So a bridge is a connection between two points and one of those points is an area with absolutely nothing. The idea is to appear on the bridge as if out of nowhere and then go in the opposite direction, which leads somewhere else. Right?
And recent studies have shown that lithium iron phosphate batteries can still burn up just like any other battery, and that they release much higher volumes of smoke that is far more toxic than other varieties of lithium. 😂😂😂
@@boblatkey7160 Some unnamed or ersatz studies. The LiFePo batteries are more chemically stable and less toxic materials are used in the their chemistry. They have a much lower risk of overheating. My goodness do a modicum of research before you post nonsense. And recent studies state you are uneducated.
Great video!! I love that you made this video from a non-sponsored angle. I have a hard time 100% trusting an opinion from a channel that is sponsored by the company. I understand having sponsors. But I trust the unsponsored content more.
I've only just started the video, but my experience with Bluetti (I own two Bluetti batteries plus their 120W solar panel) is that you need to test and verify the unit works thoroughly before your warranty ends. I bought my first Bluetti EB70 in 2021 and never really used it much, it sat on the shelf for the most part. Just after it's two year warranty expired I discovered it had a known issue with the BMS on the early run EB70's but Bluetti refused to cover it. I was forced to pay almost $200 to fix it. So just be sure to test whatever battery you get extensively. It's really soured me on Bluetti after that (unfortunately this happened after I'd bought the second battery and panel).
Just an FYI, batteries do this thing called "self-discharge". If they sit on a shelf they slowly discharge. Sitting on a shelf for that length of time without being charged is not good for them. In the days before lithium they sold trickle chargers for lead acid batteries that maintained them when not in use. Lithium is different and you can't do that, but you still need to bring them up to 80% every now and then to get the most life out of them. I know that was not why yours was bad, just saying now that you have them both working again, use them or charge them from time to time. But do not leave them plugged into the charger and leave them like that either. I did that on an ebike paid the price.
@@RJMSINCR I did use it occasionally, but never really stressed it or ran down the capacity. I also checked it every so often to make sure it was still charged and it never really drained itself. The issue these early EB70 units had was once you got down to about 60% battery they would die, and then not come back on until you charged them again. So you only got 40% usable capacity because the BMS had a defect. I've used both of the batteries now extensively, and you can see them in a couple of my videos powering my Starlink. I tend to use the smaller EB3A a lot more because it's easier to tote around for camping trips.
What is this BMS issue? It's stupid you have to break in your bluetti. My eb70 would go from 100 to 70 and then go to zero. I had to do a few full charge and drain cycles with it, apparently to break it in.🤦♂️ Shouldn't have to do that or they should at least tell you you have to do that.
Yep, bought a Bluetti EB70 and have been very disappointed with it. Wrote them twice within the first few months of ownership with zero response…. Before Bluetti I owned a Jackery 500 and 240 which both still work incredibly well. I just bought a new Jackery 2000 on Prime Day a few weeks ago and so far I’m super pleased with it. I’ll never waste money on any Bluetti product again. Bad product and bad customer service.
I fixed an over discharge issue recently that prevented me from starting my Bluetti AC200P. However, there's a manufacturer defect issue remaining as follows: the unit charges to 100% and works fine until it drops below 52% when it suddenly drops to 0%. When I first bought the unit I noticed that the drop had happened at around 40%, although I didn't know that it went to 0% so fast (I always kept the unit charged above 50%. I've tried recalibration on the unit several times without success. So now I have sent the unit back to the Kayo Battery repair shop. Obviously, this is a manufacturing defect that has gone unnoticed since the beginning. I bought the unit through this Amazon store.... Kayo Battery. I've now discovered that Kayo Battery will not honor the 2+2 (4 year) extended warranty that is offered on this unit through other authorized Bluetti dealers. So this has cost me an additional $197 just to send this unit into the repair shop with no word on the cost to repair. I've heard from others who bought Bluetti products and nobody has received any service using the 4 year warranty, seems to be a scam. Lessons learned here (notes to myself).... 1. Never again purchase a Bluetti product 2. Never shop at the Kayo Battery store 3. Never again buy a huge price item from ANY 3rd party on Amazon 4. Always read the entire warranty (fine print) that the store offers, NOT the warranty the manufacturer offers as these can be completely different 5. Never fall for scams such as this again!
Good video with a comprehensive look at the different battery units. Also great to hear you mention the difference in chemistry with the Jackery units and point out that LiFePO is so much better and safer. Both Lithium but very different batteries. Really that was a public service announcement so good on ya !
Thx Tory. Great in-depth review. I went for the EcoFlow Deta2 on Prime Day. Snagged it for $459 out the door. I like the ALWAYS ON UPS mode. I plugged in my fridge and freezer units as I was getting a lot of power disruptions and I don't want to loose all my food. They say next year we are going to have food shortages so I can't afford any losses.
If you already use a propane tank with your setup, it would be worth it to get a 1k or 2k watt dual fuel generator that runs off of propane. Harbor Freight's Predator line is excellent ‼️ You could use this generator to charge up your power stations on cloudy days or for a fast charge. 😉
My Bluetti AC200Max 2,200W max output and 2,048WH has been amazing. i even bought a BLUETTI B300 Expansion Battery | 3,072Wh after a year or so. My only complaint is how heavy it is... and the price. But I just keep mine in between the front seats of my RV and forget about it. A lot of people complain about the app. The most I do with it, is check on the input and output numbers. I do have some issues when trying to remotely turn things on and off. But I don't really see the need for it other than to see the numbers. I have only had my Bluetti so i don't know anything about batteries, converters and that whole system. Nor any of the other power stations. All I know is mine works the way I want it to and have never had any issues for about 3 years now.
I have the AC200Max also and really enjoy it, I originally bought it for emergency use because we were hit by a tornado and that brought more awareness to our needs and get get some ice storms also so winter time is important for us also. Now we are using it more so on a daily basis just for the sake of it and to see its capabilities so we don’t get blind sided in an emergency and for glamping. It’s saved us a couple of times in a few power outages. I’d like to pickup the expansion battery soon 🤞. I also got my mom the small one but can’t remember the model and it’s been great, especially to keep her communication lines open during and after a couple hurricanes and storms.
Hi I've been interested in solar for a while I want a system to run a few acs and frig, and we'll pump one ac runs on 220 and I want some panels from what I understand you have to get electrician help for that,which I don't want, can you steer me in right direction, confused
@@johnwillenburg1586 Will Prowse - TH-cam Channel: DIY Solar Power With Will Prowse. This guy knows his stuff. I found him when I was looking for which Solar Panels to get and he had a video where he tested a bunch of brands. Ultimately I went with Rich Solar. 200W momo panels.
A 3800 wh LiFeP04 battery by reliable brands is only 700 bucks now and 3500wh ones are going for 500. You can build a much better system for 1/5th the cost that can be upgraded or repaired if a part quits working.
Great presentation. I have a few Bluettis. I started with a AC50s to run an Iceco frig while weekend camping. Works great, kids love the wireless charging on top. Added a 100W solar panel to keep it charged while at the beach. No ice needed and the drinks stay cold all day. I also use the AC50 to run fans in the horse trailer. They love that addition. Can also run the frig for the humans to have cold drinks. I've "upgraded" to an AC70 for a little extra capacity. The solar charging is great. Be ready for different plug styles, I have different adaptors. Great review.
Great video,decent details. I heard you say you really would like to have more power,exspandability. I agree, you can't have to much power, that's why I opted for the Titan, by Point Zero Energy. There not cheap, they are low frequency inverters, not high frequency like all of these. Specs 3000w continuous, 6000w surge for 10 sec. 6 120v outlets, 5 13.8v outlets 20amp, 2000w 150v x 2 solar input, 2mppt controllers,2 120v ac charging ports, 1 30amp rv plug, expansion battery input,all on reset switches not fuses. The unit itself is 32lbs, 2kw lithium batteries 32lbs each, no limit on exspandability, it has a car charging port also,20 amp. This unit stacks right on top of the batteries,no wires at all, This unit can charge from all ports and discharge full power all at the same time day in and day out. The battery expansion port, this unit can run lithium,gel,lead acid, all batteries,and in combination. How long to charge 1 2kw battery, bout 1.5 hrs, but depends how your charging it, these are 24v batteries,and or any combination type at 24v. Maybe this could benefit you or others looking for a better choice JM2C
I’m partial to the Anker Power Station, I have found that by adding a DC to DC converter (Adjustable to 30 volts) and upping the volts from 12 to 24 at 20 amps I can produce a higher charging wattage, at 24 volts I get 480 watts of charging power @ 30 volts it’s 600 watts. This means that I can charge much faster when driving just off the 12 Volt system. I did run a 30 amp circuit with a relay just for the DC to DC converter from the battery, this keeps the system from charging when the motor is not running to prevent discharging the vehicle battery.
Many of us will NOT buy Anker due to their scandal with their Eufy systems and how they lied. We don't need to give money to more of the spying and lying entities, they are ALWAYS up to no good.
Great information. Thank you for condensing it into a short video. I have been looking to replace my Travel Trailer batteries with a power station and your information will help my decision.
@@Sam-xz4yz nothing to do with bluetooth. The app REQUIRES you to log in which is completely unnecessary for a BT connection to the unit, and makes the app unusable if you don’t have internet. Not an off grid friendly product (I mean the app, not the power station itself). 30 seconds into this video confirms my experience: m.th-cam.com/video/hYGbtSCaTds/w-d-xo.html You can have the sweetest candy, but it’s pointless if you can’t unwrap it 😜
few months ago i copped the bluetti ac300 and b300 battery, love it, was somewhat forced last week to order the ecoflow delta pro cause when i got the wave2 air conditioner it came with the alternator charger and add-on battery included in the bundle, come to find out the alternator charger does not charge the wave2, the only way you can benefit from the 800 watt alt charger is to have one of the ef power stations, so i ended just getting it even tho i already have a great bluetti box and battery, but in all reality its perhaps best this way since these power station batteries drain power fast running air con, still planning on adding a custom victron 24v power system with solar panels but its still nice to have one or more power stations as well, energy when living in a van is something you never want to be short of especially in the summer
My first power station was the Anker 2,000 wh. I now have the Anker Solix F3800 and love it. My microwave and air fryer need the power but not for long run times. Anker has been very helpful with support. Hint about expansion boxes… The solar inputs can be wired to a battery bank. This allows remote batteries to be supplemental power sources when not needing solar. Each bank can provide 120watts of power x2 or 240watts total. I am full time nomad in Class B van. The most economical power source is my van alternators. What is nice about Anker is recharging at 1500 watts. My average load is about 150-200 watts. I have a 3/4 size refrigerator and an AC unit that will pull 1,000 watts. The total system cost was about $4,000 so it is not cheap. But was half cost of an RV shop wiring job.
Elon Musk was explaining lithium batteries and he said they are like a parking lot. When the parking lot is empty it is very easy to park. Same thing with charging when the battery is low the atoms find a place to go fast. When the parking lot is full, they have to drive around for a while to find a parking spot, and that's what the atoms are doing inside of the battery. That's why it takes longer from 85% to 100%
There is a little bit of confusion about LFP (LiFePO4) batteries I see in this and other threads that should be noted. The state of charge (SOC) or battery level percentage is normally gauged by the voltage which is different at 0% vs 100%. This is easy with a regular NMC, or Lithium Ion battery since there is a big voltage range to track. With LiFePO4 batteries, that voltage variable is very slight, so it doesn't always know when you're at 33% or 58% or whatever. For this reason, you need to charge to 100% at least once every few charge cycles so it can reset and know where 100% is and accurately count downwards. The good news with these batteries is because the nominal voltage at 100% is nearly equal to a lithium at 50%, so there is virtually no "pressure" on the battery to hold and degrade that much if you leave it at 100% for awhile. On standard Lithium batteries, leaving them at 100% for extended times degrade them quite fast. Think of your cell phone or notebook computer. Leaving them plugged in daily kills the batteries in a couple short years. The only disadvantage of LiFePO4 is they weight more, but they have no thermal runaway (they won't catch fire almost ever) and the cycle life is nearly 4-6 times of NMC. I will ONLY consider LiFePO4. Thanks for the comparison. I'm still deciding! OH.... LET ME ADD THIS: The cycles claims on each of the units is nothing but a claim. They all use the same battery technology. They are making up the numbers. The only way they can really change them is if to build in a little buffer in the battery. For instance, if they have a 1000 wH battery, but what's inside is actually 1080 wH, that would be an 8% buffer they hide in there. Also, each cycle claim could have their own criteria. Like 3000 cycles from 0% to 80% retaining 90% of battery. Or 6000 cycles of 20% to 90% cycles retaining 80% capacity. Forget those claims. Just know if it is a LiFePO4 battery, take care and try to only discharge to 15% and charge to 80% regularly with a 100% charge every 4th or 5th cycle and that battery will last you 10-20 years. Lastly, if you need to store it long-term, it should be between 30% and 50%.
i went with the E2000 Pecron with 4 panels. I hadn't used it for 19 months after a camping trip. After charging it back full 19 months ago I went to get it put into a Faraday Bag and checked it.... It came up at 100% charged after 19 months. That is amazing. LiFePho4 battery. It was a bit more affordable than Bluetti and other name brands of similar specs.
I went with the ISTARPOWER , Starpower Tech LLC . 1000 W " COWBOY " . 54Ah 21.6V 1166Wh Lithium-ion . My add on battery system is 2 100Ah LiFePRO4 . They plug in at the solar input, 12-30V . I will replace the Lithium ion with LiFePRO4 , when it's gone through it's charge cycles (800). Coming and going, I save 100's . At just under $200 for the Starpower 1000 and less than $200 for 2 LG ecoLFP Batteries. So 154Ah @ 24v or 254Ah @ 12v . 24v is more efficient. 12v can and will promote overheating. Good video . Knowledge is empowering.
I built my OWN Solar Power Station. It has 2.5 kWh Battery Capacity, 40 Amp Solar Charging and a 35 Amp AC Charger. At present it has a 1000 Watt PURE Sine Inverter. When more $$$ are available, I will change that out to a 2000 Watt Pure Sine Inverter. I put it al into a Harbor Freight Rolling Toolbox.
I have had issues with both the Jackery and Bluetti units. I use EcoFlow. I was not a fan of ecoflow until I had bad experiences with the aforementioned products. EF are well built, easy to charge, display screen and info is outstanding, ports and connections solid. Not so with the other units. Ports loosen, charging voltage drops when shadows passed over the panels and did not recover until unit was cycled off then on, manually! EF are not the most efficient but there charging capability from wall and generator power more than make up for the inefficiencies.
You can speed up DC to DC charging in the car for all batteries by using an alternator charger or one wired direct to the starter battery. The 12 volt socket is limited to 12V at 10A = 120W.
I ordered the Ecoflow Delta 2 on Prime Day. It was "delivered" yesterday, but in a different city and state, so I contacted Ecoflow and they said the battery was out of stock until early August. On Amazon it still shows that it was delivered so I'm going to chat with Amazon CS and make sure the issue is known incase something happens in the future. I opted to wait for the early August shipment instead of a refund. I have a Jackery 300, it's been great. I didn't go with the 1000 V2 because of the reviews at the time and the price, and lack of car charger included. I got a 1000Wh to run a car fridge, hopefully for 3-5 days while charging only when driving. I got a 100W solar panel for if I'm at a camp site. I didn't want/need a expandable battery, and I have a cheap 500wh Bluetti for back up, kettle, skillet, and rice cooker. I've heard good and mostly bad things about customer service, mostly about Bluetti, so I got the 4 year insurance for the Ecoflow.
I was debating between Jackery and Bluetti. But now that I have been looking at these two brands Ecoflow is making a strong case for me to consider them. Now I think it is between Jackery and Ecoflow and the handle may be the accessory to push it over the top 😅 But there is a lot of time between now and Blackfriday 😁
@@peterwhitcomb8315 I've heard Jackery use to have better CS but lately, my research is showing that they may be just as bad as the other two, with Bluetti being the worst. I was going to go with Jackery but they cost more for less features. I went with Ecoflow because I got the insurance with it. I also have Vtoman 1500 FlashSpeed but it stopped working about 7 months with very little use. I also got the insurance for it so if they give me the run around I'll still be covered.
@PartyUpLive--I had the same issue with Amazon(Prime day) showed delivered but wasn't. Spoke to CS to remove showing it was delivered and they couldn't do that but would put in a note what happened. I said I would like a refund. I have the Jackery 300 as well it has worked great thus far.
@@mikemoore9623 Yeah they said/did the same thing. Said I'd get it some time in August. I'm going to talk to Amazon tomorrow and let them know about it showing delivered when it wasn't incase there is a issue with getting a refund in the future. I'm thinking of waiting 3 weeks, before Amazon's 30 day policy. After that I'll just refund it. From my research, all of these companies have shady customer service. That's why I got the insurance. I'm thinking of trying to build my own setup at this point. Wanted to start traveling by late August/September.
Utah Jeff …here …..if you buy 2 power stations you can actually daisy - chain them together by using the the car charger or ac charger and the one power station is charging the one you are using … could be done with panels too … I have 2 older Oupes units at 595 Wh each …heat is the enemy of power stations … get a good warranty if you are considering buying one. Slow charge as often as possible
Thank you so much! Especially for the data on operating temps. I live and will be vanning in Queensland in Australia. It gets very hot camping out west, so knowing the high temp differential is going to make a big difference. Cheers! ❤
This might be interesting to some- it's not on u tube but can be found on the net - My grand father started working on generators around 1900 - he started on farm home light plants - some were 6 volt houses - Those homes had huge 6 volt battery's that fans, lights, radios ect ran on - those were never larger than 7 kw systems down here in the deep South US - the other systems used were 32 volts farm light plants - Up north they generally had a 7 kw systems - Down here the battery banks were normally 21 to 42 KWs or larger - any device that was sold in city's for 120 volts AC in small towns there were the counter parts that were for farm homes - In stores they sold new and remanurfactured appliances in the 32 volts DC range for rural electrified homes - that's lights, fridges, ceiling fans,, irons, vacuum cleaners, water pumps, washers welders, DC to AC 125 V square wave and sign wave inverters ect - There was no grid power up till the 60s In my area - our house power out here was farm light power - or 32 volts DC - Because of the noise of the generators every one agreed to only charge all day Friday during winter and Friday and Monday in summer - so In winter battery were only charged on Friday all day - For summer they often had to charge some on Monday also -because the fridges, freezers and fans ran a lot - The battery's lasted 40 to 60 yrs and longer - they use. acid strength of .195 or.220 if the area dropped below 0°F. With weak acid batterys last decades - My power often goes out down here after hurricanes or ice storms - I also worked on gens from childhood - I wound up in the offshore oilfields for decades - Living off grid with power is not new - farms had hybrid and steam, water and wind electric power from 1890s -
Here's a tip for you about charging using a vehicle: the 12 volt socket on most cars has a 10 amp fuse, so they can only charge the portable power stations at around 120 watts, which is why it takes so long to charge with it. If you don't want to buy that expensive 800 watt alternator charger for faster charging you can purchase an inverter that will directly connect to the vehicle's battery using cables that you run through the firewall and give you a couple of 120 volt AC outlets that you can use to plug in and charge the portable power stations with their AC inputs. You can get these inverters in a variety of wattages, but a 1000 watt unit can often be found at places like Walmart for under $200, which is a much cheaper alternative for faster charging in a vehicle.
Do the inverters have built in fuse protection or is one required between the battery and the inverter! I like your idea and haven't heard anyone mention that as a solution to a relatively common problem. Thank you!
@@treepop1550 Some do have built in fuses, but I'm sure there are probably some that don't. I have personally seen one with an inline fuse holder for blade style fuses as part of the wiring, and another with one of those glass cylinder fuses built into the chassis with a little door to access it. It probably depends on the wattage of the inverter and whether it is meant for permanent installation or just uses clamps to attach to the battery.
Most of the banks let you charge faster from the solar input, you can still charge with DC directly from the battery without buying another inverter. Even if you already have a 12v inverter, directly connecting it is loads more efficient than taking DC from the alternator, inverting and boosting it to 120v, then bucking and converting it back to DC to charge the battery bank. The wiring would already be there, just hook on an XT60 or whatever the bank wants, with correct polarity, could add the opposite to the inverter so it could be swapped easily.
@@punkdigerati You are correct that it is more efficient to charge from DC to DC, but this is only true if the thing you are charging is of the same DC voltage or less than the DC voltage you are trying to charge from. The solar input on most battery banks operates at a higher voltage than the 12V of the car's electrical system, which means you would need something to boost the voltage to take advantage of the solar input's higher charging rate. If you were dropping from a higher voltage (like an EV or Hybrid car battery has) down to the voltage of the solar input (which I believe is around 20V on my friend's solar generator) it would be fairly efficient, but going from a lower DC voltage to a higher DC voltage is rather inefficient and requires fairly expensive electronics (I believe it's called a charge pump). However, a cheap and simple transformer can very easily take a lower AC voltage and boost it to a higher voltage with excellent efficiency. Thus, unless you have a Hybrid vehicle and are willing to and capable of making a device to tap into the high voltage battery and drop it down to the voltage of the solar input, you would still be better off with an inverter with a high enough output to saturate your battery bank's AC input, even with the conversion from DC to AC and back to DC.
The 80% charge thing that Bluetti likes to quote is because of this fact: if you only charge to 80% each time your battery will last longer...i.e. more cycles available. So it might make sense that if you only need to use 800 watt/hours each day, then a 1000 watt/hour unit charging to 80% will work. But most likely that is cutting it too close, so start with a large capacity (or add an expansion battery) and own a system with excess capacity, and then charge to 80% for longer lifespan. Just do your own math, once you know how many watt/hours you need each day. I guess in a way that makes the Bluetti folks the guys who get the award for the most honesty...haha.
I have always charged my batteries and power stations to full 100% every time. It doesn't really affect their performance, and all my batteries are still going strong after many years of constant daily use. It's all nonsense to worry about only charging to 80% or depletion to minimum 30%. You might as well just buy a cheaper 50% power battery!😂 Lastly, the majority of people buying these power stations will no doubt upgrade them long before they ever degrade in useful performance.
@@Globetrotter-1 Nonsense? Perhaps. I don't even know where I got that info from. Probably on TH-cam. Of course one case of it not being true is not scientific proof of anything. But, good for you. I have had the opposite experience, as I experienced seriously reduced power output within one year of always charging to full and taking it down to near empty on my electric bike. I am halfway thru a new year with a new battery of not doing that. So we shall see. So as always YMMV..haha.
@@RJMSINCR The batteries within most electric bikes are a different kettle of fish, and tend to be produced in low grade factories and quickly expire. I've had an Ecoflow River since it was first produced in 2021 and also the Ecoflow Delta 2. I live permanently in a vehicle exploring wild regions, so they are being used 24/7 night and day year round, without any degredation.
@@lukestagg2138 That is completely normal and built in to the units by Ecoflow for safety and prevention of damage during ultra-fast charging. The last few percent, especially at 99% will take a long time to eventually reach 100%. But it certainly doesn't mean that charging to full 100% is detrimental to its future performance.
New follower here - hurricane/tropical storm incoming. Always makes me think about upgrading. Solid vid, good presentation. Subscribed, bell rang, commented, liked, upvoted, shared ..... may the algorithm gods smile favorably upon your channel young lady.
I have a AC180 Bluetti and the screen only stays on for a short time. Bluetti says their app can extend the time but it never worked. The other issue is when I tried to run my gas furnace off of it, kicked the furnace into error readings only ran the fan and did not cycle properly.
The limitation of the Ecoflow 800W (alternator) charger (and any alternatives suggested below) is that 800W is 60A from the alternator. This is only practical if the vehicle is actually running and has an adequate alternator in the first place. (The lead acid battery in a car typically has about 600Wh of usable energy. That won't even charge a 1024Wh system once.) If one is going to do it, $439 is probably a reasonable price to avoid damaging the factory alternator, which would probably cost more than $439 to replace (at the dealer). I would not risk the DIY alternatives suggested below.
I almost think the expansion batteries are not worth it if the unit has UPS pass through. You can piggyback units to expand the battery capacity. You also get the benefit of having more output wattage and faster charging (at least with Anker). One last thing for you to ponder. They sell inverters that are fairly cheap that plug into a vehicle's cigarette lighter. Those inverters are not super high wattage, but I know one can change the AC charge wattage on an Anker Solix power station. I believe some of those cheap inverters go up to 400 watts output power at 120v. That would charge faster than the standard car socket.
I went with the same Anker for a couple of reasons, first, simplicity of use, second its surge capacity would fire up all appliances, third expandability. My one hang up was price, but they go on sale occasionally. My one complaint: the battery extender is vastly overpriced. You can almost buy a second power station for the same price. I still like my selection. I also note that you can buy someone else’s 200 watt panel a lot cheaper if you want. Nice vid.
The EcoFlow 800w alternator charger is a game changer. Have mine set up in my hybrid car and it charges my Delta 2 in just over an hour. Will never use solar panels again on a vehicle.
I have Echoflow and Bluetti. I prefer the Echoflow overs Bluetti, the Bluetti will shutdown if idle too long and the performance from running my refrigerator is much longer from Echoflow
Had the ep500 pro for 4 jears, 5mw of power has this thing harvested and converted! Now i have the Ac500 and this thing is expandble to 18 kwh ! 😲 3kwh solar input and 500 watts solar input on every b300s... The other brands dont come even close to the solar input to bluetti devices!
This is the best review of power stations I have found in two years! What an amazing job you did! Thank you so much! 🎉🎉🎉🎉 I didnt know Ecoflow offered an alternator cable….. that is sweet even if it’s pricey.
Knowing user situation is critical, as you said. I have the Ecoflow delta 2 and solar. It may not be fast charging, but I’m never at zero and when I’m at anchor (sailboat) I charge air, make dinner using it and by night fall it is full again. And that is not even a full cycle. As for cycles. The chemistry of the batteries is critical. But one chemistry will be the same regardless of brand - yet they claim something else. This is due to test protocols. Discharge to X% and charge back up to X%. This is very important and massively effective the results. Simplest measure is light weight = less cycles than heavy. But that is today - tomorrow will be different look up undecided with Matt Ferrell and the solid state battery video from a couple of weeks ago
For car charging have you tried a 12 -120V inverter, run off the biggest fuse you can. If not a 1000W gas generator could have you back charged in a couple hours.
Jasonoid does a lot of really good, in depth, real world tests with portable power stations. He has a lot of knowledge & tests against the specs the companies claim.
Good information- One correction: when you're talking about the expansion packs for the Segway, that is expandable to 5KWh, not 5000KWh. There's a big difference between 5000 watt hours and 5,000,000 watt hours!
One thing to consider in this scenario, the EcoFlow app allows you to cut that charging rate down to 100watts. You could put less stress on your alternator by lowering the charge rate and still charge faster than the 120 watts from cigarette plug. You give up some speed to protect vehicle.
There’s a good reason why you can fast charge to 80%, and then it slows down from 80-100%. It has to do with degradation if you fast charge all the way up to 100%
What also needs to be taken into account is that the solar panels charge 60%/65% of what is indicated. That means that a 100watt panel gives 60/65 watts per hour of charging power. In addition to my solar installation, I use an ecoflow for devices that require more power, such as a kettle, vacuum cleaner, water pump, welding machine, etc., and I am very satisfied with the ecoflow.
I have both the Segway Cube 1000 and Ecoflow Delta 2. Only one has the 2200w inverter. It's not Ecoflow. The cheapest expansion battery for any power station with a higher than 60v solar input is buying a 48v LFP 50ah or 100ah battery. It charges at around 600 plus watts. 48v x 50ah 600 dollars (3x the battery capacity 3400+wh) 48v x 100ah 1200 dollars (5x the battery capacity-6000+wh) Most New Bluetti power stations come with No wireless charging pad. 12v chargers are all at 10 amps no matter the brand. DC to DC charger can exceed 800 watts. Ecoflow alternator charger is proprietary. DC to DC charger can charge any power stations and cheaper.
Tory it's Tony again I also have a generator that uses gas and propane I live off grid and it's just as stressful as living in a van which I also did for 3 years so once again take care
I have multiple EcoFlow products, and I like how I can monitor/control all with their app. No problems to date. Most important advice you gave, Know what you want to power and purchase accordingly. The first power station I purchased was from Goal Zero, A YETI 1400 Li-Ion back in 2019. It was pretty much the only product like it at the time with a price of $1800.00. I admit the battery capacity of the Yeti is dropping. I'm not sure if I will replace the battery since I have other options. Maybe just use it for LED lighting.
Holy Hell! That was an *excellent* comparison, with very thoughtful detail incorporated into the various specs! Beautiful *and* intelligent! You're looking well rested and happy. I like the Delta 2 and the Anker -- never heard of the Segway before but seems it may be a strong contender in the right situations. Cheers!...from North Vancouver
I just got my Delta 2 ecoflow and back up battery. I have had two small river 2 devices. I keep them in a aluminium chest ( Faraday cage). As a part of my disaster prep
The thing about power stations. Until recently they were mostly short term fixes..for a power outage. As for vanlife it's still cheaper and better to build your own photovoltaic system with at least 400 kWh min. Using 12/24/36/48 volt DC setups. A minimum of 400 watts panel wise but 600 to 800 is way better .. also switching over to as many 12 volt DC appliances, AC minisplit DC powered TV DC powered ... Chargers DC powered ... The more DC powered appliances the better. Fridge DC powered. The over all cost is a lot less then most think it is. Use a diesel heater and propane for cooking ... You'll find life cheaper and more dependable easier to manage.
This is all very good information, but it is not a statistical survey. It is a survey of the manufacturers' specifications. This is the starting point for a statistical test. To do a statistical comparison you would buy at least 30 of each brand and test the features of each one using calibrated instruments. By testing 30 of each you can find the average of the 30, say, for charging time, and compare that to the manufacturer's spec. After testing all of them you could create graphs and charts showing the results. Still, this is a great start. It helps that you have some personal experience with at least some of these.
one thing it seems nobody really talks about with lithium ion baatteries is, they need to be charged and discharged regularly. If you just let them sit for a long period, they will not hold a charge wworth a squat. Love your vids! thanks
Something to consider in regard to the expansion battery options is the price compared to just buying a second power station. Lastly, some expansion batteries can only be charged while attached to the main power station and not independently, which was a deal breaker for me.
Hey thanks Scoob! I just asked about that a little while ago. Sure makes sense to me... just alternate charging them and always have an entire unit as backup.👍
@YouLookinAtMe-Bro Yes, I was already invested in anker with the c1000. When I discovered the expansion could only charge via the main unit and another c1000 was less than 100 bucks more, it seemed like an easy decision. More versatility, same total capacity and almost identical total price.
What none of these companies talk about is what you are going to do if the unit fails under warranty. Just try and send back a 1000Wh product. It's considered hazardous material and UPS and FedX won't ship it. Also, guess what happens when it rains and water gets inside. Here's a tip...if the unit uses Lith Ion batteries, keep it 20 feet away from your vehicle or home. Lith Ion batteries are fine when they are small, such as 2800mAh. When you're talking about 1,000 Wh and Lith Ion, they can be dangerous if damaged.
Holy crap! What an amazing amount of good information that I needed last year! Seriously, incredible video and editing! So easy to watch and you have a great ability to use humor to actually make us smile! So good!!! Thanks and be well!
LiFePO4 batteries have a different internal charging cycles from 0 to 80% and from 80% to 100% (if memory serves me correctly there is also a different charging cycle from 95% to 100%) which is to help protect the battery. If they have a LiFoPO4 battery they should all charge generally in the same amount of time. Although TH-camr's have shown this is not always the case, even among two identical units, so testing should be done if this is an important factor for you.
This is great information thank you very much. I’ve been looking into battery backups for a while now and in my searches, I have learned that car charging the battery packs is very long due to the fact that alternators on cars really do not produce a whole lot of energy, which I was really surprised to learn.
To charge your Power Station up a lot faster than just using the cig lighter port you can use a DC to DC converter. Many videos on youtube on how to do this.
I know with power stations solar comes up - Solar in dry regions like the SW US were the humidity is low works well - I've worked northern mountain region oilfields and it worked well - I live in the deep South US - the humidity is always high at best solar puts out 50% at noon day and an average of 15 to 20% of it's rated daily 14 hour day rating down here - also clouds constantly interrupt the charge cycle - so battery's often only accept 1/3 of that 20% - If you run a small inverter generator in parallel with the solar panels down here that will help keep a constant charge on the battery's so they accept all the power from the panels - but it will cost some fuel - Small inverter gens in the 800;watt range often generate 7 KWs per gallon of fuel burned - at half load - that a good efficency
YOU SHOULD CONSIDER A SUNGOLD 4000 AH INVERTER WITH 4 SOK 206 AH BATTERY THIS IS WHAT I USE FOR MY FOOD TRUCK I CAN RUN IT FOR 12HRS BEFOR I HAVE TO CHARGE MY BATTERYS I HAVE A COMMERCIAL FRIDGE AND FREEZER + TABLETS AND CREDIT CARD MACHINE LED LIGHTS ,2 -1500 WATT BLENDERS ALL RUNNING AT THE SAME TIME
I live in Texas also.. It all depends on what you trying to charge. I started with the Bluetti EB3A, then went up from there. I own 23 Power stations from various companies they all work great but I like the ones with expansions batteries the most.
My goal is to find a unit that I can simply plug into a 30 amp system for my camper to run as backup for nighttime (just basics) then recharge in a few hours during the day with generator .....any suggestions??? THANKS. ... FOR THE GREAT COMPARISONS... WELL DONE
Great video! I have the Anker Solix C1000 w/ the expansion, I use the ETaker F1000 Fast Charger to charge the Anker when im on the road, It can charge the Anker at about 450W which is much faster than using the car charging cable at around 100W. Also the ETaker charger can also accept solar input and combine the car and solar into one charging output to the powerstation, It can do up to 1000W but the Anker can only handle 600W into the DC Input. With my 200W solar panel and the fast charger I can get pretty close to the 600W input on the Anker.
I purchased the Pecron DC1242-500 charger (per Jasonoid's video) to use with my Bluetti AC200MAX (on a 27' boat, inboard with alternator). It's "only" 500w vs Ecoflow 800w, BUT it's non-proprietary (unlike everything Ecoflow), regularly provides about 400w by itself just cruising around/regardless of solar, and it was under $150!!! Absolutely the best bang-buck thing I've added to the system although I would like to expand the capacity at some point.
Correction: A few times I accidentally switch between saying wh & kwh but each time I just mean Wh. ☠️ Sorry!
Awww, I was just going to type that if your mom has 5000kWh she is my hero!😅
That's in the chart, too. Jackery and Segway both have kW/h listed.
So a bridge is a connection between two points and one of those points is an area with absolutely nothing. The idea is to appear on the bridge as if out of nowhere and then go in the opposite direction, which leads somewhere else. Right?
Knowing the chemistry for each battery would’ve been a good add. I don’t want anything that is not LiFePo4.
If it claims several thousand lifecycles... it had BETTER be LiFePo. 😄
I agree, the safe battery.
And recent studies have shown that lithium iron phosphate batteries can still burn up just like any other battery, and that they release much higher volumes of smoke that is far more toxic than other varieties of lithium. 😂😂😂
@@boblatkey7160 And this PO4 has so much oxygen which guarantee that a fire has not burn out soon with it's own power.
@@boblatkey7160 Some unnamed or ersatz studies. The LiFePo batteries are more chemically stable and less toxic materials are used in the their chemistry. They have a much lower risk of overheating. My goodness do a modicum of research before you post nonsense. And recent studies state you are uneducated.
Great video!! I love that you made this video from a non-sponsored angle. I have a hard time 100% trusting an opinion from a channel that is sponsored by the company. I understand having sponsors. But I trust the unsponsored content more.
Agree! Non sponsored usually is bettet but, some TH-camrs say it's not sponsored when it really is. So practice the rule of "grain of salt".
If only Matt Foley is still alive, to provide his thoughts on what powerstation he'd go with in his van down by the river
Oh, he’s on top of it!
I've only just started the video, but my experience with Bluetti (I own two Bluetti batteries plus their 120W solar panel) is that you need to test and verify the unit works thoroughly before your warranty ends. I bought my first Bluetti EB70 in 2021 and never really used it much, it sat on the shelf for the most part. Just after it's two year warranty expired I discovered it had a known issue with the BMS on the early run EB70's but Bluetti refused to cover it. I was forced to pay almost $200 to fix it. So just be sure to test whatever battery you get extensively. It's really soured me on Bluetti after that (unfortunately this happened after I'd bought the second battery and panel).
Just an FYI, batteries do this thing called "self-discharge". If they sit on a shelf they slowly discharge. Sitting on a shelf for that length of time without being charged is not good for them. In the days before lithium they sold trickle chargers for lead acid batteries that maintained them when not in use. Lithium is different and you can't do that, but you still need to bring them up to 80% every now and then to get the most life out of them. I know that was not why yours was bad, just saying now that you have them both working again, use them or charge them from time to time. But do not leave them plugged into the charger and leave them like that either. I did that on an ebike paid the price.
@@RJMSINCR I did use it occasionally, but never really stressed it or ran down the capacity. I also checked it every so often to make sure it was still charged and it never really drained itself. The issue these early EB70 units had was once you got down to about 60% battery they would die, and then not come back on until you charged them again. So you only got 40% usable capacity because the BMS had a defect. I've used both of the batteries now extensively, and you can see them in a couple of my videos powering my Starlink. I tend to use the smaller EB3A a lot more because it's easier to tote around for camping trips.
What is this BMS issue? It's stupid you have to break in your bluetti. My eb70 would go from 100 to 70 and then go to zero. I had to do a few full charge and drain cycles with it, apparently to break it in.🤦♂️ Shouldn't have to do that or they should at least tell you you have to do that.
Yep, bought a Bluetti EB70 and have been very disappointed with it. Wrote them twice within the first few months of ownership with zero response…. Before Bluetti I owned a Jackery 500 and 240 which both still work incredibly well. I just bought a new Jackery 2000 on Prime Day a few weeks ago and so far I’m super pleased with it. I’ll never waste money on any Bluetti product again. Bad product and bad customer service.
I fixed an over discharge issue recently that prevented me from starting my Bluetti AC200P. However, there's a manufacturer defect issue remaining as follows: the unit charges to 100% and works fine until it drops below 52% when it suddenly drops to 0%. When I first bought the unit I noticed that the drop had happened at around 40%, although I didn't know that it went to 0% so fast (I always kept the unit charged above 50%. I've tried recalibration on the unit several times without success. So now I have sent the unit back to the Kayo Battery repair shop. Obviously, this is a manufacturing defect that has gone unnoticed since the beginning. I bought the unit through this Amazon store.... Kayo Battery. I've now discovered that Kayo Battery will not honor the 2+2 (4 year) extended warranty that is offered on this unit through other authorized Bluetti dealers. So this has cost me an additional $197 just to send this unit into the repair shop with no word on the cost to repair. I've heard from others who bought Bluetti products and nobody has received any service using the 4 year warranty, seems to be a scam.
Lessons learned here (notes to myself)....
1. Never again purchase a Bluetti product
2. Never shop at the Kayo Battery store
3. Never again buy a huge price item from ANY 3rd party on Amazon
4. Always read the entire warranty (fine print) that the store offers, NOT the warranty the manufacturer offers as these can be completely different
5. Never fall for scams such as this again!
Great video. I haven't seen a video that does this type of comparison before, it is very helpful.
Good video with a comprehensive look at the different battery units. Also great to hear you mention the difference in chemistry with the Jackery units and point out that LiFePO is so much better and safer. Both Lithium but very different batteries. Really that was a public service announcement so good on ya !
Thx Tory. Great in-depth review. I went for the EcoFlow Deta2 on Prime Day. Snagged it for $459 out the door. I like the ALWAYS ON UPS mode. I plugged in my fridge and freezer units as I was getting a lot of power disruptions and I don't want to loose all my food. They say next year we are going to have food shortages so I can't afford any losses.
Learn to can food....after you learn to grow/raise it
How did you get it for $459?
@@pinakmiku4999they were on sale during July, wait for Labor Day or the next big holiday.
Who is they?
No food shortages, wanna bet?
If you already use a propane tank with your setup, it would be worth it to get a 1k or 2k watt dual fuel generator that runs off of propane. Harbor Freight's Predator line is excellent ‼️ You could use this generator to charge up your power stations on cloudy days or for a fast charge. 😉
I do the same thing to power, my RV in the woods on my 5 acres of wildland
My Bluetti AC200Max 2,200W max output and 2,048WH has been amazing. i even bought a BLUETTI B300 Expansion Battery | 3,072Wh after a year or so. My only complaint is how heavy it is... and the price. But I just keep mine in between the front seats of my RV and forget about it. A lot of people complain about the app. The most I do with it, is check on the input and output numbers. I do have some issues when trying to remotely turn things on and off. But I don't really see the need for it other than to see the numbers.
I have only had my Bluetti so i don't know anything about batteries, converters and that whole system. Nor any of the other power stations. All I know is mine works the way I want it to and have never had any issues for about 3 years now.
I have the AC200Max also and really enjoy it, I originally bought it for emergency use because we were hit by a tornado and that brought more awareness to our needs and get get some ice storms also so winter time is important for us also. Now we are using it more so on a daily basis just for the sake of it and to see its capabilities so we don’t get blind sided in an emergency and for glamping. It’s saved us a couple of times in a few power outages. I’d like to pickup the expansion battery soon 🤞.
I also got my mom the small one but can’t remember the model and it’s been great, especially to keep her communication lines open during and after a couple hurricanes and storms.
Hi I've been interested in solar for a while I want a system to run a few acs and frig, and we'll pump one ac runs on 220 and I want some panels from what I understand you have to get electrician help for that,which I don't want, can you steer me in right direction, confused
@@johnwillenburg1586 Will Prowse - TH-cam Channel: DIY Solar Power With Will Prowse.
This guy knows his stuff. I found him when I was looking for which Solar Panels to get and he had a video where he tested a bunch of brands. Ultimately I went with Rich Solar. 200W momo panels.
A 3800 wh LiFeP04 battery by reliable brands is only 700 bucks now and 3500wh ones are going for 500. You can build a much better system for 1/5th the cost that can be upgraded or repaired if a part quits working.
Great presentation. I have a few Bluettis. I started with a AC50s to run an Iceco frig while weekend camping. Works great, kids love the wireless charging on top. Added a 100W solar panel to keep it charged while at the beach. No ice needed and the drinks stay cold all day. I also use the AC50 to run fans in the horse trailer. They love that addition. Can also run the frig for the humans to have cold drinks. I've "upgraded" to an AC70 for a little extra capacity. The solar charging is great. Be ready for different plug styles, I have different adaptors. Great review.
Great video,decent details. I heard you say you really would like to have more power,exspandability. I agree, you can't have to much power, that's why I opted for the Titan, by Point Zero Energy. There not cheap, they are low frequency inverters, not high frequency like all of these. Specs 3000w continuous, 6000w surge for 10 sec. 6 120v outlets, 5 13.8v outlets 20amp, 2000w 150v x 2 solar input, 2mppt controllers,2 120v ac charging ports, 1 30amp rv plug, expansion battery input,all on reset switches not fuses. The unit itself is 32lbs, 2kw lithium batteries 32lbs each, no limit on exspandability, it has a car charging port also,20 amp. This unit stacks right on top of the batteries,no wires at all, This unit can charge from all ports and discharge full power all at the same time day in and day out. The battery expansion port, this unit can run lithium,gel,lead acid, all batteries,and in combination. How long to charge 1 2kw battery, bout 1.5 hrs, but depends how your charging it, these are 24v batteries,and or any combination type at 24v. Maybe this could benefit you or others looking for a better choice JM2C
@iamToryDelury_VIa_TeIe-Gram what did I win( a trip to London) lol
I’m partial to the Anker Power Station, I have found that by adding a DC to DC converter (Adjustable to 30 volts) and upping the volts from 12 to 24 at 20 amps I can produce a higher charging wattage, at 24 volts I get 480 watts of charging power @ 30 volts it’s 600 watts. This means that I can charge much faster when driving just off the 12 Volt system. I did run a 30 amp circuit with a relay just for the DC to DC converter from the battery, this keeps the system from charging when the motor is not running to prevent discharging the vehicle battery.
Many of us will NOT buy Anker due to their scandal with their Eufy systems and how they lied. We don't need to give money to more of the spying and lying entities, they are ALWAYS up to no good.
Great information. Thank you for condensing it into a short video. I have been looking to replace my Travel Trailer batteries with a power station and your information will help my decision.
EcoFlow is my Go to power station. Plus not mentioned is ecoflo's brilliant didplay and Best in class app.
Best in class? Completely useless if you don’t have internet.
I don't need internet to use my ecoflow app. What are you talking about??@@offgrid-bound
Ever hear of Bluetooth?
I love that app!
@@Sam-xz4yz nothing to do with bluetooth. The app REQUIRES you to log in which is completely unnecessary for a BT connection to the unit, and makes the app unusable if you don’t have internet. Not an off grid friendly product (I mean the app, not the power station itself).
30 seconds into this video confirms my experience: m.th-cam.com/video/hYGbtSCaTds/w-d-xo.html
You can have the sweetest candy, but it’s pointless if you can’t unwrap it 😜
Thanks for the detailed comparison! A lot of things to consider, for sure.
few months ago i copped the bluetti ac300 and b300 battery, love it, was somewhat forced last week to order the ecoflow delta pro cause when i got the wave2 air conditioner it came with the alternator charger and add-on battery included in the bundle, come to find out the alternator charger does not charge the wave2, the only way you can benefit from the 800 watt alt charger is to have one of the ef power stations, so i ended just getting it even tho i already have a great bluetti box and battery, but in all reality its perhaps best this way since these power station batteries drain power fast running air con, still planning on adding a custom victron 24v power system with solar panels but its still nice to have one or more power stations as well, energy when living in a van is something you never want to be short of especially in the summer
My first power station was the Anker 2,000 wh. I now have the Anker Solix F3800 and love it. My microwave and air fryer need the power but not for long run times. Anker has been very helpful with support. Hint about expansion boxes… The solar inputs can be wired to a battery bank. This allows remote batteries to be supplemental power sources when not needing solar. Each bank can provide 120watts of power x2 or 240watts total. I am full time nomad in Class B van. The most economical power source is my van alternators. What is nice about Anker is recharging at 1500 watts. My average load is about 150-200 watts. I have a 3/4 size refrigerator and an AC unit that will pull 1,000 watts. The total system cost was about $4,000 so it is not cheap. But was half cost of an RV shop wiring job.
Elon Musk was explaining lithium batteries and he said they are like a parking lot. When the parking lot is empty it is very easy to park. Same thing with charging when the battery is low the atoms find a place to go fast. When the parking lot is full, they have to drive around for a while to find a parking spot, and that's what the atoms are doing inside of the battery.
That's why it takes longer from 85% to 100%
There is a little bit of confusion about LFP (LiFePO4) batteries I see in this and other threads that should be noted. The state of charge (SOC) or battery level percentage is normally gauged by the voltage which is different at 0% vs 100%. This is easy with a regular NMC, or Lithium Ion battery since there is a big voltage range to track. With LiFePO4 batteries, that voltage variable is very slight, so it doesn't always know when you're at 33% or 58% or whatever. For this reason, you need to charge to 100% at least once every few charge cycles so it can reset and know where 100% is and accurately count downwards. The good news with these batteries is because the nominal voltage at 100% is nearly equal to a lithium at 50%, so there is virtually no "pressure" on the battery to hold and degrade that much if you leave it at 100% for awhile. On standard Lithium batteries, leaving them at 100% for extended times degrade them quite fast. Think of your cell phone or notebook computer. Leaving them plugged in daily kills the batteries in a couple short years. The only disadvantage of LiFePO4 is they weight more, but they have no thermal runaway (they won't catch fire almost ever) and the cycle life is nearly 4-6 times of NMC. I will ONLY consider LiFePO4. Thanks for the comparison. I'm still deciding! OH.... LET ME ADD THIS: The cycles claims on each of the units is nothing but a claim. They all use the same battery technology. They are making up the numbers. The only way they can really change them is if to build in a little buffer in the battery. For instance, if they have a 1000 wH battery, but what's inside is actually 1080 wH, that would be an 8% buffer they hide in there. Also, each cycle claim could have their own criteria. Like 3000 cycles from 0% to 80% retaining 90% of battery. Or 6000 cycles of 20% to 90% cycles retaining 80% capacity. Forget those claims. Just know if it is a LiFePO4 battery, take care and try to only discharge to 15% and charge to 80% regularly with a 100% charge every 4th or 5th cycle and that battery will last you 10-20 years. Lastly, if you need to store it long-term, it should be between 30% and 50%.
You present tech with consummate charm. Great on camera presence!
i went with the E2000 Pecron with 4 panels. I hadn't used it for 19 months after a camping trip. After charging it back full 19 months ago I went to get it put into a Faraday Bag and checked it.... It came up at 100% charged after 19 months. That is amazing. LiFePho4 battery. It was a bit more affordable than Bluetti and other name brands of similar specs.
I went with the ISTARPOWER , Starpower Tech LLC . 1000 W " COWBOY " . 54Ah 21.6V 1166Wh Lithium-ion . My add on battery system is 2 100Ah LiFePRO4 . They plug in at the solar input, 12-30V . I will replace the Lithium ion with LiFePRO4 , when it's gone through it's charge cycles (800). Coming and going, I save 100's . At just under $200 for the Starpower 1000 and less than $200 for 2 LG ecoLFP Batteries. So 154Ah @ 24v or 254Ah @ 12v . 24v is more efficient. 12v can and will promote overheating.
Good video . Knowledge is empowering.
I built my OWN Solar Power Station. It has 2.5 kWh Battery Capacity, 40 Amp Solar Charging and a 35 Amp AC Charger. At present it has a 1000 Watt PURE Sine Inverter. When more $$$ are available, I will change that out to a 2000 Watt Pure Sine Inverter. I put it al into a Harbor Freight Rolling Toolbox.
I have had issues with both the Jackery and Bluetti units. I use EcoFlow. I was not a fan of ecoflow until I had bad experiences with the aforementioned products. EF are well built, easy to charge, display screen and info is outstanding, ports and connections solid. Not so with the other units. Ports loosen, charging voltage drops when shadows passed over the panels and did not recover until unit was cycled off then on, manually! EF are not the most efficient but there charging capability from wall and generator power more than make up for the inefficiencies.
You can speed up DC to DC charging in the car for all batteries by using an alternator charger or one wired direct to the starter battery. The 12 volt socket is limited to 12V at 10A = 120W.
They can't just connect direct to car to charge faster. They need a controller and connections
@@mrmotofy yes, I worded that poorly. Thank you!
I ordered the Ecoflow Delta 2 on Prime Day. It was "delivered" yesterday, but in a different city and state, so I contacted Ecoflow and they said the battery was out of stock until early August. On Amazon it still shows that it was delivered so I'm going to chat with Amazon CS and make sure the issue is known incase something happens in the future. I opted to wait for the early August shipment instead of a refund.
I have a Jackery 300, it's been great. I didn't go with the 1000 V2 because of the reviews at the time and the price, and lack of car charger included. I got a 1000Wh to run a car fridge, hopefully for 3-5 days while charging only when driving. I got a 100W solar panel for if I'm at a camp site.
I didn't want/need a expandable battery, and I have a cheap 500wh Bluetti for back up, kettle, skillet, and rice cooker.
I've heard good and mostly bad things about customer service, mostly about Bluetti, so I got the 4 year insurance for the Ecoflow.
I was debating between Jackery and Bluetti. But now that I have been looking at these two brands Ecoflow is making a strong case for me to consider them. Now I think it is between Jackery and Ecoflow and the handle may be the accessory to push it over the top 😅 But there is a lot of time between now and Blackfriday 😁
@@peterwhitcomb8315 I've heard Jackery use to have better CS but lately, my research is showing that they may be just as bad as the other two, with Bluetti being the worst.
I was going to go with Jackery but they cost more for less features. I went with Ecoflow because I got the insurance with it. I also have Vtoman 1500 FlashSpeed but it stopped working about 7 months with very little use. I also got the insurance for it so if they give me the run around I'll still be covered.
Dang. We're running the same set up, car fridge, etc. I got the Jackery V2 though. I already have the 240.
@PartyUpLive--I had the same issue with Amazon(Prime day) showed delivered but wasn't. Spoke to CS to remove showing it was delivered and they couldn't do that but would put in a note what happened. I said I would like a refund. I have the Jackery 300 as well it has worked great thus far.
@@mikemoore9623 Yeah they said/did the same thing. Said I'd get it some time in August. I'm going to talk to Amazon tomorrow and let them know about it showing delivered when it wasn't incase there is a issue with getting a refund in the future. I'm thinking of waiting 3 weeks, before Amazon's 30 day policy. After that I'll just refund it.
From my research, all of these companies have shady customer service. That's why I got the insurance.
I'm thinking of trying to build my own setup at this point. Wanted to start traveling by late August/September.
Utah Jeff …here …..if you buy 2 power stations you can actually daisy - chain them together by using the the car charger or ac charger and the one power station is charging the one you are using … could be done with panels too … I have 2 older Oupes units at 595 Wh each …heat is the enemy of power stations … get a good warranty if you are considering buying one. Slow charge as often as possible
Thank you so much! Especially for the data on operating temps. I live and will be vanning in Queensland in Australia. It gets very hot camping out west, so knowing the high temp differential is going to make a big difference. Cheers! ❤
This might be interesting to some- it's not on u tube but can be found on the net -
My grand father started working on generators around 1900 - he started on farm home light plants - some were 6 volt houses -
Those homes had huge 6 volt battery's that fans, lights, radios ect ran on - those were never larger than 7 kw systems down here in the deep South US - the other systems used were 32 volts farm light plants -
Up north they generally had a 7 kw systems -
Down here the battery banks were normally 21 to 42 KWs or larger - any device that was sold in city's for 120 volts AC in small towns there were the counter parts that were for farm homes -
In stores they sold new and remanurfactured appliances in the 32 volts DC range for rural electrified homes - that's lights, fridges, ceiling fans,, irons, vacuum cleaners, water pumps, washers welders, DC to AC 125 V square wave and sign wave inverters ect -
There was no grid power up till the 60s In my area - our house power out here was farm light power - or 32 volts DC -
Because of the noise of the generators every one agreed to only charge all day Friday during winter and Friday and Monday in summer - so In winter battery were only charged on Friday all day -
For summer they often had to charge some on Monday also -because the fridges, freezers and fans ran a lot -
The battery's lasted 40 to 60 yrs and longer - they use. acid strength of .195 or.220 if the area dropped below 0°F. With weak acid batterys last decades -
My power often goes out down here after hurricanes or ice storms -
I also worked on gens from childhood - I wound up in the offshore oilfields for decades -
Living off grid with power is not new - farms had hybrid and steam, water and wind electric power from 1890s -
Here's a tip for you about charging using a vehicle: the 12 volt socket on most cars has a 10 amp fuse, so they can only charge the portable power stations at around 120 watts, which is why it takes so long to charge with it. If you don't want to buy that expensive 800 watt alternator charger for faster charging you can purchase an inverter that will directly connect to the vehicle's battery using cables that you run through the firewall and give you a couple of 120 volt AC outlets that you can use to plug in and charge the portable power stations with their AC inputs. You can get these inverters in a variety of wattages, but a 1000 watt unit can often be found at places like Walmart for under $200, which is a much cheaper alternative for faster charging in a vehicle.
Do the inverters have built in fuse protection or is one required between the battery and the inverter! I like your idea and haven't heard anyone mention that as a solution to a relatively common problem. Thank you!
@@treepop1550 Some do have built in fuses, but I'm sure there are probably some that don't. I have personally seen one with an inline fuse holder for blade style fuses as part of the wiring, and another with one of those glass cylinder fuses built into the chassis with a little door to access it. It probably depends on the wattage of the inverter and whether it is meant for permanent installation or just uses clamps to attach to the battery.
I use a 1200w inverter myself also, much cheaper faster charge
Most of the banks let you charge faster from the solar input, you can still charge with DC directly from the battery without buying another inverter. Even if you already have a 12v inverter, directly connecting it is loads more efficient than taking DC from the alternator, inverting and boosting it to 120v, then bucking and converting it back to DC to charge the battery bank. The wiring would already be there, just hook on an XT60 or whatever the bank wants, with correct polarity, could add the opposite to the inverter so it could be swapped easily.
@@punkdigerati You are correct that it is more efficient to charge from DC to DC, but this is only true if the thing you are charging is of the same DC voltage or less than the DC voltage you are trying to charge from. The solar input on most battery banks operates at a higher voltage than the 12V of the car's electrical system, which means you would need something to boost the voltage to take advantage of the solar input's higher charging rate. If you were dropping from a higher voltage (like an EV or Hybrid car battery has) down to the voltage of the solar input (which I believe is around 20V on my friend's solar generator) it would be fairly efficient, but going from a lower DC voltage to a higher DC voltage is rather inefficient and requires fairly expensive electronics (I believe it's called a charge pump).
However, a cheap and simple transformer can very easily take a lower AC voltage and boost it to a higher voltage with excellent efficiency. Thus, unless you have a Hybrid vehicle and are willing to and capable of making a device to tap into the high voltage battery and drop it down to the voltage of the solar input, you would still be better off with an inverter with a high enough output to saturate your battery bank's AC input, even with the conversion from DC to AC and back to DC.
The 80% charge thing that Bluetti likes to quote is because of this fact: if you only charge to 80% each time your battery will last longer...i.e. more cycles available. So it might make sense that if you only need to use 800 watt/hours each day, then a 1000 watt/hour unit charging to 80% will work. But most likely that is cutting it too close, so start with a large capacity (or add an expansion battery) and own a system with excess capacity, and then charge to 80% for longer lifespan. Just do your own math, once you know how many watt/hours you need each day. I guess in a way that makes the Bluetti folks the guys who get the award for the most honesty...haha.
I have always charged my batteries and power stations to full 100% every time. It doesn't really affect their performance, and all my batteries are still going strong after many years of constant daily use. It's all nonsense to worry about only charging to 80% or depletion to minimum 30%. You might as well just buy a cheaper 50% power battery!😂
Lastly, the majority of people buying these power stations will no doubt upgrade them long before they ever degrade in useful performance.
@@Globetrotter-1 Nonsense? Perhaps. I don't even know where I got that info from. Probably on TH-cam. Of course one case of it not being true is not scientific proof of anything. But, good for you. I have had the opposite experience, as I experienced seriously reduced power output within one year of always charging to full and taking it down to near empty on my electric bike. I am halfway thru a new year with a new battery of not doing that. So we shall see. So as always YMMV..haha.
@@RJMSINCR The batteries within most electric bikes are a different kettle of fish, and tend to be produced in low grade factories and quickly expire.
I've had an Ecoflow River since it was first produced in 2021 and also the Ecoflow Delta 2. I live permanently in a vehicle exploring wild regions, so they are being used 24/7 night and day year round, without any degredation.
I believe it’s because the last 20% it’s the slowest, they charge fast to 80% then slow right down
@@lukestagg2138 That is completely normal and built in to the units by Ecoflow for safety and prevention of damage during ultra-fast charging. The last few percent, especially at 99% will take a long time to eventually reach 100%. But it certainly doesn't mean that charging to full 100% is detrimental to its future performance.
New follower here - hurricane/tropical storm incoming. Always makes me think about upgrading. Solid vid, good presentation. Subscribed, bell rang, commented, liked, upvoted, shared ..... may the algorithm gods smile favorably upon your channel young lady.
Thank you so much ☺️
Brilliant as always 💚 I like the longer informational videos. Experience does help. Looking forward to the next one!
I just got a jackery 2000 plus liPo battery, with additional battery packs.Have bluetti too. Have found Jackery works best for me.
Very nice video--great job with a complex challenge.
I have a AC180 Bluetti and the screen only stays on for a short time. Bluetti says their app can extend the time but it never worked. The other issue is when I tried to run my gas furnace off of it, kicked the
furnace into error readings only ran the fan and did not cycle properly.
The limitation of the Ecoflow 800W (alternator) charger (and any alternatives suggested below) is that 800W is 60A from the alternator. This is only practical if the vehicle is actually running and has an adequate alternator in the first place. (The lead acid battery in a car typically has about 600Wh of usable energy. That won't even charge a 1024Wh system once.)
If one is going to do it, $439 is probably a reasonable price to avoid damaging the factory alternator, which would probably cost more than $439 to replace (at the dealer). I would not risk the DIY alternatives suggested below.
I almost think the expansion batteries are not worth it if the unit has UPS pass through. You can piggyback units to expand the battery capacity. You also get the benefit of having more output wattage and faster charging (at least with Anker).
One last thing for you to ponder. They sell inverters that are fairly cheap that plug into a vehicle's cigarette lighter. Those inverters are not super high wattage, but I know one can change the AC charge wattage on an Anker Solix power station. I believe some of those cheap inverters go up to 400 watts output power at 120v. That would charge faster than the standard car socket.
Great review, thanks a lot Tory! Greetings from Italy 😃
The Anker C1000 is LFP (Lithium Iron Phospate)
I went with the same Anker for a couple of reasons, first, simplicity of use, second its surge capacity would fire up all appliances, third expandability. My one hang up was price, but they go on sale occasionally. My one complaint: the battery extender is vastly overpriced. You can almost buy a second power station for the same price. I still like my selection. I also note that you can buy someone else’s 200 watt panel a lot cheaper if you want. Nice vid.
The EcoFlow 800w alternator charger is a game changer. Have mine set up in my hybrid car and it charges my Delta 2 in just over an hour. Will never use solar panels again on a vehicle.
4000W DC 12V Split Phase Pure Sine Wave Inverter With Charger COST $ 896.00 I HAVE USED IT FOR 6 YEARS USING IT EVERY DAY JUST A FYI
I’m very interested in the eco flow!!!!
I have Echoflow and Bluetti. I prefer the Echoflow overs Bluetti, the Bluetti will shutdown if idle too long and the performance from running my refrigerator is much longer from Echoflow
Had the ep500 pro for 4 jears, 5mw of power has this thing harvested and converted! Now i have the Ac500 and this thing is expandble to 18 kwh ! 😲 3kwh solar input and 500 watts solar input on every b300s... The other brands dont come even close to the solar input to bluetti devices!
Thanks! I'd been waiting to hear more about how Segway fits into the scene
I build my own battery packs. It's much cheaper and you can customize it. Fun too.
The car's plug has a standard limitation of 10A. Max 120W charging.
This is the best review of power stations I have found in two years! What an amazing job you did! Thank you so much! 🎉🎉🎉🎉 I didnt know Ecoflow offered an alternator cable….. that is sweet even if it’s pricey.
Thank you, you’ve answered a few questions I had as someone who hasn’t started vanlife yet
Knowing user situation is critical, as you said. I have the Ecoflow delta 2 and solar. It may not be fast charging, but I’m never at zero and when I’m at anchor (sailboat) I charge air, make dinner using it and by night fall it is full again. And that is not even a full cycle. As for cycles. The chemistry of the batteries is critical. But one chemistry will be the same regardless of brand - yet they claim something else. This is due to test protocols. Discharge to X% and charge back up to X%. This is very important and massively effective the results. Simplest measure is light weight = less cycles than heavy. But that is today - tomorrow will be different look up undecided with Matt Ferrell and the solid state battery video from a couple of weeks ago
For car charging have you tried a 12 -120V inverter, run off the biggest fuse you can. If not a 1000W gas generator could have you back charged in a couple hours.
The BEST comparison on TH-cam!
question? Why would you buy the bluetti ac180 and the b80 expansion, instead of 2 ac180's for nearly the same price.
Wow, thank you for all your hardwork putting this together & directly comparing them! So helpful!
I've had good luck with my Pecron.
This is a great video. Very informative. How’s the build out of your current van ?
13:50, it is best to only charge to 80% and discharge down to no less than 20% for battery longevity. It is not just Bluetti that this applies to.
I have a Jackery 1000 V2, just purchased a month ago. My owners manual says 1500W AC input on bypass mode.
For car charging, have you tried power inverter plugged in to the cig lighter? I wondered if it will charge faster since you're drawing 110v.
NO the cig lighter is limited to 10a or 120w or so.
Jasonoid does a lot of really good, in depth, real world tests with portable power stations. He has a lot of knowledge & tests against the specs the companies claim.
He actually knows his stuff not like most of these blaggers
Good information- One correction: when you're talking about the expansion packs for the Segway, that is expandable to 5KWh, not 5000KWh. There's a big difference between 5000 watt hours and 5,000,000 watt hours!
Whatchu think of runhood power, GoSun or innopower/powdeom?
What a helpful video. You covered a lot and kept it real. Thank you!
One thing to consider in this scenario, the EcoFlow app allows you to cut that charging rate down to 100watts. You could put less stress on your alternator by lowering the charge rate and still charge faster than the 120 watts from cigarette plug. You give up some speed to protect vehicle.
Wow 5000kwh is more than twice our household uses in a year 😮. That'll be great for our house 😅
There’s a good reason why you can fast charge to 80%, and then it slows down from 80-100%. It has to do with degradation if you fast charge all the way up to 100%
It's the charge mode, I think it uses constant current then constant voltage making it slow down
Don't forget the internal resistance of a battery which will affect a charge rate.
What also needs to be taken into account is that the solar panels charge 60%/65% of what is indicated. That means that a 100watt panel gives 60/65 watts per hour of charging power. In addition to my solar installation, I use an ecoflow for devices that require more power, such as a kettle, vacuum cleaner, water pump, welding machine, etc., and I am very satisfied with the ecoflow.
I have both the Segway Cube 1000 and Ecoflow Delta 2. Only one has the 2200w inverter. It's not Ecoflow.
The cheapest expansion battery for any power station with a higher than 60v solar input is buying a 48v LFP 50ah or 100ah battery. It charges at around 600 plus watts.
48v x 50ah 600 dollars (3x the battery capacity 3400+wh)
48v x 100ah 1200 dollars (5x the battery capacity-6000+wh)
Most New Bluetti power stations come with No wireless charging pad.
12v chargers are all at 10 amps no matter the brand.
DC to DC charger can exceed 800 watts. Ecoflow alternator charger is proprietary. DC to DC charger can charge any power stations and cheaper.
Interesting! Looking forward to this one Tory.
Tory it's Tony again I also have a generator that uses gas and propane I live off grid and it's just as stressful as living in a van which I also did for 3 years so once again take care
I have multiple EcoFlow products, and I like how I can monitor/control all with their app. No problems to date. Most important advice you gave, Know what you want to power and purchase accordingly. The first power station I purchased was from Goal Zero, A YETI 1400 Li-Ion back in 2019. It was pretty much the only product like it at the time with a price of $1800.00. I admit the battery capacity of the Yeti is dropping. I'm not sure if I will replace the battery since I have other options. Maybe just use it for LED lighting.
Question, when car charging the battery, would it not charge faster if you used an inverter that ran off the battery while driving?
Holy Hell!
That was an *excellent* comparison, with very thoughtful detail incorporated into the various specs!
Beautiful *and* intelligent! You're looking well rested and happy.
I like the Delta 2 and the Anker -- never heard of the Segway before but seems it may be a strong contender in the right situations.
Cheers!...from North Vancouver
I just got my Delta 2 ecoflow and back up battery. I have had two small river 2 devices.
I keep them in a aluminium chest ( Faraday cage). As a part of my disaster prep
The thing about power stations. Until recently they were mostly short term fixes..for a power outage. As for vanlife it's still cheaper and better to build your own photovoltaic system with at least 400 kWh min. Using 12/24/36/48 volt DC setups. A minimum of 400 watts panel wise but 600 to 800 is way better .. also switching over to as many 12 volt DC appliances, AC minisplit DC powered TV DC powered ... Chargers DC powered ... The more DC powered appliances the better. Fridge DC powered. The over all cost is a lot less then most think it is. Use a diesel heater and propane for cooking ... You'll find life cheaper and more dependable easier to manage.
5.000 kWh is 5 mega Wh! That would be nice for the size of the package!
This is all very good information, but it is not a statistical survey. It is a survey of the manufacturers' specifications. This is the starting point for a statistical test. To do a statistical comparison you would buy at least 30 of each brand and test the features of each one using calibrated instruments. By testing 30 of each you can find the average of the 30, say, for charging time, and compare that to the manufacturer's spec. After testing all of them you could create graphs and charts showing the results.
Still, this is a great start. It helps that you have some personal experience with at least some of these.
The video is not too long for me and I thank you for your effort. You are a good presenter.
I am looking to buy so this is fantastic info for me.
one thing it seems nobody really talks about with lithium ion baatteries is, they need to be charged and discharged regularly. If you just let them sit for a long period, they will not hold a charge wworth a squat.
Love your vids! thanks
Something to consider in regard to the expansion battery options is the price compared to just buying a second power station. Lastly, some expansion batteries can only be charged while attached to the main power station and not independently, which was a deal breaker for me.
Hey thanks Scoob! I just asked about that a little while ago.
Sure makes sense to me...
just alternate charging them and always have an entire unit as backup.👍
@YouLookinAtMe-Bro Yes, I was already invested in anker with the c1000. When I discovered the expansion could only charge via the main unit and another c1000 was less than 100 bucks more, it seemed like an easy decision. More versatility, same total capacity and almost identical total price.
What none of these companies talk about is what you are going to do if the unit fails under warranty. Just try and send back a 1000Wh product. It's considered hazardous material and UPS and FedX won't ship it. Also, guess what happens when it rains and water gets inside. Here's a tip...if the unit uses Lith Ion batteries, keep it 20 feet away from your vehicle or home. Lith Ion batteries are fine when they are small, such as 2800mAh. When you're talking about 1,000 Wh and Lith Ion, they can be dangerous if damaged.
Holy crap! What an amazing amount of good information that I needed last year! Seriously, incredible video and editing! So easy to watch and you have a great ability to use humor to actually make us smile! So good!!! Thanks and be well!
LiFePO4 batteries have a different internal charging cycles from 0 to 80% and from 80% to 100% (if memory serves me correctly there is also a different charging cycle from 95% to 100%) which is to help protect the battery. If they have a LiFoPO4 battery they should all charge generally in the same amount of time. Although TH-camr's have shown this is not always the case, even among two identical units, so testing should be done if this is an important factor for you.
This is great information thank you very much. I’ve been looking into battery backups for a while now and in my searches, I have learned that car charging the battery packs is very long due to the fact that alternators on cars really do not produce a whole lot of energy, which I was really surprised to learn.
To charge your Power Station up a lot faster than just using the cig lighter port you can use a DC to DC converter. Many videos on youtube on how to do this.
@iamToryDelury_VIa_TeIe-Gram who me?
I know with power stations solar comes up -
Solar in dry regions like the SW US were the humidity is low works well -
I've worked northern mountain region oilfields and it worked well -
I live in the deep South US - the humidity is always high at best solar puts out 50% at noon day and an average of 15 to 20% of it's rated daily 14 hour day rating down here - also clouds constantly interrupt the charge cycle - so battery's often only accept 1/3 of that 20% -
If you run a small inverter generator in parallel with the solar panels down here that will help keep a constant charge on the battery's so they accept all the power from the panels - but it will cost some fuel -
Small inverter gens in the 800;watt range often generate 7 KWs per gallon of fuel burned - at half load - that a good efficency
Love my Vtoman products. Two are paid off from electricity savings.
Thanks - which models have UPS . I would need when I'm away for frig and one for small freezer.
Another one for desktop and WiFi router.
YOU SHOULD CONSIDER A SUNGOLD 4000 AH INVERTER WITH 4 SOK 206 AH BATTERY THIS IS WHAT I USE FOR MY FOOD TRUCK I CAN RUN IT FOR 12HRS BEFOR I HAVE TO CHARGE MY BATTERYS I HAVE A COMMERCIAL FRIDGE AND FREEZER + TABLETS AND CREDIT CARD MACHINE LED LIGHTS ,2 -1500 WATT BLENDERS ALL RUNNING AT THE SAME TIME
This information was extremely helpful. Thank you.
The transfer time in case of a power outage should be under 10ms for computer equipment. Captain 1200 and a few others do.
Great video. I spent a huge amount of time start-stop, taking notes. Very informative. Thank you.
I screenshotted the charts for easy reference.
Ok if you are just starting out and look live in Texas. What is best for a beginner
I live in Texas also.. It all depends on what you trying to charge. I started with the Bluetti EB3A, then went up from there. I own 23 Power stations from various companies they all work great but I like the ones with expansions batteries the most.
My goal is to find a unit that I can simply plug into a 30 amp system for my camper to run as backup for nighttime (just basics) then recharge in a few hours during the day with generator .....any suggestions??? THANKS. ... FOR THE GREAT COMPARISONS... WELL DONE
Great video! I have the Anker Solix C1000 w/ the expansion, I use the ETaker F1000 Fast Charger to charge the Anker when im on the road, It can charge the Anker at about 450W which is much faster than using the car charging cable at around 100W. Also the ETaker charger can also accept solar input and combine the car and solar into one charging output to the powerstation, It can do up to 1000W but the Anker can only handle 600W into the DC Input. With my 200W solar panel and the fast charger I can get pretty close to the 600W input on the Anker.
I purchased the Pecron DC1242-500 charger (per Jasonoid's video) to use with my Bluetti AC200MAX (on a 27' boat, inboard with alternator). It's "only" 500w vs Ecoflow 800w, BUT it's non-proprietary (unlike everything Ecoflow), regularly provides about 400w by itself just cruising around/regardless of solar, and it was under $150!!! Absolutely the best bang-buck thing I've added to the system although I would like to expand the capacity at some point.
II had an EcoFlow Delta II for a year. Then I sold it. The 16 LiFePO4 cells inside it cost well under 200USD and weigh about 6 kg.