Is this the solution to our power cut nightmares? EcoFlow Delta 2 portable battery
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ค. 2024
- Since moving to the country, we’ve suffered from a lot of power-cuts. A Tesla Powerwall would be lovely, but it’s very expensive. Could the EcoFlow DELTA 2 be the answer?
If you’d like to get one, please use the links here:
UK: amzn.to/3Wmk5kX
USA: amzn.to/3Vl0CQk
Germany/EU: amzn.to/3I8jHT3
See my guest star’s TH-cam channel:
Euan McTurk’s Plug Life Television: / pluglifetelevision
Support the channel! Visit my Ko-Fi page and buy me a coffee (or my wife a gin and tonic): ko-fi.com/misterev
Please use my referral links if you're looking to change to Octopus Energy or hire an EV with Onto:
Octopus Energy: £50 off - share.octopus.energy/free-sag... (or quote "free-sage-191" to them)
Onto: £50 off - on.to (use referral code 31af4)
#HomeBattery #EcoFlow #DELTA2
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
02:59 - IONIQ 5 vehicle-to-load
04:36 - Unboxing
05:36 - Ports!
07:36 - LFP
08:51 - Unboxing the extra battery
09:32 - How to store it
10:06 - Turning it on
11:11 - The app
12:34 - Uninterruptible Power Supply
13:46 - Charging the battery
15:56 - Scheduled charging
16:37 - Can I charge the car?
17:32 - Conclusion - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
If you'd like one yourself, please go here and use my referral links. Thank you! misterev.co.uk/gear/battery
@@danielwalls5150 interesting, cheers for this, I'm with the Nationwide but the didn't know about the renewables loan, useful.👍
This is the first time I've ever seen a video about an Ecoflow device that isn't sponsored by them. Mr. EV is a class act.
Lovely of you to say. Thank you!
Clearly don't follow Bjørn Nyland
Hi Andrew, I had a PV + Battery system installed at my house over two years ago. The main part of the system (Inverter + Battery) is provided by Generac, the main reason I chose this system was the fact that it was designed to operate even without grid power and can run in what is called "Islander Mode" isolated from the grid. This system was originally designed by another company and purchased by Generac, had one issue which seems to be common one due to the PV disconnect switch (SnapRS) attached to each panel becomes defective. Generac also announced recently that the system can now accept up to 6.7kW AC coupled power input (Wind generator or V2H from a car). Anyway just wanted to point out that alternatives are available other than Tesla Power Wall. Cheers and thanks for an entertaining and YT channel.
I went for the Anker 757, which got me out of a tight spot recently - the AC compressor on our Zoe failed and I needed to drive it to the garage when there was snow on the ground, without AC. So I rigged up a small fan heater with the Anker PowerStation, to blow hot air at the windscreen. Worked a treat.
It does lack the Bluetooth and variable charge rate features of the Ecoflow unit but it does claim UPS capability. It's heavy!
Please keep us informed on this Andrew.
My fridge is built in and I cannot get at the plug!!!🧐🧐🧐
Merry Christmas everyone!🎅🏼🎅🏼🎅🏼
I think it's the same issue for most peoples central heating or boiler.
Yes, I'm so pleased our kitchen installer put the plug somewhere accessible! A very happy new year to you!
One thing that I love about the Delta 2 is that I can charge it using the AC outlet in about 80 minutes which is the fastest charging power station I have ever seen.
andrew, great vid… purchased mine when the came out and although no power cuts yet i’ve tested most appliances and happy with results(although glad we have a wood burning stove) and very useful in a campervan off grid… good luck S
The reason why the ecoflow won't charge the leaf, is because the ecoflow is not earth grounded. You can buy a grounding plug to trick the leaf into thinking that there is an earth ground evidentally.
Ahhh! Brilliant!
Merry Christmas and a happy new year Andrew to you and your family. Thanks for the great videos this year. Keep them coming. Best regards Martin
Thanks so much, Martin! A very happy Christmas to you and your family too.
My Delta 2 arrived earlier this month February 23 from Ecoflow to use in my Campervan when I am off-grid 😃 Nice video thanks 👍
Fascinating. Thanks!
I'll be showing your video to my solar class. I hope you get many more views from my class. I subscribed!
Thanks very much!
You've been watching Bjorn Nyland 😁😁
Yes, the Buzz one specifically! 😀
I've had one of these for around a year now and love it. Used if for so many things, I'm a chippy and runs my chop saw no problem. When BBQ in garden have it to run the Alexa and air fryer. Had the power switch off last week for 4hrs for tree surgery work, was useful to boil the kettle, cook lunch and run computerand printer. At the moment it's running all the Xmas lights out front. Also recently bought the Ecoflow River for smaller applications.
Great to hear!
Hi Richard we have just got this same system omg I put it to a test our 40inch tv, tower sandwich maker, tassimo machine it charged her mobility scooter going to test some more items but dam good we will use this next year in our van off grid & defo going to buy the Ecoflow River after the new year unlike them on youtube they got it for free us we had to pay for ours but defo worth the investment
I have watched a few videos on TH-cam about Ecoflow devices but all others have been supplied from Ecoflow so it’s good to have your real opinion. Ecoflow makes some impressive stuff, thanks
Cheers Mr T .
I agree that the Delta 2 is the ideal power station for any power outage since it has a 1024Wh capacity.
It is by far the best power station that can be used as a backup power source, Since it has a 1024Wh capacity and can be charge using solar panels or any AC wall outlet.
What a glorious piece of kit!
It makes my own back-up system, two x 400Wh Poweroaks plus a small gel battery + inverter, look quite puny by comparison.
Nice review video Andrew. 😀 Are you considering adding a portable solar panel or two? How would that compare with your night-time off peak charging? Also, a video on how you use the EcoFlow to power appliances during the day to save on your electric bill would be interesting.
I bought the Delta Max which is about the same as yours with the extra battery....still fairly manageable at 50lbs. weight It doesn't work with a pure sine wave UPS for computers etc. but will work as a UPS for other things. I use mine to power my pellet stove fans etc. in case of a power failure
It's certainly worth it for peace of mind as an emergency backup solution.
BTW many people take their Powerwall with them if they move.
Nice video. You should install an interlock or a subpanel to connect the battery to the house panel, especially since you got solar.
I opted for a 2.5kw petrol inverter generator in case of winter power cuts. Enough to run the heating boiler, router for internet access, some chargers and a few lights. Also have a ups to maintain the broadband fibre box and wifi router capable of keeping them running for up to 3 hours. Like you, also rural with several powercuts year usually due to overhead supplies and trees.
It’s a good solution but I’m far too militantly anti-fossil fuel to have one! 😀
too bloody right. £300 for a cheap 2.5kw generator and run it endlessly as long as you have some petrol at hand.
Get yourself a true UPS ACP or Cyberpower, then connect it to EF... I used a gas generator during a blackout, connected UPS to it, worked great ... I just ordered an EF 2, will be my first Battery Generator...
Interesting video buddy cheers
Thanks sir - and a very happy new year to you and the fam!
You too buddy
Really interesting. We have batteries attached to the house but as you say can’t be used during a blackout. Quite fancy one of these and will use your link if I do
Thank you! Do let me know if you use the link. Much appreciated if you do.
@@MrEV will do. My wife thinks they are not as expensive as she thought so I’m off to a good start.
HAPPY NEW YEAR. Andrew and 👪
Happy New Year to you and your family! 🎉👪
Oh wow - thank you so much, John! A very happy new year to you and yours as well.
Seems you've left Twitter, but an excellent video, I liked the interaction with Siri as well as the comprehensive testing
Ta
Thanks Brian! I’m still on Twitter, just using a little less than I was.
i just got the ecoflow delta mini and a 160 watt solar panel for the power outages here to keep my fridge going the delta mini is also 1400 watt tho like 862 watt hours wich is a bit of a downside becuase i like high watt hour high wattage but yea got what i could afford to and it was also a referb directly from ecoflow both the battery bank and solar panal
I got a Bluetti AC300+B300 myself. UPS mode is faster there. PC stays on every time. But still far from perfect. Even when the Bluetti is connected to utility power, all internal electronics run off battery. So in UPS mode the Bluetti constantly drains then charges the battery from 99% to 100%. Also, the internal power use is around 40 watts, which is much for an UPS.
I decided to keep using my old-fashioned APC UPS with lead-acid battery for my PC to handle short outages and have the Bluetti as offline backup for when the power outage is longer.
Also, the B300 battery is HEAVY. Almost 40 KG. I needed help to carry it.
I’d say that you need a UPS for your Mac, or use a laptop instead. You don’t want to lose any data, especially if you’re video editing.
Hi Andrew, would I be right in thinking that given you have the two batteries, you would be able to run a Washer (complete cycle on quick wash takes an hour) ?
Enjoy your work, and appreciate the effort you put into the videos etc😊
In theory, that's absolutely right. I can't imagine it'd used more than 2kWh in an hour, although worth checking in the manual first.
Funnily enough, my wife asked the same question recently (do we do a washing cycle using cheap night electricity to save a bit of money) and I wanted to check for myself but haven't found time yet.
It is clearly a very flexible bit of kit, especially when travelling. We're not far from you and in a rural area and, yes, we get a lot of power cuts! Of course they are often caused by trees, but the last one that we had lasted several days and resulted in UKPN putting us on a generator. The fault in this case was the recurrence of a broken cable under the road and one of the engineers was explaining that power cuts are likely to increase in future, because of all these Heat Pumps being installed (pointing to our 16kw unit!) and the increase in EV ownership with home charging. He said that much of the network is simply not up to the job for these increasing levels of demand and that huge amounts are going to need to be upgraded. There's something to look forward to!
Yes, Tesla Powerwalls are expensive and in short supply, but they do require an extra box of tricks for EPS making the cost even greater. But they are not the only way to have EPS with a home battery system. It is possible to have complete circuits (say Fridge, Freezer, some LED lighting, Router, computer and TV, even a low power kettle) running off batteries during an outage. GivEnergy Inverters are one make that have an EPS output, but there are others and there are ways to assemble a system for a lot less than a Tesla Powerwall. Unfortunately installers selling Powerwalls will try to convince you that there are no alternatives and many other installers are not familiar with the type of installation required. Fortunately, our installer know how to do it!
That’s slightly depressing about the possibly of increased outages!
Great info about the EPS, thanks.
IT guy here. The UPS units I use power the computer from the inverter. The inverter gets power from the battery. The battery is charged from the AC source. If the AC source goes away, the battery stops charging, but the inverter continues to power the load. Therefore, no "switchover time". The inverter also cleans up messy AC power sources. So a true UPS doesn't care when the AC goes away.
This battery seems to work differently from a true UPS, I wouldn't trust it to save my computer.
Love your vids, I purchased an Ioniq 5 last March based partly on your recommendation. No regrets!
Retired DNO engineer here. Had to smile at your comment "The inverter also cleans up messy AC power sources". I know what you mean but inverters play their own part in "messing" up the mains supply waveform. I never cease to be surprised at how many people think portable battery devices like the Ecoflow should just work like a UPS. Out of interest, is there a particular make/model of 'pure sine wave' UPS you'd recommend for home use in the UK?
Where I worked we used double conversion General Electric UPS units with quad inverters with three operating and the forth a spare which would kick in if one of the others failed. The only problem with double conversion UPS is the power consumption and in some of our locations the units needed their own AC units.
Always enjoy watching your videos thanks for doing the message for my Foster Daughter Gilly your number 1 fan can't tell you how much she has enjoyed watching it
When we get in from our drives first thing she says is put Andrew on
At the Moment The Toll booth, Flaviana dancing with the Tesla to the Bee Gees & she really likes what she calls the doctor one where you get the battery expert on talking about your leaf battery😀😊
Hi Alan - that’s lovely to hear! We’re so happy Gilly enjoys our videos. If I can catch up on editing duties, there’ll be many more videos coming in January that I’m sure she’ll enjoy. Wishing Gilly and you all a very happy 2023!
@@MrEV she more than loves your videos first thing she askes anyone is if they like Mr EV or some times she says Andrew with Till on it 😊😀
But from me & my wife Rachel thanks, it was so moving you were prepared to go that extra Mile +
@@harley883ap An absolute pleasure. If you ever want any other messages for Gilly, I'd be more than happy to.
@@MrEV Thanks will probably take you up on that😀😃
We have just got this same system omg I put it to a test our 40inch tv, tower sandwich maker, tassimo machine it charged her mobility scooter going to test some more items but dam good we will use this next year in our van off grid & defo going to buy the Ecoflow River after the new year unlike them on youtube they got it for free us we had to pay for ours but defo worth the investment if you can get one
I think the relatively small capacity makes its usefulness at home limited, I could only run a small oil filled radiator during the day off Octopus Go cheaper grid electricity for about 2-3hrs. It's probably more of a travel accessory. I think they do solar panels for it, that might be cool to see trialled too.
Its only 1kWh so closer to 1 hour probably. If you have a 13amp plug fitted to your boiler then you could probably run the central heating for about 8hrs during a power cut. That's where its real value lies.
Yes it's value comes in a camper van for boiling a small wattage kettle, sandwich maker, coffee machine or microwave off grid. It is very good for higher power, short use appliances whilst away from the grid or an electric hook up at the sea front or in the wilderness of Scotland and the likes. The Delta 2 has a max wattage of 2700 with the boost feature on but about 2200 watts without the boost feature on.
Highway I wire 12 Volt LED lights with 5521 connectors and those 5521s work perfect for that
Thank you for the video, Andrew. As you've clearly demonstrated, the Ecoflow device is not intended as a UPS. A UPS suitable for your needs would cost a lot less than your Ecoflow but, of course, is not designed to power your fridge/freezer!
The Tesla Powerwall/Gateway combination is not the only product available that will provide a 'whole house' alternative power supply - other solutions are available but they are expensive too. Also, the Tesla product does not behave as a UPS either (it isn't designed to do so). The technical requirements in the UK for interconnection of energy sources like battery storage with the DNO network are quite complex as you might expect. Most people get the idea that 'standby' generation has to be disconnected from the mains supply but there are other requirements too that require the knowledge and skills of a qualified electrician or electrical engineer to ensure your installation continues to operate safely (and legally!).
The Ecoflow products appear to have been developed for the US market and some of them don't translate well to the UK ( see th-cam.com/video/CQ3Tlf3J_OA/w-d-xo.html and my comments on that video). As a portable source it works well (if more than a little expensive) but some users appear to ask a wee bit too much of them.
Thanks for that - some great info!
Interesting that you need a second battery to get 2kWh on the Ecoflow. The Anker 767 has 2Kwh in just the main unit. 😃
It costs twice the amount of the EcoFlow though!
The best bit about the Delta 2 is that I can charge it in about 80 minutes which is quite fast for a 1kWh power station.
I don't mind having the Delta 2 as my backup power source since I can expand the capacity to 3kWh.
Interesting vid, I saw a YT vid of someone using these to charge his car too - think it was maybe a test of a VW Buzz? I learnt about need for special “gates” needed to island your house during power cuts last year. I’ve got V2G with my Leaf, and we had a power cut and I remember telling my wife “don’t worry, we’ll run off the car!”. Nope. Not possible. Was very disappointed 😂
We’re on the Indra trial for V2H - hoping to get it installed in Spring. My first question to them was whether it would work off-grid. Such a shame it doesn’t!
Good luck with that trial - I love powering the house from the car every evening! Will that be using your Leaf on Chademo? I want to be able to continue V2G when my Octopus Powerloop trial ends, but atm it all seems to be Chademo still.
I ran the living room lights and the TV off it all at the same time.
I have one of the new Anker 767 PowerHouse if you want to compare the two different devices.
Your wife comes in… Alora, what have you bought now! 😂😂
Obviously I consulted with her before purchasing, although when they arrived I still got some hassle: “You actually bought them?! I thought you were just considering it!”
I am having the same issue where powercuts bringing down two MacMinis(esxi). I find your video very interesting and suggest a tiny UPS between the EcoFlow and MacMini to be aboslutely on th safe side.
UPS's and something like EcoFlow are protection also from power surges where (rarely) more than 230V are reaching you. That would destroy TVs and other things.
You should consider adding a European Amazon (promotional) link if available. UK is not our favorite supply source anymore in Europe.
That's a good idea to add a dedicated UPS as well - and great point about the power surges: I've had some electronics fried in the past due to that.
Thanks very much for prompting me to add an EU Amazon link too. I've done that now: amzn.to/3I8jHT3
Very informative video, good job! I bought the same battery (but not the extra one) about a month ago. The grid companies here in Finland have warned about possible hour long blackouts in case of electricity shortage during the coldest parts of winter (the shortages are because of Finland not buying electricity from Russia because of the Russian attack on Ukraine). If there is a longish blackout I want to have at least our fridge and freezer running. My tests indicate that I should be able to run both for several hours on my 1kW EcoFlow Delta 2.
I might be paranoid, but I did not connect my Ecoflow to the cloud, only to my my phone with Bluetooth. This means I can’t monitor the EcoFlow if I am out of range for Bluetooth, but that I can live with.
You know that the fridge is ok without power for about 8-12 hours if you don't open it for too long? A simple UPS and a 54aH battery car keeps my gas boiler running for about 10 hours.
@@razvanlex The other freezer we have would probably be OK for up to 12 hours, but the fridge and especially the freezer attached to the fridge can’t last more than a couple of hours. The EcoFlow gives me ease of mind and I will be able to use the fridge normally for many hours.
Good tip about charging an ev. I want to try my Zoe with it. Though it may not work too. 😊
Apparently it's the lack of an earth that the Leaf doesn't work; not the amps, so let me know whether it works with the Zoe!
Vehicle to Load is a great feature. All EVs should have this.
Cool. Thankfully, the EU and the US are creating their own Cobalt industries which will not involve the sorts of atrocities that the mines in the DRC involve, and new recycling efforts are getting underway.
Yes, it's a slow process but things are certainly improving. Even if we rid cobalt from batteries, it'll still be used for refining steel and fossil fuels so it's so important to source it from alternative places.
Cracking video, of what looks like a very useful product.
If you have trouble sleeping, I’m helpfully going to bang on about the Powerwall. We’ve had one since 2018, and we’ve just set up a standalone system with Pylontech for the cars, washing machine etc. (we’d take it with us if we moved house, and the new occupants balked at giving something for it).
Despite the initial expense, the benefit of fixed battery storage is permanence. If you’re away for an extended period with your EV, the fixed battery will keep the fridge on. That’s a money saver straight away. If it’s combined with solar, the battery will be topped up as it requires it, even on the worst of days. A car will deplete. (This is all academic if you don’t suffer power cuts, but still appeals to the ‘prepper’ in us, and is a good psychological two fingers up to the energy companies…it’s very powerful if regular power cuts are a thing).
The Tesla Powerwall is the big-daddy in our view, because of its utterly seamless integration and second-to-none software. The Pylontech are good (so far), are LFP, but rather clunky compared…which a geek may consider a plus ( Linux/ Microsoft Vs Apple).
Something to factor in with the Powerwall is that it includes a 5kW inverter (constant 5kW output, 7.5kW peak). When combined with a 5kW Solar Edge inverter say, the DNO (power supplier) may freak out at the potential 10kW load to the grid. It certainly meant that we couldn’t add a second Powerwall…hence the stand-alone off-grid system.
Finally (wakey-wakey), a tariff with an export element, such as from Octopus or Octopus/Tesla Energy Plan, will exploit the grid-tied nature of a battery such as the Powerwall, allowing you (in theory), to build a sizeable war-chest over summer months to alleviate winter costs. No escaping the violent energy costs we’re currently enduring.
Hope this helps you sleep.
Thanks for the info!
Yes, we’d have jumped at it if we had the money and knew for definite we’d live here long enough to justify the outlay. Also, even had we committed to one, the installers said we’d have to wait a year to get it!
@@MrEV Yep, long waits.
You know that the fridge is ok without power for about 8-12 hours if you don't open it for too long? A simple UPS and a 54aH battery car keeps my gas boiler running for about 10 hours.
@@razvanlex Yes. But long term, a week/2weeks like we had a year or so ago.
Does your UPS and 54ah battery charge your EV during a power cut?
@@cbromley562 No, we don't have that kind of power cuts here in Romania, no more than 10 hours and it happened only twice in my lifetime.
My cars use diesel, I don't have that problem. I don't think it's a good idea to charge the car with the house battery in the event of a power cut.
I'm not saying having that system it's a bad idea, on the contrary. I'm just saying that there are other cheaper options for different needs and scenarios.
I am 39 now and have experienced exactly two power cuts in my entire life so far, each 15mins long. I always thought this to be standard, just finding out that it apparently isnt? How often are you without power and for how long each time?
It depends on the area. When we lived in the centre of Canterbury we had one or two in the five years we were there, but power was restored after about an hour.
We’ve had about five in the two years living here, a few miles out of the city. The 11-hour one was the worst, although some houses near us were out for a whole weekend!
Just keep an eye out for a cheap computer UPS - I got a decent old APC 420 for £1 on an ebay sale locally (nobody else bid!) It needed a new battery which was just £11. You would then be sure to protect your computer kit while the EcoFlow kicks in.
Just checked Facebook marketplace and there is a 950W server mount UPS with what they say are decent batteries in for £25 - that would keep a Mac mini, monitor and lots of other kit running for quite a decent time! (I might try to add lots of batteries to that and have an emergency home backup for quite a lot less......🤔)
Beware, some older UPS units are not very green and can use quite a lot of power 24/7 even when their batteries are fully charged.
It is good to explore ideas for power cuts, and worth reminding people with gas central heating that they need electricity to run the pump that moves the hot water around the system. A battery like this could run a gas boiler and pump for a reasonable amount of time, but it would mean the boiler needs a 3 pin plug for the power supply, whereas most are hard wired directly to a power circuit. Given that in the UK the possibility of power cuts is greatest in January and February then it is important to think how someone might supply heat during that cold time.
My solution is to have two UPS devices, one running the computer and some lights in one room, the other running the router and some lights in another room, and a 2kW generator that is enough to run those plus heating, fridge, freezer and TV. Yes, not ideal from an eco perspective, but reasonable for the short times it will likely be used. A good size UPS (sine wave output to be good enough for computers) is £200 or so on Amazon, so compares well with the Delta 2 but will only last 10 to 30 minutes - enough time to get the generator started :)
Have you tried a battery like this to run your central heating pump? I suspect the battery device will struggle to cope with the pump motor starting current, which could stall and overheat. Also, if you are using any form of generator like a battery (or petrol/diesel generator) in the UK to power your installation independently of the DNO supply there are two things you MUST do - 1) ensure proper disconnection from the DNO supply and 2) ensure you have an independent measured earth electrode. You cannot rely on the DNO earth (if one is supplied) during a power outage.
It appears that Ecoflow devices do NOT like the neutral and earth conductors being connected together, which rather rules them out as an alternative energy source for fixed electrical installations in the UK. They are aimed primarily at the US market, although they obviously sell a UK variant.
You might want to look at this YT video - th-cam.com/video/CQ3Tlf3J_OA/w-d-xo.html - before forking out ridiculous amounts of money on an Ecoflow product.
Hi I have no iot button on my eco flow delta 2 can you help can't connect to bluetooth or internet, bluetooth was working but has stopped. Thank you
I'm not sure what might be wrong there. I found Ecoflow support to be really good so contact them and they should be able to help.
We have one of these, mainly used for my partner to run the home office. Looking to get the extra battery, question for you though Andrew can you charge the extra battery separately or do you need it connected to charge both?
Great question! I wish I mentioned it. No, it has to be connected to the main battery to charge.
@@MrEV no problem thanks for the quick reply. Merry Christmas to yourself and Mrs EV
Hi Andrew. I have a Kia Niro Hybrid car. I usually get a humming sound noise from the dashboard which occurs after I have put on the heating of my car. Do you probably know what the problem may be?
Perhaps some sort of vibration? Does the noise change if you press the dashboard in places?
@@MrEV No
i have ecoflow river 2 pro, i made the best investment since i can power up my desktop computer tower with only 40 - 60 to 100 watts. upwards to 7 to 10 hours. which is suitable for my needs. with the apc hooked up to my ecoflow delta 2 pro, im able to get an additional 45 to 50 minutes of battery. so another 11 hours.
Ayy brother I am stuck between eco flow delta 2, Bluetti ac200 max and anker 767 which would you recommend?
My budget is 2500 euros what would you say is the bests bang for your buck
@@MrNoSolo Bluetti if you don't need UPS features, if need, then probably Anker.
Take 2 kWh version
I’ve not tried either of them but I’ve used Anker equipment before and they’re a great brand. Good to have 2kWh in the Anker without needing an extra battery.
I fairly recently got the Ecoflow Max off Amazon. Plugged a heater into it and it drained the battery so quickly so I won't be doing that again.
I bet! Was it a 3kW heater? That’d be good for about 20 minutes and that’s it!
@@MrEV Yeah it was about 20 minutes and then the battery went down to about 6% so I unplugged it.
bjorn in Norway, i saw the video. I dont think it meets UK regs.
How long will this run an American style fridge Andrew?
Check the manual and it'll probably be using 100w - but only turning on 1/3rd the time. So average of 33wh. Depending on which unit Andrew bought, I think the main unit has a capacity of about 2000wh (2kwh) depending on the model you'd get close to 60 hours per unit.
you could move a powerwall, i would move mine if I moved. Vehicle to grid and vehicle to load/home.
Its nice but very expensive for what it does. In a rural situation such as your own you would be better with a petrol or red diesel generator which for a few hundred pounds would give several kilowatts for as long as you keep the fuel tank topped up and therefore be able to charge the car or run many appliances in the home. Not too good for the environment but for the couple of times each year you have a power cut very cheap to run. On the Fiat 500e you can adjust the charging current from the EV settings page so it may be possible to do that on the Leaf.
I don't think 'red' diesel is a thing in the UK any more - apart from any stocks remaining when it was discontinued. Looked for some for construction machinery earlier this year (2022) and learned of its demise. Must be costing construction and agriculture sectors a small fortune!
I would imagine a couple off 100ah leisure batteries and an inverter would do the same job at a much lower price
@@chrishart8548 depends on the type of inverter and the loads you present to it.
you can charge from solar
A bit late now but did you consider using the Ioniq 5 as the solution? A powerwall with a similar capacity is hugely expensive.
We couldn’t afford to keep the IONIQ 5 at the time but V2L was one of the big reasons I wanted to keep it.
If we still had it, I’d not have bought this battery.
@@MrEV Understood and my bad for not paying attention to your video. it makes the MG4 look like a great option for someone who wants V2L on th cheap ... And a good ev as well. I have looked at battery backup solutions and they are just too expensive. Ended up with a 3.5 KW generator for those moments when it all goes dark. Wiring the house to switch seamlessly or at least easily is worth doing no matter which backup system you go for. Thanks for all the fine and entertaining stuff you put out, really appreciate it.
Have to say I like the idea of having a rechargeable battery to charge up at night when electricity is cheaper then run things like the fridge etc that need power during the day but it’s a ROI calculation you need to do how long does it take to recoup that £1k investment by saving on electricity costs ?
I'd love to dig into those calculations some time. For me it'd be far too much hassle as the fridge it's plugged-in to a hidden socket but I'd be tempted if it was more accessible.
I think they are a great idea for camping etc. if you don't have the luxury of V2L. I see Teslabjorn using them on his videos after he flattens the car battery.
For home I have a Victron Multi-plus, which has a UPS output built in, so anything that is on that output will be powered if the mains fails. With an upto 5kVA output it will power most things but for now I have a socket outlet so if the mains was to fail for any length of time I could plug fridges etc in that.
I must admit, I haven't read the manual and don't know if there will be a break should the mains fail with the UPS output.
But primarily I'm charging batteries at night on Octopus Go and during the day it is powering the house so saving me money, in the summer the solar panels obviously keep the batteries topped up, but now of course they run out about 6pm
Great set-up!
I bought one of the smaller 500w rated ones from Amazon when it was about £230. It "claims" a capacity of 500wh, twice the other 3kg ones - but I'm sure that's BS. I can run my 28" PC monitor drawing 48w for about 6 hours - so think it's only got 300wh capacity! Although it claims to be able to do 600w and 900w peak spike it won't run the microwave or induction hob at ANY level. ie. even if you set the microwave to 10% power (in theory 10% of 900w) it just blinks and turns off! The induction hob defaults to 5 on it's 1-10 per ring scale so presumably wants about 1000w. Again it immediately turns off when tested.
Be interested to know if the Ecoflow can run such apppliances without them turning off! But for me it's fine, runs a few things, and is a fraction of the price. But powercuts are very rare where I live. Maybe one in 10 years.
I do have the Alpha ESS home battery system with 11.6kwh of storage (cost £5000). It's wired into the home, but does not offer UPS if the grid went down.
I’ve just got mine. It’s a great device but I wish they’d stop calling them “power generators” - they’re rechargeable batteries. Too many reviews comparing them to Honda petrol generators 🤦♂️
Did not know that home batteries tripped off if grid goes off - so thanks for info.
The Teslawall 15k quote you had seems like a rip-off. I've just had a 6.6kwhr battery installed for £4.5k complete - and that includes the inverter (also solar 4kw arry at extra £4k). To add extra 3kwhr and expand to 9.9k woudl have only cost extra £1.4k (which I wish I'd done). Though admittedly this solution from Luxpower doesnt cover me for black-out it seems.
Took a look at your EcoFlow delta 2 - at capacity 1kwhr & peak 1800Watt load - all for princely sum of £1.1k 😮🤔
By contrast I ran power tools + pressure washer for cleaning my boat in summer on a portable battery supply. It was 1.3kwhr capacity and 1600w peak power. All for £240. Consisted of lead acid battery (£100) and invertor(£140). Put it in a nice box with handle (£30?) and you are still at less than a third of the Ecoflow delta.
Even if swapped for LFP battery pack instead of lead acid - for lightweight and more cycling still reckon would be just over half this amount.
For me this is pricey solution to your black-out issues.
Hi Andrew great fan of your channel Lorna and I love your interesting interactions with Mrs Ev Flavia is great. You are quite right home batteries use the grid earth and in the event of the grid going down you will not be able to draw any current from the battery. However, that is not a show stopper. If you get your own earthing rod fitted you can then use your own earth to draw power from the battery. I have my own home battery system that works and does nor use the twitter motor company Power Wall. I am using Alpha ESS batteries with a solar edge hybrid inverter with a solar pv array. Works brilliantly and I can draw power from the batteries in a power cut. A tip if you put solar panels on the same invoice as the batteries you don't have to pay VAT on the batteries. A massive saving the government introduced but don't seem to publice the saving much. I wonder why hmm. Anyone interested in having a similar system fitted ping me and I'll put you in touch with a fully accredited and approved installer who really knows his stuff. There are many people out there that are not fully registered and lacking in knowledge
Great info, thanks!
Thank you for the video I learned a lot. For me it serves as a warning that all that glitters….. It seems so noisy unless set to 200w which would take 20 hours to charge from empty so only 4 hours at cheap rate. When you have solar that will be much more than 200w EXCESS so to store your solar you are back to the jet engine and on days with clouds would pull in power from the grid when a cloud went over . Obviously in your position you need backup power but for other uses such as reducing energy costs and keeping your own solar rather than the rip off prices paid for exports for non FIT customers this does not score well. I believe you have a Zappi and taking spare solar Into a parked car looks a much better option.
20 hours to charge at 200w. More like 5 hours or am I missing something?
@@brucemurphy2735 Oops thinking about it we are both wrong. Mr EV bought the extra battery to give him 2 kWh so it is 10 hours
Andrew for someone who suffers power cuts you should be really showing people how far your home will run in normal use with heating on this battery. I am constantly trying to get people to be more realistic with the excitement of batteries. I have people going focil free but they have not experienced power cuts,and with the threat anyway because of the war, people should get wiser. Don't waist your money on this battery unless you have money to burn, it's of no use to you in winter when your power is off for a few days. Your EV battery is better but if you work that car will need to be ready to travel so I am sure you would not want to waist it. £1900 would be better spent on a generator .
Not having a proper UPS function would be a deal breaker for me.
To charge the leaf EcoFlow needs a ground plug .
Bjørn says "Hi!" 😉
Yes, it was the Buzz video specifically!
im surprised internet router dont have battery backup
you too saw bjorns video where he bricked a id buzz on purpose :D
That’s the one!
About 10-20% of the energy going in and another 10-20% of the energy coming out is lost to heat due to the battery charger inefficiency and inverter inefficiency of these small units. So if you’re charging it regularly from the mains at night to timeshift electricity use rather than to use it solely as a backup source, keep in mind the 30%+ effective loss and the extra carbon footprint associated with that usage. They are great for capturing ‘free’ solar energy though.
Amazing info, thanks.
I don't understand why you wouldn't just use a UPS for your Mac Mini if it's crucial for your work. Designed for the purpose and way way cheaper. Of course UPSs are not intended for continued work except for short power cuts; they're intended to give you time to power-down normally your attached devices.
At home our Internet router, separate custom-built firewall, network switches and VoIP telephone all run off three UPSs in different rooms, and we leave them running during the very rare power cuts.
These only have a few hundred charge cycles before they cells need replacement. Why are they not lithium phosphate cells ?
There ok, but a 5kw generator is better and cheaper, runs at 3-4kw for 30hrs and you can fill it while it's on, batteries are great for short term changeover.
Less environmentally-friendly, though!
@@MrEV that only depends on how often you get a power cut, these have to be fully charged at all times using energy to do so, while the generator just sits there do nothing until needed, plus if you get a 10hr power cut and you want your basics on in the house, heating, tv, broadband, phone chargers etc, your be pulling 500w, these won't give you any time before empty, then using more power to refill. It's nigh on impossible to actually work out what does more harm. Anyway have a great Christmas :)
One advantage is that you can use this (or better yet a rack battery) and a solar roof to go offgrid completely. A gas generator also requires access to fuel, which is not always available in an emergency.
This is a lot more portable. Although Andrew couldn't charge his car with one, Bjorn has been able to charge all the EV's he's tried after running his car battery to 0%.
Also you can do things like peak shaving. Charge the thing on overnight 7.5p electric and discharge during peak times to help the grid and your wallet. Though with only 1-2kWh storage it's not going to save much.
Also a generator is of zero use when you are trying to load shift electricity from cheap off-peak to on-peak times. I use a EcoFlow Delta Pro for just that in my computer room and it's a convenient power backup unit in case of power cuts - I can move it anywhere in the house as required or even lend it out to friends or family who have a power cut.
Please get a Tesla power wall then when you move ( and I win the lottery ! ) I can buy your house lol - loving these btw - just bought 4 solar panels - will get another 6 & battery :)
That's living the dream!
@@MrEV lol
ne tesla SR batteries are LFP- better discharge and double no of cycles
Something to keep in mind about these units - unless you have them plugged into the mains, you effectively have no earth, so the risk of electric shock is increased.
That's a great point!
These look great for a camping trip, but for use during a power cut are not the best solution.
For that a good UPS would be best.
UPS are better because you just leave them plugged in all the time like you would an extension cable . These things are so big, you cannot use them to power any fixed appliances like your oven, central heating, lighting, so I dint think they are worth the money
For the computer that’s true but it’s the fridge and freezer that’s our biggest concern, and this will work well for that.
@@MrEV A UPS, like I have for my PC's has about 400W, so that would run a fridge for a few hours. It cost around £100. So it all depends on how long the power is out for.
@@mrglwatson Most domestic sized UPS units designed for PC power protection will trip on the load of the fridge compressor trying to start and if it didn't trip on that they normally would only give you a few minutes of battery time. One of the reason most PC's UPS units say don't use them for laser printers.
Must be honest for a home cannot see the use of this battery at all rather expensive for very little usage. If you want to use your car as back up to the house without any complicated expensive auto switchovers all you need to do is get a properly rated manual isolating changeover switch with at least 2 inputs and an output (i think there only about 100 pounds at most) connect your mains to one input the car to the other input and your consumer panel to the output. then if you have a powercut all you need to do is switch from mains to car, they all go through 0 first (nothing connected) so no danger of anybody on the line getting electocuted. I personally would make a dedicated car lead that was permanently connected to the input of the switch. very very cheap way of doing it and other than the 2 minutes to manually change the switch over and maybe plug the car in you can use the house as usual and you can stand a long power outage.
That’d be amazing and I considered exactly that, but we no longer have a car with V2L. Just the Leaf now. 🙁
@@MrEV ah! really! I thought all leafs had V2G and V2H which is a more advanced form of V2L, I thought they boasted that they pioneered it
There is a bit more to it than just a changeover switch. In the UK there is there the requirement to ensure your fixed electrical installation complies with the 'wiring regs' (BS7671). This kind of work should only be carried out by a suitably qualified electrician.
Guess it is cheaper than your Ioniq 5 but not as nice. :)
Andrew you do some grate videos and what I am confused with you say you live rural Like we do. Explain to us all how today Friday 23rd Dec in North Wales with very little light for solar. You can use your car using v2g or huge battery's. You could switch your system to off grid so it's off the network. So we get power cuts sometime for days. So my 13kw solar system will not charge my batterys enough for us to live . If you have a heat pump your stuffed. All this tech is fantastic but it's reality. People my advise is to keep a gas boiler , but a cheap petrol generator and have an electrician fit a change over switch to allow you to connect your small say 2kw generator to your home . You will be able to run your boiler and freezer and internet . You pritty much have as long as you want as long as you have petrol. In my case because I will be installing a heat pump I have a back up generator which will power my whole home without any problem. For £1900 you can buy a generator that will run your home for weeks if needed. I have a second generator to charge my ev. I have storage battery's and an off grid system and it would last 2 hours with high loads.heat pumps need power to run a combi boiler gas takes 375 what's to run. It's nothing . So winter freezing week, no power for 2 days poor light so solar not charging battery's. So your emergency is solved ,yes your not focil free but you can actually live happily as a family in your home. Remember when your battery is low what you going to do. Invest in a generator that will give you 6kw output. Find a garage that sells red diesel , you are allowed to purchase red diesel to run a home generator. If you have an EV say 62kw battery and you are lucky enough to afford a v2g charger your EV battery will give you 3 or 4 days but remember you need to charge it at some point. A generator will keep going as long as you have fuel. It's not good for the environment but your home is alive while the DNO get your service back up and running. We learnt a valuable lesson living rural and batteries was not our solution specially when solar is not working due to poor winter days and our power cuts were in winter
This chunky boy is only 1kwh! and a grand!? I'm starting to see why EVs are so heavy/ expensive
Nice review video Andrew. 😀 Are you considering adding a portable solar panel or two? How would that compare with your night-time off peak charging? Also, a video on how you use the EcoFlow to power appliances during the day to save on your electric bill would be interesting.