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Jul 15, 2023

CleanTechnica Tested: EcoFlow DELTA 2 Portable Power Station

By Published EcoFlow has been a pillar of the portable power station market for

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EcoFlow has been a pillar of the portable power station market for years now and they are showing no signs of slowing down. The new EcoFlow DELTA 2 bundles EcoFlow's robust iron phosphate battery cell tech with its proven power electronics into a compact 1,024 Wh / 1 kWh package that boasts an impressive 1,800 watt continuous / 2,700 watt peak power output. EcoFlow sent us the new DELTA 2 portable power station to run through the paces and we eagerly got to work.

Right out of the box, the first thing that stands out is the price. $999 for a solid portable power station from a proven company like EcoFlow with even better prices to be had during the launch week. That price gets you a full kilowatt-hour of storage capacity using iron phosphate (LFP) cells that enable far more cycles before the pack capacity starts to degrade. The DELTA 2 should still have 80% of its storage capacity after 3,000 cycles. Said another way, if you cycled the battery fully every single day, you could do that for more than 8 years and still have 80% of the boilerplate storage capacity.

Charging the DELTA 2 with EcoFlow's 400 watt folding solar panels. Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica

Disclaimer: EcoFlow provided the DELTA 2 to the author for the purposes of this review.

The trade off for using LFP cells is typically a heavier and larger pack, but the DELTA 2 comes in a svelte, compact package. EcoFlow has included handles on either side of the unit that make it easy to move around its 27 pound mass. I found it to be one of the most ergonomically friendly, easy to move packs I’ve tested. If you’re not planning to move it around, the handles make great anchor points to secure it into your RV, trunk, boat, etc.

The recent California heat waves presented an opportunity to use the DELTA 2 to manually load shift electrical usage from off peak to peak usage times. Over the course of the week-long heat-induced grid strain, the DELTA 2 made it easy to plug it in in the morning and using it to power the entertainment system for a few hours in the evening. It was more than up to the task of powering a 65″ TV, networking switch, PS5, Raspberry pi and supporting gear as they only pulled between 170 and 300 watts combined.

The DELTA 2 supported this setup for the full 5 hours almost every night with no issues. It's a beautiful use case for the DELTA 2 and replicates the use case in a recreational vehicle or off-grid home, where the power station would be charged up again from a row of solar panels on the roof of the vehicle the next morning. With a 200 watt solar panel pushing power in, testing showed that the EcoFlow DELTA 2 would recharge in 5-10 hours here in Southern California depending on the angle of the panels.

Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica

On Labor Day, the DELTA 2 made it easy to take the party outside, powering a single burner induction cooktop to fry up some home made egg rolls. Cranking on the induction cooktop, the power pack immediately woke up and started pushing out power to support the hefty load. On the medium high temperature setting, the DELTA 2's display showed in real time how the induction cooktop pulses the full power on and off in order to lower the average heat delivered. With a cast iron pan, the egg rolls didn't seem to mind one bit.

It was the perfect way to get the family out of the house for a COVID-friendly gathering, keep the extra heat out of the house, and shift some load away from peak hours to keep the fragile California electric grid running. A few dozen home made crispy egg rolls later and the DELTA 2 hardly blinked as it pushed out 1,500 watts almost constantly for nearly 45 minutes.

With the DELTA 2 plugged into a wall outlet, it immediately woke up and started drinking power, gulping down 1,170 watts from the outlet. That translated to a full charge in just under an hour. Pulling 1,100 watts from a wall outlet isn't the fastest we’ve seen, as some units can pull up to 1,800 watts, but the ability to fully charge from a wall outlet in under an hour should meet the needs of most consumers. EcoFlow says it will recharge from 0 to 80% in just 50 minutes or from 0 to 100% in 80% which makes the DELTA 2 a great addition when the use case requires maximum flexibility.

We took the DELTA 2 outside and connected it up to EcoFlow's high power 400 watt portable solar panels and it eagerly soaked up the power. It is rated to pull up to 500 watts from solar panels (11-60V, 15A) so this was no surprise. We set the panels up at 9am at our Southern California testing location and were able to fully charge the DELTA 2 in 3 hours without having to move the panels. That demonstrates the impressive power output of EcoFlow's folding 400W solar kit and the ability of the DELTA 2 to charge up quickly with an appropriately sized solar system.

EcoFlow's 400 watt folding solar panels keeping the EcoFlow Delta 2 powered up during a National Drive Electric Week event in Ventura, CA. Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica

For those looking for flexibility when it comes to the capacity, the DELTA 2 has you covered there as well. A special expansion port on the side of the unit allows for the addition of one of the two available external battery packs to the unit. Connecting the DELTA 2 Extra Battery adds one kilowatt-hour of capacity (2kWh total) or you can go big and connect a 2kWh DELTA Max Extra Battery for a total of 3kWh. The additional packs are also nice in that they open up different installation options and more flexible configurations.

The DELTA 2's 1kWh capacity makes it a solid choice for intermittent home backup power. Here in Southern California, the grid regularly cuts out and the DELTA 2 is more than up to the task to keep the lights on, the refrigerator humming, and the internet running. Adding a folding or stationary solar panel further extends that functionality and could keep the essentials running for much longer when the sun is shining.

As a mobile power station, the DELTA 2 can effectively replace a complete power system in an RV. It directly replaces the battery pack, an 1,800 watt inverter with AC and DC output, and allows for direct charging from solar. The ability to add more storage capacity means the system can even scale up or down to accommodate larger vehicles and more appliances.

Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica

The possibilities are really endless. The DELTA 2 is so capable and flexible, it's an easier task to imagine what it can't do than to list out all the things it could be used for, but just to get your mind going, here are just a few of the many scenarios the DELTA 2 comes in handy:

For more information about this power station, head over to the official EcoFlow DELTA 2 website.

I'm a tech geek passionately in search of actionable ways to reduce the negative impact my life has on the planet, save money and reduce stress. Live intentionally, make conscious decisions, love more, act responsibly, play. The more you know, the less you need. As an activist investor, Kyle owns long term holdings in Tesla, Lightning eMotors, Arcimoto, and SolarEdge.

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