My new favorite portable power station has an ingenious storage feature that’s spoiled me

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The EcoFlow River 3 Plus units a brand new normal for me when it comes to energy and charging
• Excessive-efficiency circuit for sub 100W gadgets massively boosts battery runtime
• The unit is constructed like a tank to take bangs and drops.

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Simply whenever you suppose that moveable energy stations have turn into nearly as good as they’ll get, an organization goes forward and makes some huge adjustments that you just simply did not see coming.

Common readers will know that I am an enormous fan of EcoFlow’s RIVER sequence of moveable energy stations. The River 2 Pro has been with me on many an journey, together with on a UFO hunt to Rendlesham Forest, the situation of Britain’s own Roswell UFO incident. It is also been with me in my hammock on quite a few chilly, moist nights. It has been a type of Goldilocks energy stations — not the smallest, and undoubtedly not the largest.

Additionally: The best portable power stations to last through power outages

Nevertheless it’s time for an improve. And what if this new energy station could possibly be smaller than the RIVER 2 Professional, but additionally turn into greater

The River 2 Professional has given solution to the River 3 Plus. And this has a couple of tips up its sleeve.

The RIVER 3 Plus is a conveyable energy station with 286Wh of capability that measures 9.2 × 9.1 × 5.8 inches and weighs 10.4 kilos. It has three AC retailers — one on the entrance, two on the rear — good for 600W steady load and a surge load of as much as 1,200W. That energy capability is smaller than the 768Wh of the RIVER 2 Professional, nevertheless it’s additionally virtually 7 kilos lighter. 

The unit additionally incorporates a powerful but snug deal with on the again for ease of shifting.

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The batteries are automotive-grade LiFePO4 cells designed to final 3,000 recharge cycles — which is round 10 years of on a regular basis use — earlier than their capability drops to 80%. 

The cells are protected to IP54 requirements (protected towards a restricted quantity of mud and water splashes from any route), and the shell of the unit is created from a fire-retardant polymer designed to outlive a 3-foot/1.5-meter drop.

It is also acquired one 100W USB-C port, two 24W USB-A ports, and a 12V automotive outlet. 

One of many options that I used to be notably all in favour of making an attempt out on the River 3 Plus was what EcoFlow calls X-GaNPower. This can be a high-efficiency mode that kicks in when the unit is operating hundreds underneath 100W, and it just about gives double the runtime. 

A small 3W load that may have in any other case run the unit to zero in about 19 hours can now run for 35 hours. I’ve examined this declare and acquired outcomes that align with EcoFlow’s guarantees. 

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That is very spectacular, and provided that numerous what folks run from their energy stations falls into this class, customers will see an enormous runtime increase. 

There’s an AC enter port and an XT60 port for charging within the automotive or from a photo voltaic panel. For these wanting to make use of the River 3 Plus as an in-home uninterruptible energy provide (UPS), the unit can change from the grid to battery in underneath 10 milliseconds. There’s additionally a USB-B port to permit it to speak with PCs or NAS gadgets and switch them off in case of a chronic energy outage.

You get choices in relation to charging the unit. Utilizing the grid, you’ll be able to go from zero to 100% in an hour, photo voltaic utilizing the XT60 could be as fast as 90 minutes, and automotive charging can take round three and a half hours. 

Additionally: Why I travel with 3 different portable power stations (and can’t get out of the habit)

However there’s extra to the River 3 Plus. On the underside, there is a port that permits it to be connected to growth batteries — the 286Wh capacity EB300 (at present 22% off and solely $209) or the 572Wh capacity EB600 (at present with 24% off and is yours for $418) — and that is what permits the River 3 Plus to turn into an even bigger energy station. 

In addition to providing an enormous power increase, the growth battery has a 140W USB-C port that can be utilized to energy gadgets and cost the growth battery (a course of that takes 7 hours).

That is probably the most progressive resolution to creating expandable energy stations I’ve encountered. No cables are wanted. I adore it!

The unit runs utterly silently more often than not, however when the fan kicks in, it is a quiet 30dB, which is unlikely to characteristic on most individuals’s radar, even when they’re making an attempt to sleep. 

Additionally: This $12 USB-C accessory solved the biggest issue I had with my laptop’s charger

On the entrance of the River 3 Plus is a really cool gentle — excellent for energy cuts and tenting — and a snazzy show that permits you to know every thing that is occurring with the facility station, from enter and output energy to fan standing. And for these wanting a good deeper dive, there may be, in fact, app connectivity, which additionally gives distant management.

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

I assessment numerous energy stations in a yr, however the EcoFlow River 3 Plus is the primary this yr to make me go “oooooh” a couple of occasions. The design is kind of just like the opposite models within the RIVER line, however the progressive growth system and the additional runtime for low-power hundreds are definitely very cool.

The unit itself is just $299, making it very competitively priced. If you happen to’re on the lookout for deal on a small energy station, that is for you, doubly so in the event you suppose you would possibly need to develop its capability sooner or later.