Vanlife / Overlanding off-grid battery solution(s) with solar (1 Viewer)

[4x4tripping]

We all know our discussions about the use of the Ecoflow River Pro as a electricity concept and battery setup in our rigs, to save weight and space.

A small and lightweigt battery box with everything embedded: wall charger, solar charger, inverter, battery.

Now at 2022 are some new solutions around who brings really a lot more Power for those who need that.

Today we can already buy the next generation of those devices. And we can see the first travellers out there, who start to cook with power consuming induction cooker with such "Portable Power Stations".

Here a concept for using at example the Ecoflow Delta 2 (LiFePO4) as battery for overlanding vehicle:

How to charge the Delta2
Cigarette lighter socket (100 watts),
220v shore power (1200 watts),
Solar Charge Controller: 500 watts (11-60 V, 15 A)
optional: by 12v «dc dc booster» (example with 240 watts at xt60 Port)

What can the Delta2 power up?
2x USB-C with 100 watts
several USB-A connections
4x 220v sockets 1800-2400 Watt
12v cigarette lighter socket 12.6V 10A (126w Max)

Article: Ecoflow Delta2 (& other coming products):
Vanlife off-grid battery solution with solar power - https://vanlife.4x4tripping.com/2022/10/vanlife-off-grid-battery-solution-with.html

In terms of price/performance/weight and compactness - hard to beat by an DIY Project. Too this solution is expanable by external batterys. The available App let you use the capable battery monitor and allows to adjust a lot of values (like charging power).

You will find links to other upcoming products of bluetti. Too ecoflow will release the River2 inside of the next 2 weeks, for those who think that the delta2 is a bit overkill.

How we can use a "12v dc dc booster solution" for a stronger "in car charge" is explained too, this way can be used with other "Portable Power Station" brands like bluetti or jackery in a similar way.

Personally I would even consider this concept for a bungalow or tiny house with Solar - the delta 2 is strong enough to use 220v coffee machines, water kettle or induction cooktops or other 220v devices like a fridge or even a washing machine.

trippin

 

[Junk]

I've used the Delta 2 for a few months now. While I love the capacity and how fast it charges, I am very disappointed in the quality. It's already been sent back twice when the ac outlets wouldn't go on as either the power button for them or the actual module had to be replaced. Nothing like having that capacity though. Got mine though amazon https://amzn.to/3hzBRlL
On the smaller side, I also have a Jackery 300 https://amzn.to/3hFxPYZ which was only picked up beside of the portability. This thing gets used so often, way more than the Delta 2. Wish it charge faster though.

 

[OGBeno]

 

[SkwirlSkwasher]

Personally, I'm a big fan of the Inergy Flex 1500 unit. I investigated the Delta Ecoflow, Bluetti, Jackery, and many others, and ultimately landed on the Inergy Flex. I did countless hours of research and built spreadsheets comparing all the specs (charging options and speeds per type, battery capacity, battery expandability, battery chemistry, pure sine wave, regulated DC, number and types of plugs/ports, quality of inverter, dimensions and weight of unit/portability, LCD display with relevant real-time data, price, warranty, etc etc etc.)

I purchased the Inergy Flex 1500 because it outperformed the others when comparing the spreadsheet specs in totality. I mounted 160W of solar on top of the rooftop cargo box. This system is amazing, super versatile, multiple ways of charging through solar or fast AC. When I'm driving I plug into the inverter I installed, when stationary I can tilt the cargo box lid in the orientation of the sun and get optimized solar charging. Regulated 13.8 DC outputs, 1500W inverter with 3000W peak, pure sine wave, etc. I never had issues running out of power, and with the 1,000 Watts of storage I could run the fridge and all our other electricals (lights, phones, laptops, even movie projector and blender for the girlfriend's smoothies while still consistently maintaining charge without fretting. Finally, I fab'd a metal bracket out of shelving uprights and bolted the unit down into the bed platform for anti-theft. Anyway, I recommend these guys.

I've actually befriended some of the folks on their team since I called so much when evaluating specs and building out the system, they gave me a 10% off code I can share with people so I recommend taking a look for anyone on the market: Link here -- or I believe you can use code REF10NRSK8UDP