In-depth guides, comparisons and how-tos for power stations, solar and backup power.
SPAN and EcoFlow both sell “smart panels,” but the two products sit in different places in a home’s wiring and solve different problems. SPAN’s website describes the SPAN Panel as “the smartest electrical panel,” a replacement for your main breaker panel starting at $2,550 plus installation. EcoFlow’s user manual describes the Smart Home Panel 2 […]
Yes, the EcoFlow Delta 3 Max can run an electric blanket, and it can do it all night long several times over. Most heated throws are rated around 50–100W and most full or queen blankets around 100–200W, a tiny slice of the Delta 3 Max’s 2,400W continuous AC output. From a full 2,048Wh battery, our […]
LiTime calls its 12V 100Ah Mini “the lightest 12V 100Ah LiFePO4 battery ever.” The company lists it at about 19 lb (8.6 kg) and 10.24 × 5.24 × 8.96 inches, which still gets you a full 1,280 Wh. LiTime’s own spec sheet puts the standard 12V 100Ah model at 24.25 lb and 13 × 6.77 […]
A truck bed camper or a canopy-covered bed doesn’t need a big power system to run a 12V fridge, lights and phone charging for a long weekend. A single 100Ah lithium battery, one or two 100W flexible panels, and a charger that also uses the truck’s alternator will cover most trips. LiTime’s 12V 40A DC-DC […]
The EG4 LifePower4 48V V2 is a 5.12kWh server-rack battery that tells your inverter which language to speak with a six-position DIP switch on its front panel. EG4’s spec sheet lists 16 UL-recognized 3.2V LiFePO4 cells, a 100A BMS, more than 6,000 cycles at 80% depth of discharge and a 10-year warranty. It also lists […]
A truck camper roof usually has room for two to three 200W panels, and that’s enough to keep a 12V fridge, lights, a fan and phones charged indefinitely in good sun. The panels I use for these examples are BougeRV’s Arch Pro 200W flexible panels. BougeRV rates each one at 31.1V Vmp and 36.4V Voc, […]
Pairing a home battery with a generator is now built into several major backup systems. FranklinWH’s aGate can start and stop a generator automatically through an optional module. Enphase’s IQ System Controller 3G adds a dedicated generator port, which Enphase says works with most AC generators installed in the US. EcoFlow’s Smart Home Panel 2 […]
LiTime’s 24V 100Ah LiFePO4 battery stores 2.56kWh in one case, the same as two 12V 100Ah batteries wired in series, and LiTime says it weighs 45.85 lb. LiTime builds it around a 100A battery management system (BMS) and lists 4,000 to 15,000 cycles depending on depth of discharge, along with a 10-year service life. LiTime […]
Switching an RV to lithium (LiFePO4) batteries often goes hand in hand with a new inverter charger, because the unit that charges the batteries from shore power also has to match lithium’s voltage needs. Two widely installed 12V, 3kW-class options show what to look for. Victron’s datasheet for the MultiPlus-II 2x120V 12/3000 lists 2,400W continuous […]
Redodo and LiTime sell 12V 100Ah LiFePO4 batteries that look almost identical on paper: both store 1,280Wh, use a 100A battery management system, fit a Group 31 footprint of 13 × 6.77 × 8.43 inches, carry IP65 ratings and promise 4,000+ cycles at 100% depth of discharge with a five-year warranty, according to each company’s […]
