar...'' 🤔 Then I realized he's from LMFAO. Literally haven't seen this dude since Party Rock Anthem 😂