[UPDATE for Car Charging] EcoFlow confirmed the reason my Toyota factory inverter didn't work was because the Delta 2 requires a pure sine wave with distortion rate 10% or less. They did not comment if this can be fixed by a firmware update. BUT! After quite a few of you suggested, I put together a pretty nice fast DC car charging setup. I have now fully replaced my secondary battery with the Delta 2. Check out the new video here: ruclips.net/video/s_-9vj-hF1M/видео.html
@@davidglenn1 Hey man, like I said in your other comment. I did not delete you comment and it was likely RUclips content moderation. I have nothing to gain. Please feel free to repost your original comment.
Awesome video - as usual. By the way, right now the Delta 2 is only 549 on amazon - they have a 250 dollar instant coupon. The lowest I've ever seen it. I am in no way affiliated with ecoflow or any other commercial enterprise - just a fan of a great deal.
I've probably spent 50+ hours watching reviews of different power stations trying to cover the evaluation you did in this video, and no one else actually does a good job of weighing the real world trade offs between electric, traditional power, form factor, charge rates including the Toyota inverter hack, all the things you take into account here, absolutely brilliant!
You nailed this one and gained a subscriber. I dry camp our Airstream for weeks at a time, using a Ecoflow Delta Max with two extra Smart Batteries. We use all of the appliances in your video, as well as the built in furnace and large refrigerator. I do have 600W of solar on the roof, but I too was disappointed to discover that the 400W inverter in my truck was not pure sine wave to satisfy the Ecoflow charger. Glad that you highlighted this issue. I’ve spoken with Ecoflow about this, but received no optimism that it could be changed.
Is there a different brand/battery that does allow u to leverage the 400watt anytime mod? I did the mod thinking this would work. Glad I watched your video before buying delta 2.
First time viewer and very impressed! Very nice, clean and efficient presentation. I just got my first portable power station with the newly released EcoFlo River 2 as a car camping base source of power for my electronics. Now you have put this in my head. Very compelling video. I hope they do find a work around for the inverter problem but as I’ve watched other power station channels, the pure sign wave output is highly prized within that community.
This is the best camping/overlanding-centric assessment of not just a power station, but practical use of gear. I started with a 500Wh Bluetti, went to a 1200Wh CTECHi, and am now running a 1920Wh Pecron (which is so efficient, it's comparable to power stations larger than 2000Wh!). As we brought more modern conveniences with us to the outdoors, we needed more power. Roughing it by myself is one thing, but getting my family to "rough" it also didn't last long so I needed a way to keep the experience enjoyable for everyone. And no one should discount the convenience of a microwave! 😆 Fitting the larger power station was a challenge, but my rig is always overstuffed anyways. We still use propane stoves as it's nice to be able to roast marshmallows without a campfire.
I have the Delta Max, the form factor was one of the reasons I went with it. Everything is in the perfect place for where I have it in my vehicle. I currently have it set to only charge to 75% to protect the cycle count. In the future I will swap to something with Lifepo4.
Thanks for making this video. Love it. Recently got a Rivian R1S and it essentially has a built in 130,000 Wh battery for all the uses you highlighted here. Heating water for coffee, running a cooler, running an inverter stove for a meal will hardly scratch into it’s capacity that would be used for range. It will also keep the climate running all night while car camping, so no separate heater (or AC) would be needed. Mostly use this to get to great mountain biking locations.
Crazy to say I did see a Rivan on a offroad trail that I had to stop since I don't have a lift yet the Rivan just keep going. Only issue I have is I like to go out where there is no signal gas/jerry cans are a must to refuel. My question is what do you do to get out farther with out running out of battery? Can the Rivan be charged solar? Can a generator charge it? What would you do if you run out of power with no signal in the middle of a trail far from any paved road?
Thank you for your video! I continue seeing camping videos and the person has a solar generator and it only charges their video equipment, no cooking, no heating, & no recharging. I scream watching them boil water with their gas stove. My small silicone folding kettle @ 750W to boil 12oz/330 ml of water just takes 3.25 minutes or approximately just 50 wHr of power. I also appreciate seeing usage rates for various electrical appliances. A heating pad is also helpful too. I happen to have a Delta 2, OUPES 600, and cheap $100 solar generator. I have a small 45W 28L 12V fridge and my Ebike needs about 500wHr to refill it.
Great video. Agree with you on pretty much every very well thought out point. I went nuts and built my own LiFePO4 setup under my drawer system (removed the 3rd row seats). I ended up with 4,200 watt hours of power with two 170 ah renogy lifepo4 batts and victron/redarc/wagantech gear. It was time consuming, expensive but it fits perfectly. I don't think I would recommend my system to anyone unless they were a bit nutty like me and had the skillset to do it. The all in one units like you review are a better option for most people. If they can crack the charging speed issue they will be even more of an obvious choice. My setup could charge at 200 amps if I had the chargers for it, but I just use the redarc 50 amp DCDC and its plenty fast. No float charging means it just pumps in 50 amps till full and done. I also have a 25 amp victron shore power charger for the garage built in. Electric 12v blanket is amazing for in-cab sleeping. I even have a little 200 watt 110v "office desk" space heater that I use. I haven't felt the need to do electric cooking because I like gas, but if you have the power why not.
Impressive setup! I was heading towards that route, adding more batteries, ports, inverters and building boxes to mount things. I just never had time to complete those projects.
Thanks for being so smart. I wish my electrician dad was still alive. We need to make adjustments to our truck camper and I am sure he would have fixed us right up. A lot of these discussions are over my head.
Awesome review as usual 👍 The Delta 2 is $2000 here so I ended up going with the Bluetti EB70 at under $1000 here. I use this in combination with my dual battery setup and charge it on the go on the go with a 24 volt step up transformer I made to charge at a full 200 watts while driving. The dual system charges both at the same time while driving. Lithium in general and with a 1000 watts inverter built in, its a game changer for me, I love my toast in the morning and electric blanket at night 😁 Totally agree on the form factor, the Delta 2 is so much better. Cheers and merry xmas.
yup. if you want to forego the nice features like automatic cutoff, smart voltage/ignition sensing, bluetooth monitoring, and etc, a simple dc to dc power supply aka step-up/boost converter board is only like 30 bucks. then just get some conformal coating, some fuses, a relay, a project box, a switch, and some wires and you can hotwire your own pretty cheaply and reliably. 🥰
@@1Coolbanana I'm agreeing with your choice to charge it with a simple Step Up Converter esp since it's a cheaper solution than using a DC-DC charger like a Victron or RedArc model. I also outlined the ideal option, in terms of components, to wire up the step-up converter safely. Other youtubers might mistakenly forego certain safety items like relays and fuses.
Thank you so much for your video. You really talked about many of our electric needs while overlanding isn South America. Electric water cooker and heater are a big plus. I just wish i could order the Delta 2 in Colombia for a reasonable price. So far the shops that are selling it want double of what it can be bought in the US. If we find a reasonable priced way to get it, we are going to do an overlanding review with it too.
I have been "overlanding" since 1998... and last year we added an air fryer with our honda generator. it was a game changer so much that many of my friends also got air fryers and 2000 watt inverters...( you can set your food in and walk away to chat at the campfire and not burn dinner!!) thank you for doing this video... and check out the air fryer... ours has a sauce pan style basket so I can do soups and noodles too!!
@@truestory923 Teflon is the least of peoples worries… look at the ingredients in your food and the medicine in your body.. worry about something more important than a non-stick coating
It’s a great video. Very informative, and it has a lot of potential for simplifying camping. The obvious reality is you must produce enough electricity everyday for this to work. It can be done, but clearly it is necessary. If you spend the day not driving, and under a tree canopy, this setup will not work very well at all. I enjoyed it. Thanks
So close.... Exactly what I have been looking for, use my Tacoma to charge. Not yet I guess. You are ALWAYS looking out for us, thanks so much for your great content and evaluation. Many blessings may come your way 🙏
If you take the power wiring behind the toyota 400W inverter and wire it into a step up boost converter, you can take the full 400W on the DC solar port. You will have to boost it from 12V to at least 30ish volts as the DC charge port is limited by amperage (it cannot process higher than about 15A.. so 15A at 12V is about 180W, 15A at 24V=360w, 15 at 36V=540w) You also get the benefit that whenever charging through that solar port that power passes directly through the load. That is not the case when it is plugged into an AC outlet, as when AC is supplied, the inverter and battery will not supply the load. So for your fridge, plugged directly to a DC output port of the ecoflow, the 400w from your vehicle can feed whatever the fridge needs and the extra stored.
We use the EcoFlow Delta to power up dead Teslas at work. I've seen what they can do so I just bought one for when I go camping. Thanks for the fast car charging info. Subscribed.
You nailed it again !!! Also many people don’t realize the DC to DC is way better than solar setup. After 480 watts of unreliable solar power.. dc to dc is the way to go !
Thank you, good to see someone finally did this review. I’ve been looking for a way to use electricity to boil water, throwing in the space heater was an added bonus for me. This will be my elk camp set up next year.
You need to try a 12v truckers bunk heater mat. Way less power usage than a electric blanket and the heat rises up and stays within the blankets. I use this in my pop up camper bunks. I have it set to the lowest setting all night. Best sleep ever. You put the mat above your mattress pad and cover it with a blanket or sheet. They also have smaller water boilers that will boil enough water for two cups of coffee and or cup of noodles. Less energy again. Glad you see the advantage.
Another great video Kai! I ran into similar issues with my Ecoflow sweet of battery banks as well. I suspect it is more to do with the feature of being able to use these as back-UPS for your computer or sump pump (my case), so it can detect if something is wrong with the signal and switch to battery mode. It would be nice if you could disable this feature in the app and turn it on or off though!
All you have to do is buy two 36V scooter packs with xt60 connection that can also be charged via arc or cigarette charger. Works well in a pinch. I carry them when I go camping.
Hello from Phoenix, Arizona! I don’t do any kind of camping at all but I think this video is great and amazing. I’ve been following Ecoflo for many years and I’m about ready to buy one just in case I have a power outage at home. I’d like to be able to keep my fridge running. I’m thinking I’m waiting until they come out with a third edition . I’m definitely glad I waited so when I get one, it will have the new Lipo 4 batteries. Thanks again for the great video and covering the electric blanket in the kennel and all that stuff. I have a kettle just like that I get a Costco it’s amazing.
I picked up an Ecoflow river 2 max to run my dometic fridge, and now you're making me wish I had gone bigger with the Delta 2!I. I think all electric is the way things will go in the future. 4Xoverland's latest troop build did just that. I too had the idea of charging my ecoflow from my OEM AC inverter in my grand Cherokee and I ran into the exact same issue you saw, the modified sine wave explanation makes a lot of sense. It may be easier to install an inexpensive 500w pure sine wive inverter than mess with a bunch of solar panels or fancy DC-DC charger.
F150 power boost with the 7.2 kw generator. Field electric power solved. I ran mine in generator mode after hurricane Ian running two full sized refrigerators ten hours a day, charging people’s devices, coffee pot and hot plate for six days and only used one quarter tank of gas. (I have since added the 240v external plug to my electrical panel so now I can run the whole house except the AC.)
Bought a delta 2 with their solar panel and love it. Works right out of the box as advertised. No BS , no hassles. Unlike my Bluetti products which had burning smells out of the box. My only gripes are the extended extra batteries. They're literally dumb with not even any USB connectors or wireless charger on top. They are literally just a slave battery. Cmon man, for $800 that's a terrible value. Better yet, just update the firmware so that, like the Delta 2s big bro, the Delta Pro, that you can connect two Delta 2s together to both extend battery capacity, but also do 240V split phase. NOW THAT would be killer value and people be lining up all day for that.
You can get a PowerQueen 25.6V 100A LiFePO4 battery for less than the EcoFlow expansion battery for the Delta 2 (approximately $150 less US$) and use it thru the solar input. With that, you have a 3.5KWhr, 1800 watt system for only about $1450 US (when the Delta 2 goes on sale for $799). A little velcro and a couple of hole down straps and the Delta 2 is perfectly happy sitting atop the PowerQueen battery.
@@MyChannel-vm6dw I have a Delta 2 that i use as a UPS for my network and server. For $799, no UPS system can touch it. I have 2 Bluetti EB3A's that i also use as UPS's for other smaller loads. For $209, no UPS in that price range can touch it. I also have the Bluetti AC200MAX with 2 batteries, and it is much better than the Delta 2 in pretty much every area, even price. I have cables so that my external B230 batteries can run directly to the Delta 2 solar input if need be. And unlike the Delta 2 extra battery (which is pretty much useless except for the Delta 2), the B230 can run12 volt, USB A and 100 watt USB C and can be recharged without being connected to the 200MAX.
@@johntate5284 I have been really torn between the Bluetti AC200 Max (or even the AC200P) but the one thing that I keep seeing online between people that have both the Delta 2 and one of the larger Bluetti's, is that they tend to reach for the Delta 2 the most because of the weight. I can see the Bluetti being the best for a home system, but having to lug around a 63-pound cinder block at camp doesn't sound great to my aging back. Maybe I'm overthinking it though, I dunno.
In response to your problem of condensation in your tent, I'd recommend switching to a hybrid vehicle that can efficiently be left running overnight to power the Ecoflow Delta 2 and subsequently your electric heater inside your tent.
A tip for faster DC charging, and you already have a DC2DC converter: Set the DC2DC converter to power supply mode, and turn up the voltage. The limit is amperage based, so if you can bump it up to 28V, it will charge twice as fast. An other option is to keep the dual battery,and charge slowly from the second battery....
I'm thinking trying a dumb 24V 15amp voltage converter. The redarc has the smart profiles to charge a dumb battery. But the Delta 2 has MPPT built in, so by dumbing down the redarc to power supply mode is a little wasteful. I can still give the redarc to someone who can use it.
@@TinkerersAdventure Power supply mode is what you want. Power supply mode and a two stage CC/CV battery charger is basically the same. But if you have a more advanced charger, it may not charge because it do not detect a voltage, and after a while a advanced charger will go into float mode. The reduced voltage in float mode will reduce power going into the Delta. The MPPT charge controller in the Delta will do the regulation, so there is no need for this logic outside the Delta. Regarding efficiency: this is a more efficient way than going via AC.
This is mostly what I want to do for my Camp. I want my camp to have Electricity. Without writing a book here. This is my problem. The vehicle controls the Alternator. (Honda). I see voltages, all over the place. From 12.2 to 14.2 VDC. (The vehicle is trying desperately to be fuel efficient). It raises heck with Power Stations that don't want to Change at such low (bare maintenance voltages). It also makes it nearly impossible to charge my isolated auxiliary batteries. If the vehicle sits at Park, I get a constant 14.1 volts. But, if I do that I am afraid the altenator will over heat and burn out. Does anyone make a dc to dc charge device that will accept constantly changing voltages on the input, and provide a steady output suitable for charging Lipo4 and AGM auxiliary batteries ?
@@normansimonsen1203 A LiFePO4 needs a CC/CV charge profile with CV being between 14.2V and 14.6V. While AMG can be used with a CC/CV with CV being 14.4V. Since a good DC2DC converter only runs when the engine is running, you do not need to bother with a float stage. I have installed in a sail boat the Victron DC2DC smart convert. You get it in 18 and 30A. This solved his charging problem, but he regrets getting the 18A (and not the 30A) for a 100Ah battery. You can set the CV voltage and set a LVD on the source battery. The converter automatically detects when the engine is running. Regarding the size, a rule of thumb is max 50% of the alternator capacity. And most LiFePO4 also want a max ½ C charge rate.
@MichaelEricMenk thanks for your reply. I Sailed all over Long Island Sound as a young boy in my Grandfathers 26' wooden Sloop. I have a 2-o cable running Directly from the positive battery terminal of the vehicle under hood battery. It goes under the vehicle into the trunk. It first goes through a big red on/off Switch (I manually isolate the vehicle every time I get out of the vehicle.) Then I go to a victron 100 Amp, 3 battery isolator. I'm using the diodes inside the thing to separate the AGM battery attached to output 1, from the Lipo4 battery attached to output 3. I figured. Doing it this way, the Electrons could figure out for themselves, where they were most needed. Worst case = the battery management inside the Lipo4 automatically stops charging when full. And then, the AGM can have more charge current, if needed. Little to no loads are on the auxiliary batteries while Driving. But. When the vehicle is putting out such Low maintenance voltages wile driving. Its not enough.
We have the River Pro and ran into the same issue with the inverter built into my 4Runner not being able to charge it... Seems to work well enough on the cigarette lighter but I haven't done extensive testing. Great idea to use a kettle instead of a jet boil-I wish my Ecoflow could power one!
I am very impressed with your channel. I find information that is clear, concise, with the best available solution given the current technological options. Best regards from New Mexico.
Thanks so much for the review I’m now even closer to pulling the trigger on this. Your review has definitely answered my questions and your set up looks awesome. Greetings from Scotland 🏴
I just bought an f150 with pro power on board. It has a 7.2kw gen that can charge a delta two at the full 1200w without a sweat. Solving the whole issue.
Oh my gosh about spit out my breakfast when you said I’m not saying I will within you rolled out that microwave and then you topped it off by saying you’re going to ask me to heat up your cold ass sandwiches. Now that is funny. I doubt I would personally bring a microwave either but you know what you made an excellent point about tapping into these other areas and getting rid of the camping or over landing tax. You can use things that are so much safer quieter, and more efficient. I never even considered the overall reach of the unit as you’re planning out here. Great video.
I consistently feel that overlanding is so much more about what you OWN than where you GO. I’ll stick with what works vs. maximizing comfort in every possible way. Read the bestselling book “The Comfort Crisis,” and learn how the relentless quest for comfort is killing our sense of aliveness.
While I agree with the thrust of your arguement, the older I get the more comfort I need. And, with the world "going to hell in a hand basket" I need nature more than ever. I am not a big consumerist and all my stuff is old. But it would be nice to camp in the spring without running out of charge on our first night out.
I agree many overlanders overspend and take too many stuff with them. Overweight is a big issue. I like to travel light and keep it simple/basic. I do use a goalzero 3000x though as I don’t have to buy/install a complicated dual battery system. I also ls use this thing as a backup battery in my home.
While I agree with the sentiment, I like to go with my young kids and prefer going in the shoulder seasons and even winter. These tools unlock whole new experiences for me and my family. They simply wouldn’t go no matter how much I try to convince them that they need to rough it like I used to back in my day lol
Great demo. Thanks for going through these examples. It is definitely a game changer for folks like me that don't camp much as well as for my wife who is cold when it is below 60 degrees (I may be able to bring her around if I show her that electric blanket). How much wattage did the electric blanket use (sorry if I missed that)? And, yeah, I guarantee some folks would be bringing over their sammiches to heat up in the microwave! Hilarious.
Thanks! The maximum instantaneous wattage is 150W. But like I mentioned, it is not 150W constantly. This number is not useful to estimate run time, because you cannot simply use watt hour capacity divided by 150W. That's why I only included how much capacity I used for that particular condition.
Crazy that the video has the Delta 2 at $999. And less than 6mo later, you can get the Delta 2 + Extra battery for $1050. Love how the cost is coming down.
My ETaker M2000 has the same narrow form factor as your Ecoflow but the ETaker is smaller than the Delta 2 and only weighs 36 lbs. Your stacked ecoflows take up tons of space and weigh almost 50 lbs combined. My ETaker has over 2,000 Watt Hours and 2,400 continuous watt inverter. It’s also 1/3 the size as the two stacked ecoflows.
I don’t know if I missed it or you forgot to mention it but if you take a portable solar panel with you and you use that during the day to recharge your Delta that might get you where you need to be without stopping at the gas station or maybe stopping at a gas station and using the portable solar panel I just wanted to bring that up. You probably covered it and I just missed it. Thanks again for the video.
I have observed more off roaders going to power stations and if the power is available it is way easier, cleaner safer and less items to load. Even a super small generator that could be run just an hour top off the power station would be more convenient than carrying all the extra items to cook, keep warm and run small appliances.
It's amazing that companies work so hard on a product's raw performance that they almost always forget to take care of the practical, real world details that would truly raise the bar. The second battery pack should not only have a provision to couple electrically with the main power station via a port on the bottom of the second battery and one on the top of the main but it should also lock together when stacked. It could retain the side mount corded setup for those who would rather place them in another orientation. Throw in the DC-DC charger and it's game over for everyone else. So what if it costs a couple of hundred dollars more. At these prices those buying them are committed anyway so the small bump in price won't make a difference but the added convenience and ease surely would.
12v to 24v dc dc charger like a victron 12/24-15 into the solar input on the delta 2 and voila 360w dc charging from the alternator. no losses from going dc to ac back to dc with the pure sine wave inverter method.
Thanks for the input! A few other people also recommended the victron 12/24. Any reason you use a "smart" charger like victron? The Delta 2 solar input has built in MPPT. So any issue just using a $30 "dumb" 12 to 24V, 15amp voltage converter?
@@TinkerersAdventure When you shut off the car, MPPT will keep drawing current from the battery, which can drain it and cause the car not to start. A "smart" charger will cut off the current when it detects the engine is turned off. Also a smart charger will automatically cut off the power transfer to your powerstation if it detects a voltage drop below 12V from the car battery. However, this probably wouldn't happen in your FJ if it can already enough current to support a built in inverter. I'm trying to solve the same problem to charge the EcoFlow River Pro from a Honda Element so really curious if you guys have other ideas!
Have you considered using a 400 watt DC-DC converter to boost the 12vDC from your car battery to 24vDC for your solar generator? The higher DC voltage plugged into your solar panel input on the sogen allows it to charge at a higher rate, 200 plus watts or more.
could be a great in-between. The gimmicks of App control, 1800W Output, plenty of USB and 110V sockets remain, and it's portable if you wanna use it on boat or leave at homebase with crew while offroading your vehicle. And it can handle solar. So having a small hardwired setup with the fitting converter in your vehicle to keep it topped and this as distribution center would be pretty damn viable.
I think the Delta 2 is the perfect power station for overlanding because it is very powerful with 1024Wh of capacity and can be charged anywhere using solar panels.
I have the River Pro and it charges fine on my Ram’s AC outlet. I recently bought a 110v 0.8L kettle that uses 800watts. Can bring the water to a rolling boil in 5min 50sec at 800 above sea level.
I have wanted to use my cheap Walmart electric kettle for years when car camping, but haven't gotten around to getting an inverter suitable for it. I've been using my various camp stoves depending on what I happened to grab, but electric kettles are so damn easy. For the kettle use, and all the other uses, I may have to see about planning to get one of these power stations.
I go camping pretty often 2-3 times a month, backpacking and car camping in my JL. I use the ECO FLOW Pro and Jackery 300. The recommendation is good but not practical. Your product recommendation is not dual purpose for the space limitation; it's the only downfall. Otherwise a battery bank is essential for backcountry adventures.
Nice...I use a 2000w sine generator. Cost less than 500dollars (half the cost), 1 gallon of gas with a 750w/1500w. Tiny heater attached..in a van. Cost of gas per gallon 5 dollars, divided over 6hrs,comes to 0.83 cents per hour. Your cost per hr..over 3hours ( cause your battery is out of juice),comes out to be 1.66 plus....makes great senses to go with what works....have a nice day.
Forgot to add can you do a review of using small portable generators to charge power stations. The newer ones with the strict carb emissions really sip gas and they do have some small ones, around 1800 watts. Very quiet efficient, small and would be use full in charging a power station in a pinch. One I read about only. Pulsar PG2300iS 2,300W Portable Super Quiet Gas-Powered Inverter Generator with USB Outlet & Parallel Capability, CARB Compliant
I appreciate you making this video, has some good info. But why on earth would anyone take an electric blanket, a microwave and hair dryer camping? As for the electric kettle, seems functional. IMO a plastic electric kettle would be better to avoid the potential breaking the glass and having no coffee.
For the same $999, I got 2 kWh Oukitel LiFePO4. The actual useful power is 1.5 kWh or 75% of the capacity, and had 2KW stable output. All the AC power ports are at narrow side, although it's thicker than EcoFlow.
I didn't go with ecoflow I went with bluetti ac200max but have the smaller ecoflow power station which I honestly like the ecoflow app better but anyways I did a 12v to 48v hardwired step up booster converter kicks the power station into solar charging mode and can charge at max solar input while the vehicle runs been working for me thanks for the video I've liked and subscribed have an awesome new years!
I put a battery isolator in and wired the voltage boost converter directly to that under the hood your able to run thinner gauge wire back to the plug my bluetti only pulls around 110 watts under the 14.6 volts supplied normally but with the booster it boost the voltage above what a car puts out and let's it pull hundreds of watts while the car runs instead of just 106 watts they have adjustable boost converters too just look at the wattage output on the unit
This was a great video thank you, I am very old-school, I don’t understand all these new electronics I could build a house I could build an engine but I can’t figure out how to use my cell phone I’ve never owned a computer, I like the idea of these electronic boxes that Produce electricity but I still don’t understand them? I don’t know how they all work the language of it etc. etc., I am an extreme outdoor adventure I try to go somewhere almost every week or two, I just purchased a teardrop trailer for my jeep and I’m trying to figure out how to run a heater without using the heater/battery in the teardrop trailer I like your ideas, but I’m still very confused about these electronic boxes I don’t know how they work? I presume you charge them obviously before you leave how long does it take to charge them and how long do they last? I know your phone can tell you how much battery life is left but again I’m a guy that doesn’t even know how to download an app on my phone let alone use a phone and have reception in the wilderness, I guess I have a lot to learn but thank you again I really enjoyed this video and I did learn something, Costco is offering one of these electronic boxes right now apparently they’re showing them and the company is there I may go and look ask questions but I have a lot to learn👍
Thanks! I recommend checking out "DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse" and "City Prepping" channel to learn the fundamentals of power solutions. They pretty much covers all kinds of details and specifications.
Bummer to hear about not being able to use the built-in AC outlet. Heard back from Eco Flow and they said it couldn't be fixed with a software update which is disappointing. The Delta 2 really is a great kit but that's definitely a bit of a deal breaker for me.
[UPDATE for Car Charging] EcoFlow confirmed the reason my Toyota factory inverter didn't work was because the Delta 2 requires a pure sine wave with distortion rate 10% or less. They did not comment if this can be fixed by a firmware update. BUT! After quite a few of you suggested, I put together a pretty nice fast DC car charging setup. I have now fully replaced my secondary battery with the Delta 2. Check out the new video here: ruclips.net/video/s_-9vj-hF1M/видео.html
This is great! Now a legit game changer!
@@davidglenn1 Hey man, like I said in your other comment. I did not delete you comment and it was likely RUclips content moderation. I have nothing to gain. Please feel free to repost your original comment.
Sweet dude.
Any updates on this issue?
Awesome video - as usual.
By the way, right now the Delta 2 is only 549 on amazon - they have a 250 dollar instant coupon. The lowest I've ever seen it.
I am in no way affiliated with ecoflow or any other commercial enterprise - just a fan of a great deal.
I've probably spent 50+ hours watching reviews of different power stations trying to cover the evaluation you did in this video, and no one else actually does a good job of weighing the real world trade offs between electric, traditional power, form factor, charge rates including the Toyota inverter hack, all the things you take into account here, absolutely brilliant!
What a great comment. I agree. 🙌🏻
Just buy a rivian :)
@@8xster8 They are cool, but you can't really do a multi day backcountry trip in a Rivian... Yet.
You nailed this one and gained a subscriber. I dry camp our Airstream for weeks at a time, using a Ecoflow Delta Max with two extra Smart Batteries. We use all of the appliances in your video, as well as the built in furnace and large refrigerator. I do have 600W of solar on the roof, but I too was disappointed to discover that the 400W inverter in my truck was not pure sine wave to satisfy the Ecoflow charger. Glad that you highlighted this issue. I’ve spoken with Ecoflow about this, but received no optimism that it could be changed.
Use a 400W AC-DC charger and you'll be fine.
Is there a different brand/battery that does allow u to leverage the 400watt anytime mod? I did the mod thinking this would work. Glad I watched your video before buying delta 2.
First time viewer and very impressed! Very nice, clean and efficient presentation. I just got my first portable power station with the newly released EcoFlo River 2 as a car camping base source of power for my electronics.
Now you have put this in my head. Very compelling video. I hope they do find a work around for the inverter problem but as I’ve watched other power station channels, the pure sign wave output is highly prized within that community.
This is the best camping/overlanding-centric assessment of not just a power station, but practical use of gear. I started with a 500Wh Bluetti, went to a 1200Wh CTECHi, and am now running a 1920Wh Pecron (which is so efficient, it's comparable to power stations larger than 2000Wh!). As we brought more modern conveniences with us to the outdoors, we needed more power. Roughing it by myself is one thing, but getting my family to "rough" it also didn't last long so I needed a way to keep the experience enjoyable for everyone. And no one should discount the convenience of a microwave! 😆 Fitting the larger power station was a challenge, but my rig is always overstuffed anyways.
We still use propane stoves as it's nice to be able to roast marshmallows without a campfire.
I have the Delta Max, the form factor was one of the reasons I went with it. Everything is in the perfect place for where I have it in my vehicle. I currently have it set to only charge to 75% to protect the cycle count. In the future I will swap to something with Lifepo4.
Thanks for making this video. Love it. Recently got a Rivian R1S and it essentially has a built in 130,000 Wh battery for all the uses you highlighted here. Heating water for coffee, running a cooler, running an inverter stove for a meal will hardly scratch into it’s capacity that would be used for range. It will also keep the climate running all night while car camping, so no separate heater (or AC) would be needed. Mostly use this to get to great mountain biking locations.
Crazy to say I did see a Rivan on a offroad trail that I had to stop since I don't have a lift yet the Rivan just keep going. Only issue I have is I like to go out where there is no signal gas/jerry cans are a must to refuel. My question is what do you do to get out farther with out running out of battery? Can the Rivan be charged solar? Can a generator charge it? What would you do if you run out of power with no signal in the middle of a trail far from any paved road?
Thank you for your video!
I continue seeing camping videos and the person has a solar generator and it only charges their video equipment, no cooking, no heating, & no recharging. I scream watching them boil water with their gas stove. My small silicone folding kettle @ 750W to boil 12oz/330 ml of water just takes 3.25 minutes or approximately just 50 wHr of power.
I also appreciate seeing usage rates for various electrical appliances. A heating pad is also helpful too.
I happen to have a Delta 2, OUPES 600, and cheap $100 solar generator. I have a small 45W 28L 12V fridge and my Ebike needs about 500wHr to refill it.
Thanks for sharing the silicone collapsible kettle idea. I hadn’t seen those 👍🏼
My, Dude. I'm glad I came across your channel - I've learned a lot in a mere 2 videos and you make me chuckle uproariously.
Great video. Agree with you on pretty much every very well thought out point. I went nuts and built my own LiFePO4 setup under my drawer system (removed the 3rd row seats). I ended up with 4,200 watt hours of power with two 170 ah renogy lifepo4 batts and victron/redarc/wagantech gear. It was time consuming, expensive but it fits perfectly. I don't think I would recommend my system to anyone unless they were a bit nutty like me and had the skillset to do it. The all in one units like you review are a better option for most people. If they can crack the charging speed issue they will be even more of an obvious choice. My setup could charge at 200 amps if I had the chargers for it, but I just use the redarc 50 amp DCDC and its plenty fast. No float charging means it just pumps in 50 amps till full and done. I also have a 25 amp victron shore power charger for the garage built in.
Electric 12v blanket is amazing for in-cab sleeping. I even have a little 200 watt 110v "office desk" space heater that I use. I haven't felt the need to do electric cooking because I like gas, but if you have the power why not.
Impressive setup! I was heading towards that route, adding more batteries, ports, inverters and building boxes to mount things. I just never had time to complete those projects.
Thanks for being so smart. I wish my electrician dad was still alive. We need to make adjustments to our truck camper and I am sure he would have fixed us right up. A lot of these discussions are over my head.
Awesome review as usual 👍 The Delta 2 is $2000 here so I ended up going with the Bluetti EB70 at under $1000 here. I use this in combination with my dual battery setup and charge it on the go on the go with a 24 volt step up transformer I made to charge at a full 200 watts while driving. The dual system charges both at the same time while driving. Lithium in general and with a 1000 watts inverter built in, its a game changer for me, I love my toast in the morning and electric blanket at night 😁 Totally agree on the form factor, the Delta 2 is so much better. Cheers and merry xmas.
yup. if you want to forego the nice features like automatic cutoff, smart voltage/ignition sensing, bluetooth monitoring, and etc, a simple dc to dc power supply aka step-up/boost converter board is only like 30 bucks. then just get some conformal coating, some fuses, a relay, a project box, a switch, and some wires and you can hotwire your own pretty cheaply and reliably. 🥰
@@styledliving Not a clue what your point is?
@@1Coolbanana I'm agreeing with your choice to charge it with a simple Step Up Converter esp since it's a cheaper solution than using a DC-DC charger like a Victron or RedArc model. I also outlined the ideal option, in terms of components, to wire up the step-up converter safely. Other youtubers might mistakenly forego certain safety items like relays and fuses.
Thank you for your perspective. I was worrying it is just another commercial video, but the financial angle you’ve provided was variable.
Thank you so much for your video. You really talked about many of our electric needs while overlanding isn South America. Electric water cooker and heater are a big plus. I just wish i could order the Delta 2 in Colombia for a reasonable price. So far the shops that are selling it want double of what it can be bought in the US. If we find a reasonable priced way to get it, we are going to do an overlanding review with it too.
I have been "overlanding" since 1998... and last year we added an air fryer with our honda generator. it was a game changer so much that many of my friends also got air fryers and 2000 watt inverters...( you can set your food in and walk away to chat at the campfire and not burn dinner!!)
thank you for doing this video... and check out the air fryer... ours has a sauce pan style basket so I can do soups and noodles too!!
Unfortunately, most air cookers user Teflon, so you're essentially putting poison into your body each time you cook.
Skeptical? DYOR
@@truestory923 Teflon is the least of peoples worries… look at the ingredients in your food and the medicine in your body.. worry about something more important than a non-stick coating
It’s a great video. Very informative, and it has a lot of potential for simplifying camping. The obvious reality is you must produce enough electricity everyday for this to work. It can be done, but clearly it is necessary. If you spend the day not driving, and under a tree canopy, this setup will not work very well at all. I enjoyed it. Thanks
This is great. The microwave jokes at 11:00 cracked me up, too 😂
So close.... Exactly what I have been looking for, use my Tacoma to charge. Not yet I guess. You are ALWAYS looking out for us, thanks so much for your great content and evaluation. Many blessings may come your way 🙏
Thanks! Check out my pinned comment for latest update. Fast car charging is now achieved!
If you take the power wiring behind the toyota 400W inverter and wire it into a step up boost converter, you can take the full 400W on the DC solar port. You will have to boost it from 12V to at least 30ish volts as the DC charge port is limited by amperage (it cannot process higher than about 15A.. so 15A at 12V is about 180W, 15A at 24V=360w, 15 at 36V=540w)
You also get the benefit that whenever charging through that solar port that power passes directly through the load. That is not the case when it is plugged into an AC outlet, as when AC is supplied, the inverter and battery will not supply the load. So for your fridge, plugged directly to a DC output port of the ecoflow, the 400w from your vehicle can feed whatever the fridge needs and the extra stored.
Great points. Thanks!
We use the EcoFlow Delta to power up dead Teslas at work. I've seen what they can do so I just bought one for when I go camping. Thanks for the fast car charging info. Subscribed.
You nailed it again !!! Also many people don’t realize the DC to DC is way better than solar setup. After 480 watts of unreliable solar power.. dc to dc is the way to go !
after putting in my 4,200 watt hours of LiFePO4.. i removed my solar panels. Really no need when my alternator+redarc can charge at 50 amps.
If you drive a lot, sure.
It's no good if you are standing still (and idling is a no-go).
Thank you, good to see someone finally did this review. I’ve been looking for a way to use electricity to boil water, throwing in the space heater was an added bonus for me. This will be my elk camp set up next year.
You need to try a 12v truckers bunk heater mat. Way less power usage than a electric blanket and the heat rises up and stays within the blankets. I use this in my pop up camper bunks. I have it set to the lowest setting all night. Best sleep ever. You put the mat above your mattress pad and cover it with a blanket or sheet. They also have smaller water boilers that will boil enough water for two cups of coffee and or cup of noodles. Less energy again. Glad you see the advantage.
Another great video Kai! I ran into similar issues with my Ecoflow sweet of battery banks as well. I suspect it is more to do with the feature of being able to use these as back-UPS for your computer or sump pump (my case), so it can detect if something is wrong with the signal and switch to battery mode. It would be nice if you could disable this feature in the app and turn it on or off though!
Thank you! Practical applications always help individuals new to solar setups.
All you have to do is buy two 36V scooter packs with xt60 connection that can also be charged via arc or cigarette charger. Works well in a pinch. I carry them when I go camping.
Hello from Phoenix, Arizona! I don’t do any kind of camping at all but I think this video is great and amazing. I’ve been following Ecoflo for many years and I’m about ready to buy one just in case I have a power outage at home. I’d like to be able to keep my fridge running. I’m thinking I’m waiting until they come out with a third edition . I’m definitely glad I waited so when I get one, it will have the new Lipo 4 batteries. Thanks again for the great video and covering the electric blanket in the kennel and all that stuff. I have a kettle just like that I get a Costco it’s amazing.
I need my cold ass sandwich heated up. 😆 🤣 😂
that line caught me off guard 😂😂😂😂
I picked up an Ecoflow river 2 max to run my dometic fridge, and now you're making me wish I had gone bigger with the Delta 2!I. I think all electric is the way things will go in the future. 4Xoverland's latest troop build did just that. I too had the idea of charging my ecoflow from my OEM AC inverter in my grand Cherokee and I ran into the exact same issue you saw, the modified sine wave explanation makes a lot of sense. It may be easier to install an inexpensive 500w pure sine wive inverter than mess with a bunch of solar panels or fancy DC-DC charger.
imagine the ecoflow wave AC with the Delta2. 😂
F150 power boost with the 7.2 kw generator. Field electric power solved. I ran mine in generator mode after hurricane Ian running two full sized refrigerators ten hours a day, charging people’s devices, coffee pot and hot plate for six days and only used one quarter tank of gas. (I have since added the 240v external plug to my electrical panel so now I can run the whole house except the AC.)
With the size and weight of the Delta 2. It is perfect for overlanding. I can take it out when I need it or just keep it in the vehicle.
It’s the perfect size for someone to take out my vehicle.. through the window. 😢
Bought a delta 2 with their solar panel and love it. Works right out of the box as advertised. No BS , no hassles. Unlike my Bluetti products which had burning smells out of the box.
My only gripes are the extended extra batteries. They're literally dumb with not even any USB connectors or wireless charger on top. They are literally just a slave battery. Cmon man, for $800 that's a terrible value.
Better yet, just update the firmware so that, like the Delta 2s big bro, the Delta Pro, that you can connect two Delta 2s together to both extend battery capacity, but also do 240V split phase.
NOW THAT would be killer value and people be lining up all day for that.
You can get a PowerQueen 25.6V 100A LiFePO4 battery for less than the EcoFlow expansion battery for the Delta 2 (approximately $150 less US$) and use it thru the solar input. With that, you have a 3.5KWhr, 1800 watt system for only about $1450 US (when the Delta 2 goes on sale for $799). A little velcro and a couple of hole down straps and the Delta 2 is perfectly happy sitting atop the PowerQueen battery.
@John Tate yeah but you can't charge the external lifepo4 battery EFFICIENTLY with just the Delta 2 but you can using ecoflow extra battery.
@@MyChannel-vm6dw I have a Delta 2 that i use as a UPS for my network and server. For $799, no UPS system can touch it. I have 2 Bluetti EB3A's that i also use as UPS's for other smaller loads. For $209, no UPS in that price range can touch it. I also have the Bluetti AC200MAX with 2 batteries, and it is much better than the Delta 2 in pretty much every area, even price. I have cables so that my external B230 batteries can run directly to the Delta 2 solar input if need be. And unlike the Delta 2 extra battery (which is pretty much useless except for the Delta 2), the B230 can run12 volt, USB A and 100 watt USB C and can be recharged without being connected to the 200MAX.
@@johntate5284 I have been really torn between the Bluetti AC200 Max (or even the AC200P) but the one thing that I keep seeing online between people that have both the Delta 2 and one of the larger Bluetti's, is that they tend to reach for the Delta 2 the most because of the weight. I can see the Bluetti being the best for a home system, but having to lug around a 63-pound cinder block at camp doesn't sound great to my aging back. Maybe I'm overthinking it though, I dunno.
Was on the fence about the Delta 2. But you just made the sale! Thanks.
In response to your problem of condensation in your tent, I'd recommend switching to a hybrid vehicle that can efficiently be left running overnight to power the Ecoflow Delta 2 and subsequently your electric heater inside your tent.
A tip for faster DC charging, and you already have a DC2DC converter:
Set the DC2DC converter to power supply mode, and turn up the voltage.
The limit is amperage based, so if you can bump it up to 28V, it will charge twice as fast.
An other option is to keep the dual battery,and charge slowly from the second battery....
I'm thinking trying a dumb 24V 15amp voltage converter. The redarc has the smart profiles to charge a dumb battery. But the Delta 2 has MPPT built in, so by dumbing down the redarc to power supply mode is a little wasteful. I can still give the redarc to someone who can use it.
@@TinkerersAdventure Power supply mode is what you want.
Power supply mode and a two stage CC/CV battery charger is basically the same.
But if you have a more advanced charger, it may not charge because it do not detect a voltage, and after a while a advanced charger will go into float mode. The reduced voltage in float mode will reduce power going into the Delta.
The MPPT charge controller in the Delta will do the regulation, so there is no need for this logic outside the Delta.
Regarding efficiency: this is a more efficient way than going via AC.
This is mostly what I want to do for my Camp. I want my camp to have Electricity.
Without writing a book here.
This is my problem.
The vehicle controls the Alternator. (Honda).
I see voltages, all over the place. From 12.2 to 14.2 VDC. (The vehicle is trying desperately to be fuel efficient).
It raises heck with Power Stations that don't want to Change at such low (bare maintenance voltages).
It also makes it nearly impossible to charge my isolated auxiliary batteries.
If the vehicle sits at Park, I get a constant 14.1 volts. But, if I do that I am afraid the altenator will over heat and burn out.
Does anyone make a dc to dc charge device that will accept constantly changing voltages on the input, and provide a steady output suitable for charging Lipo4 and AGM auxiliary batteries ?
@@normansimonsen1203 A LiFePO4 needs a CC/CV charge profile with CV being between 14.2V and 14.6V. While AMG can be used with a CC/CV with CV being 14.4V.
Since a good DC2DC converter only runs when the engine is running, you do not need to bother with a float stage.
I have installed in a sail boat the Victron DC2DC smart convert. You get it in 18 and 30A. This solved his charging problem, but he regrets getting the 18A (and not the 30A) for a 100Ah battery.
You can set the CV voltage and set a LVD on the source battery. The converter automatically detects when the engine is running.
Regarding the size, a rule of thumb is max 50% of the alternator capacity. And most LiFePO4 also want a max ½ C charge rate.
@MichaelEricMenk thanks for your reply.
I Sailed all over Long Island Sound as a young boy in my Grandfathers 26' wooden Sloop.
I have a 2-o cable running Directly from the positive battery terminal of the vehicle under hood battery. It goes under the vehicle into the trunk. It first goes through a big red on/off Switch (I manually isolate the vehicle every time I get out of the vehicle.)
Then I go to a victron 100 Amp, 3 battery isolator. I'm using the diodes inside the thing to separate the AGM battery attached to output 1, from the Lipo4 battery attached to output 3.
I figured. Doing it this way, the Electrons could figure out for themselves, where they were most needed.
Worst case = the battery management inside the Lipo4 automatically stops charging when full. And then, the AGM can have more charge current, if needed.
Little to no loads are on the auxiliary batteries while Driving.
But. When the vehicle is putting out such Low maintenance voltages wile driving. Its not enough.
We have the River Pro and ran into the same issue with the inverter built into my 4Runner not being able to charge it... Seems to work well enough on the cigarette lighter but I haven't done extensive testing. Great idea to use a kettle instead of a jet boil-I wish my Ecoflow could power one!
I am very impressed with your channel. I find information that is clear, concise, with the best available solution given the current technological options. Best regards from New Mexico.
Your always very informative thank you so happy I ran into you. Just started getting into over landing
Dash has allot of cool cooking stuff like mini toaster oven that uses only 500 watts.
Thanks so much for the review I’m now even closer to pulling the trigger on this. Your review has definitely answered my questions and your set up looks awesome. Greetings from Scotland 🏴
Great power station bought a delta 2 3 weeks ago can run my fridge freezer up 40 to 72 hrs.
I just bought an f150 with pro power on board. It has a 7.2kw gen that can charge a delta two at the full 1200w without a sweat. Solving the whole issue.
Excellent video - so is it’s follow up
Thanks for the link to the heated blanket.
Score!
Dude!! This was dope! As someone who camps, I appreciated the examples.
Oh my gosh about spit out my breakfast when you said I’m not saying I will within you rolled out that microwave and then you topped it off by saying you’re going to ask me to heat up your cold ass sandwiches. Now that is funny. I doubt I would personally bring a microwave either but you know what you made an excellent point about tapping into these other areas and getting rid of the camping or over landing tax. You can use things that are so much safer quieter, and more efficient. I never even considered the overall reach of the unit as you’re planning out here. Great video.
I consistently feel that overlanding is so much more about what you OWN than where you GO. I’ll stick with what works vs. maximizing comfort in every possible way. Read the bestselling book “The Comfort Crisis,” and learn how the relentless quest for comfort is killing our sense of aliveness.
While I agree with the thrust of your arguement, the older I get the more comfort I need. And, with the world "going to hell in a hand basket" I need nature more than ever. I am not a big consumerist and all my stuff is old. But it would be nice to camp in the spring without running out of charge on our first night out.
I agree many overlanders overspend and take too many stuff with them. Overweight is a big issue. I like to travel light and keep it simple/basic. I do use a goalzero 3000x though as I don’t have to buy/install a complicated dual battery system. I also ls use this thing as a backup battery in my home.
While I agree with the sentiment, I like to go with my young kids and prefer going in the shoulder seasons and even winter. These tools unlock whole new experiences for me and my family. They simply wouldn’t go no matter how much I try to convince them that they need to rough it like I used to back in my day lol
Great demo. Thanks for going through these examples. It is definitely a game changer for folks like me that don't camp much as well as for my wife who is cold when it is below 60 degrees (I may be able to bring her around if I show her that electric blanket). How much wattage did the electric blanket use (sorry if I missed that)? And, yeah, I guarantee some folks would be bringing over their sammiches to heat up in the microwave! Hilarious.
Thanks! The maximum instantaneous wattage is 150W. But like I mentioned, it is not 150W constantly. This number is not useful to estimate run time, because you cannot simply use watt hour capacity divided by 150W. That's why I only included how much capacity I used for that particular condition.
Check out the jettle.. perfect amount of water for 2 cup noodles, or coffee, way smaller than a jet boil.
This is genius. I’m a total electric ⚡️ home backup, camping ⛺️ person user.
Crazy that the video has the Delta 2 at $999. And less than 6mo later, you can get the Delta 2 + Extra battery for $1050. Love how the cost is coming down.
My ETaker M2000 has the same narrow form factor as your Ecoflow but the ETaker is smaller than the Delta 2 and only weighs 36 lbs. Your stacked ecoflows take up tons of space and weigh almost 50 lbs combined. My ETaker has over 2,000 Watt Hours and 2,400 continuous watt inverter. It’s also 1/3 the size as the two stacked ecoflows.
EcoFlow’s new alternator charger, solves the problem of charging it in the vehicle.
I don’t know if I missed it or you forgot to mention it but if you take a portable solar panel with you and you use that during the day to recharge your Delta that might get you where you need to be without stopping at the gas station or maybe stopping at a gas station and using the portable solar panel I just wanted to bring that up. You probably covered it and I just missed it. Thanks again for the video.
That’s true. It is just a little weather dependent compared to high power car charging. But it should be plenty for most people
Since it has 1024Wh of capacity. It can power a lot of portable devices like my trusty coffee maker.
As always beautiful informative videos thanks brother 🍻😊
Thanks so much for linking these dope
Products ! And also thanks for the insight nice stuff man
This video must have cane out before the "EcoFlow 800W Alternator Charger". Now there is no exceptions. 😊
I’m not an overlander, but having a travel trailer, our electrical needs are similar. Very useful video, thanks
I need it for hurricane power outage. Fans, mini stove, laptop, internet box, phones, light. If it can do that for at least 3 days then awesome
I have observed more off roaders going to power stations and if the power is available it is way easier, cleaner safer and less items to load. Even a super small generator that could be run just an hour top off the power station would be more convenient than carrying all the extra items to cook, keep warm and run small appliances.
It's amazing that companies work so hard on a product's raw performance that they almost always forget to take care of the practical, real world details that would truly raise the bar. The second battery pack should not only have a provision to couple electrically with the main power station via a port on the bottom of the second battery and one on the top of the main but it should also lock together when stacked. It could retain the side mount corded setup for those who would rather place them in another orientation. Throw in the DC-DC charger and it's game over for everyone else. So what if it costs a couple of hundred dollars more. At these prices those buying them are committed anyway so the small bump in price won't make a difference but the added convenience and ease surely would.
12v to 24v dc dc charger like a victron 12/24-15 into the solar input on the delta 2 and voila 360w dc charging from the alternator. no losses from going dc to ac back to dc with the pure sine wave inverter method.
Thanks for the input! A few other people also recommended the victron 12/24. Any reason you use a "smart" charger like victron? The Delta 2 solar input has built in MPPT. So any issue just using a $30 "dumb" 12 to 24V, 15amp voltage converter?
@@TinkerersAdventure When you shut off the car, MPPT will keep drawing current from the battery, which can drain it and cause the car not to start. A "smart" charger will cut off the current when it detects the engine is turned off. Also a smart charger will automatically cut off the power transfer to your powerstation if it detects a voltage drop below 12V from the car battery. However, this probably wouldn't happen in your FJ if it can already enough current to support a built in inverter. I'm trying to solve the same problem to charge the EcoFlow River Pro from a Honda Element so really curious if you guys have other ideas!
Wonderful video, keep up the great work! I'm definitely getting one of these!
Thanks for these extremely helpful overviews!!
Epic video man! I have a Novo shore power setup for top ups at night
Have you considered using a 400 watt DC-DC converter to boost the 12vDC from your car battery to 24vDC for your solar generator? The higher DC voltage plugged into your solar panel input on the sogen allows it to charge at a higher rate, 200 plus watts or more.
could be a great in-between. The gimmicks of App control, 1800W Output, plenty of USB and 110V sockets remain, and it's portable if you wanna use it on boat or leave at homebase with crew while offroading your vehicle. And it can handle solar.
So having a small hardwired setup with the fitting converter in your vehicle to keep it topped and this as distribution center would be pretty damn viable.
Love the attention to detail in you vids. Keep it up. 👍
Well done as always, great info.
Excellent presentation !!!
Thank You.
I think the Delta 2 is the perfect power station for overlanding because it is very powerful with 1024Wh of capacity and can be charged anywhere using solar panels.
I have the River Pro and it charges fine on my Ram’s AC outlet. I recently bought a 110v 0.8L kettle that uses 800watts. Can bring the water to a rolling boil in 5min 50sec at 800 above sea level.
Nice. Sounds like RAM didn't cheap out on the inverter like Toyota
Just a thought, 12v electric blankets will be more efficient for your application. No DC to AC conversion needed.
I have wanted to use my cheap Walmart electric kettle for years when car camping, but haven't gotten around to getting an inverter suitable for it. I've been using my various camp stoves depending on what I happened to grab, but electric kettles are so damn easy. For the kettle use, and all the other uses, I may have to see about planning to get one of these power stations.
I go camping pretty often 2-3 times a month, backpacking and car camping in my JL. I use the ECO FLOW Pro and Jackery 300. The recommendation is good but not practical. Your product recommendation is not dual purpose for the space limitation; it's the only downfall. Otherwise a battery bank is essential for backcountry adventures.
Thank you sir, very informative and easily listened to
I wouldnt use that coffee maker or heater. As you've shown, it'll kill the batter pretty fast. Make the compromise, there's no rush.
Extremely good review. cheers.
The main reason I would wire in a system is cost. The power stations cost 2x or more than an equivalent capacity do it yourself system.
Use a heated blanket they at max power burn 120 watt vs 1500 from the heater.
When you add the cost of your electric appliances you have to add in the cost of the EcoFlow like you did the cost of the propane canisters
🤣 "heat up your cold-ass sandwich"
I think a "power conditioner" may also have worked upstream of your power station to fix the sine wave.
“ I bet you’re going to come ask me to heat up your cold ass sandwiches.” 🤣🤣🤣
Nice...I use a 2000w sine generator. Cost less than 500dollars (half the cost), 1 gallon of gas with a 750w/1500w. Tiny heater attached..in a van. Cost of gas per gallon 5 dollars, divided over 6hrs,comes to 0.83 cents per hour. Your cost per hr..over 3hours ( cause your battery is out of juice),comes out to be 1.66 plus....makes great senses to go with what works....have a nice day.
Another awesome video 🙂
Jetboil is the fastest and most convenient way of boiling hot water.
[pulling out an electric kettle]
Forgot to add can you do a review of using small portable generators to charge power stations. The newer ones with the strict carb emissions really sip gas and they do have some small ones, around 1800 watts. Very quiet efficient, small and would be use full in charging a power station in a pinch. One I read about only.
Pulsar PG2300iS 2,300W Portable Super Quiet Gas-Powered Inverter Generator with USB Outlet & Parallel Capability, CARB Compliant
Hmm pretty cool. Never knew about them. Will check them out!
Man even your electric kettle is fancy, never seen a high tech kettle like that before. Got a link? 😅
Haha this is not even a medium end unit. Link in the description below!
You could also wire the secondary battery without the inverter
I appreciate you making this video, has some good info. But why on earth would anyone take an electric blanket, a microwave and hair dryer camping? As for the electric kettle, seems functional. IMO a plastic electric kettle would be better to avoid the potential breaking the glass and having no coffee.
Thanks for the helpful video. If my Bronco’s 400 watt outlet works I will get this for sure. Which reminds me, your 5% off code no longer works.
For the same $999, I got 2 kWh Oukitel LiFePO4. The actual useful power is 1.5 kWh or 75% of the capacity, and had 2KW stable output. All the AC power ports are at narrow side, although it's thicker than EcoFlow.
Very good and relevant review. Hard to hear even on high voolume.
Thanks for the feedback! Will tune it up a notch next time
"I bet you're going to come and ask me to heat up your cold ass sandwiches?" 😂👏
Positive Comment!!!
I didn't go with ecoflow I went with bluetti ac200max but have the smaller ecoflow power station which I honestly like the ecoflow app better but anyways I did a 12v to 48v hardwired step up booster converter kicks the power station into solar charging mode and can charge at max solar input while the vehicle runs been working for me thanks for the video I've liked and subscribed have an awesome new years!
Nice. I’m thinking getting a 24V or 36V voltage converter for a hardwired DC charging as well
I have the ac200max and b230. Could you explain the 12v to 48v booster?
I put a battery isolator in and wired the voltage boost converter directly to that under the hood your able to run thinner gauge wire back to the plug my bluetti only pulls around 110 watts under the 14.6 volts supplied normally but with the booster it boost the voltage above what a car puts out and let's it pull hundreds of watts while the car runs instead of just 106 watts they have adjustable boost converters too just look at the wattage output on the unit
Two and a half minutes in, unable to fit the 300 w battery but doesn’t turn it sideways. Yes ports are there but you can pigtail or plug in beforehand
This was a great video thank you, I am very old-school, I don’t understand all these new electronics I could build a house I could build an engine but I can’t figure out how to use my cell phone I’ve never owned a computer, I like the idea of these electronic boxes that Produce electricity but I still don’t understand them? I don’t know how they all work the language of it etc. etc., I am an extreme outdoor adventure I try to go somewhere almost every week or two, I just purchased a teardrop trailer for my jeep and I’m trying to figure out how to run a heater without using the heater/battery in the teardrop trailer I like your ideas, but I’m still very confused about these electronic boxes I don’t know how they work? I presume you charge them obviously before you leave how long does it take to charge them and how long do they last? I know your phone can tell you how much battery life is left but again I’m a guy that doesn’t even know how to download an app on my phone let alone use a phone and have reception in the wilderness, I guess I have a lot to learn but thank you again I really enjoyed this video and I did learn something, Costco is offering one of these electronic boxes right now apparently they’re showing them and the company is there I may go and look ask questions but I have a lot to learn👍
Thanks! I recommend checking out "DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse" and "City Prepping" channel to learn the fundamentals of power solutions. They pretty much covers all kinds of details and specifications.
Bummer to hear about not being able to use the built-in AC outlet. Heard back from Eco Flow and they said it couldn't be fixed with a software update which is disappointing.
The Delta 2 really is a great kit but that's definitely a bit of a deal breaker for me.