My Mega-Portable Power Station Can Charge 11 Devices at the Same Time
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Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on the Strategist in October 2018, and over two years later, it remains an example of a product that does what it’s supposed to do — exceptionally well. So we’re republishing it today as part ofIngenious Design Week.
My first reaction to theRiver solar generatorwas skepticism. About the size and weight of a 12-pack of beer, the River claimed to be able to run 11 full-size electrical devices at the same time. Having used lots of charging products over the years, including solar backpacks, hand-crank chargers, andbattery packs, I didn’t believe it. How could it outperform so much hardware that it wasn’t much bigger than?
So I put it to the test. I plugged in mypaper shredder, switched it on, and sent a piece of paper toward the blades. Next I connected my phone, which of course immediately began to charge, then shredded more. No drop off of function. I plugged in my MacBook, aspeaker, and charged a smaller battery pack, just for good measure, and still the River’s output was completely steady.
In one swoop, the EcoFlow River rendered all of the battery packs I usually bringcampingobsolete. I typically lug all manner of chargers — a bunch of little guys for phones, a slightly bigger one for larger devices, plus a generator in case of a storm. But the River takes the place of all those. Once charged, it can hold its juice for a year, allowing it to charge the average phone 30 or more times, or keep amini-fridgehumming for more than ten hours. Under the right conditions, you can even fully charge it with a50-watt solar panelin 10 to 15 hours — or just use a car’s DC battery or wall outlet, which would take six. It’s not as powerful as a gas generator, but those are noisy and can’t be used indoors (for obvious reasons).
All of the River’s 11 outlets — two AC ports, four USB ports, two Type-C ports, two DC 12V ports, and a vehicle 12V output — can also be used at the same time. That means you can connect two phones, two tablets, two laptops, a smalllamp, a battery pack, aprojector, a speaker, and acameraall at the same time. And while you can’t use it to run power-hungry devices like a large fridge, an electric hybrid car, or ahair dryer(which actually runs above 500W), it’s about the only thing I’m ever going to need for camping or outdoor parties (and less fun stuff like blackouts and hurricane season).
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