The EcoFlow RIVER Pro portable power station is the most impressive portable power station I’ve ever used. Combine that with the 160W solar panel and it’s perfect for active people who love to adventure off the grid but still require electricity to power all those devices.
The EcoFlow RIVER Pro is packed with some pretty amazing features: 720 Wh capacity, recharge from 0-80% in under an hour, 3 AC outlets, USB ports for devices, and a fast charging USB C outlet that I use to power my Macbook Pro so I can keep blogging and editing videos while off the grid.
Portable power is huge in cases of emergencies or when out and about and off the grid. Check out pricing and availability from EcoFlow.
EcoFlow Coupon code $50 off: 5JFD6JA5SAQR
The EcoFlow RIVER Pro advertises that it will charge a Macbook Air 13 times and a cell phone 58 times. I wanted to know how many times this power station would charge my Onewheel which I love to take on camping trips.
There’s no better way to explore the great outdoors than on a personal electric (PEV). I love taking devices like my Onewheel and EUC camping. But keeping everything powered up can be a pain.
Sure, having portable electricity is not how the pioneers and explorers did it, but if they had this tech back then, I’m sure Lewis and Clark would have blazed some trails on a Onewheel while out exploring.
Can I charge the Onewheel with an EcoFlow?
The Onewheel XR battery is 324 Wh so you should be able to get two full charges but I asked my buddy Mario Contino who is quite the battery nerd and he told me this:
From Mario:
The fastest way to visually compare energies between them (or any battery) is the watt hour rating. The Onewheel XR has a battery rated at 324 watt hours (Wh), and that battery says it contains a 720Wh internal battery.
That would look like it’ll give you over two full charges.
However, the battery capacities don’t account for conversion efficiencies, and then the behavior of the internal battery at the low end of the charge.
For example, in my portable charger, the boost converter is about 80-85% efficient. So while the battery I built in it is close to 525Wh, it delivers closer to 500Wh after the converter.
Now in that battery you have, it’s converting power twice. It uses an inverter to convert the DC output of the battery into an AC power output outlet, and then your board charger will convert the AC power back into DC for the board.
It could be anywhere from 60-80% efficient by the time it gets to the board. Hard to say.
Lastly, it’s hard to say how much energy it’ll eek out as it gets low on charge. Generally as an internal battery runs out, the voltage drops, so the inverter as to pull more current (amps) from the internal battery to make up the voltage. That lowers the voltage further until the thing shuts off and is empty.
So you’ll really have to test how many charges it’ll provide and under what conditions.
That’s a cool unit though.
Mario Contino on YouTube
Best case scenario, you get two charges from zero to full on your Onewheel XR and 4.8 full charges on your Onewheel Pint, but because of inefficiencies, it’s going to be less.
I have yet to charge a Onewheel from empty to full on the EcoFlow without anything else plugged into the unit because someone is always needing to charge when I’m using this thing!
What is X-Boost?
Another unique feature with the Ecoflow River Pro is the ability to power some essential devices like kitchen and cooking appliances up to 1800 W with something called X-boost.
Devices that work with the X-boost feature include a hair dryer, electric frying pan, and refrigerator. I find that as you use devices that need higher watts, there is a decline in performance like a hot pan not heating up to quite as hot as normal but still impressive that this battery pack can even get such high powered devices to work.
Why not a gas generator?
Some benefits to the EcoFlow over a gas generator is it’s smaller, quieter, and you don’t have to mess with fuels. The EcoFlow can safely be used indoors and inside a tent without the fear of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The Ecoflow also charges from 0-80% in under an hour so if there’s a ranger station or somewhere where you can plug in and charge, you’ll be able to do so much faster than any other battery power station out there.
160 W Solar Panels
You can buy the solar panel and harness the power of the sun which will recharge the battery from empty to full in four hours with bright sunlight.
I was sent the 160W version solar panel to test and on a partially cloudy day I was getting 100W of charge through the solar panels. When there’s full sun, I caught the unit getting up to 140W while my Onewheel was taking off about 200W to charge.
The App
The app connects you to the EcoFlow so you can control it and monitor its status. I must say that I was surprisingly pleased by how well the app worked. Far too often the app is an afterthought in making devices like these but the app was easy to set up and use.
For those who dislike having yet another app on their phone, you won’t need the app to operate the device, but you will need it to adjust settings like turning on and off X-Boost.
What I love about the EcoFlow RIVER Pro:
- The Ecoflow charges up super fast!
- Relatively lightweight and portable (weighs just under 16 lbs)
- Easy to carry
- Lots of connection options
- Feels rugged and durable
- Quiet fan
- Solar power ready
- Able to more batteries and double capacity
- Useful app
- Charge the Ecoflow while charging your devices
- Very informative display
- Fan is good for white noise and too keep you warm while camping
What I would improve:
- Display is hard to see in sunlight
- On/Off buttons get accidentally turned on and off too easily
Who the EcoFlow RIVER PRO is great for:
- Van life
- RV life
- Camping life
- Anyone needing juice while on the go
- Backup power in case of emergencies
Conclusion:
The Ecoflow River Pro has every charging port I’ll ever need, gives me the power to charge my essential devices including my Onewheel, has options for expandable power, solar charging, and can be charged insanely fast compared to the competition on the market.
I’ll be bringing the Ecoflow with me when I go adventuring so I’m never left stranded without electricity.
Portable power is huge in cases of emergencies or when out and about and off the grid. Check out pricing and availability from EcoFlow.
EcoFlow Coupon code $50 off: 5JFD6JA5SAQR
Can be used with these products: EcoFlow RIVER Max EcoFlow RIVER Pro EcoFlow RIVER Pro Extra Battery EcoFlow 160W Solar Panel