This blog serves as a comprehensive review of the new EcoFlow Delta 2 portable power station. We’ll provide an overview of the key features, specifications, and capabilities of this model. Throughout the blog, various tests will be conducted to evaluate the real-world performance in areas like efficiency, charging speed, solar charging, and more.
To help viewers determine if the Delta 2 is the right choice for their needs, we’ll compare it side-by-side against the competition using an exhaustive spreadsheet. We’ll also evaluate whether this product is a good fit for the preparedness community.
Specific topics that will be covered include:
- Primary specs and features
- Key points to know before purchase
- DC and AC efficiency testing
- Pure sine wave capability
- Solar charging setup and results
- How the Delta 2 stacks up against alternatives
- Recommendations for off-grid and emergency preparedness
- Compensation disclosure
- Final verdict
By the end of the video, viewers will have a comprehensive understanding of the EcoFlow Delta 2’s capabilities to empower their buying decision. The goal is to provide an informative, transparent, and helpful review.
Battery Chemistry
The Delta 2 utilizes lithium iron phosphate battery chemistry. This type of battery is known for having a longer lifespan and being able to withstand more charge cycles compared to typical lithium ion batteries. Lithium iron phosphate batteries can generally provide around 3,000-3,500 full charge cycles, whereas a standard lithium ion battery may only provide 500-1,000 cycles.
To put the long battery life into perspective – if you fully charged and discharged the Delta 2 every single day, the batteries could last over 8 years before degrading to 80% of original capacity. The lithium iron phosphate chemistry prevents the typical rapid degradation you see in normal lithium ion batteries. Just like when you first buy a new phone and the battery life is great, but after 1-2 years of heavy use, the maximum capacity starts dropping off. The Delta 2 battery won’t have that same rapid falloff.
Warranty
The Delta 2 comes with an industry-leading 5 year warranty. This is one of the longest warranties available for a portable power station in this class. Having a 5 year warranty provides peace of mind that the Delta 2 is a high quality, durable product that will last. If any issues come up during those 5 years, you’re covered by Ecoflow to get it repaired or replaced. Most competing products only offer a 1-2 year warranty, so the 5 years shows Ecoflow stands behind the quality and reliability of the Delta 2. With portable power stations being an investment, it’s reassuring to know you’ll be covered for defects or problems for such an extensive period of time after purchase.
Expandability
This unit is expandable, allowing you to increase the overall capacity and runtime. There are two options for adding additional batteries:
- 1 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery
- 2 kWh Delta Max battery
By connecting either of these external batteries, you can significantly boost the total energy storage. This modular, building block approach enables you to start with a base unit and then expand as needed for longer runtimes. Whether you need more capacity for an off-grid cabin, RV, or emergency power, the expandability helps future-proof your investment.
Rather than buying a single large capacity battery to begin with, the expandability allows more flexibility. You can start smaller and lower cost, then add on later as requirements grow. The modular architecture ensures compatibility and simplified setup when adding additional ecoflow batteries.
Overall, the expandability provides an upgrade path over time as your needs change. Without having to replace the entire unit, you can augment the built-in capacity when you need more runtime capability.
Ports
The ecoflow Delta 2 has a variety of input and output ports to support different devices and charging methods.
On the front of the unit there are two USB-A ports for charging smaller devices like phones, tablets, and cameras. The USB ports provide standard 5V USB charging up to a combined 100W.
On the back of the unit there are additional ports:
- AC input for charging the Delta 2 from wall power up to 1200W
- Anderson port for solar panel input up to 500W
- 12V car port for charging from a car battery
- Two AC outlets providing 1800W max output
- Two 8mm DC ports providing a 12V DC output
- One 12V car port for powering devices like tire inflators, car fans, etc
The variety of input options allows you to charge the Delta 2 from solar, AC, or 12V sources. The multiple USB and AC outputs allow you to power or charge a range of devices simultaneously. With 1800W of AC output power, you can run most small appliances and power tools off the Delta 2.
Charging
The EcoFlow Delta 2 has some impressive charging capabilities. For AC charging, it can charge at up to 1200W for the first 80% of the battery capacity. This allows it to charge very rapidly from a wall outlet or generator.
To test this, I charged the Delta 2 from 0% to 80% and it only took around 50 minutes drawing 1200W. The last 20% of charging is slower at 320W, taking about 1.5 hours total to fully recharge from empty. Still, being able to pull 1200W to quickly recharge the majority of the battery is a great feature.
For solar charging, the Delta 2 can handle up to 500W of solar input. To test this, I hooked up 200W of rigid solar panels (2 x 100W panels) in series and it charged smoothly. By reconfiguring to parallel I connected 400W (4 x 100W) and it worked perfectly. The only limitation is the 500W solar input, but this should be sufficient for most portable solar generator needs. Overall the AC and solar charging capabilities are very strong.
Remote Monitoring
The Delta 2 can be connected to an app over the internet, allowing you to remotely monitor and control the power station from anywhere as long as there is an internet connection. This can be extremely useful if you have the station set up in a remote cabin or location. Through the app, you can monitor metrics like remaining battery percentage and turn the AC and DC outlets on or off. Essentially, connecting to the internet provides you with full remote control over the station.
Compatibility
The Delta 2 is designed to work seamlessly with other products in the EcoFlow ecosystem. This allows you to build a complete off-grid power solution tailored to your needs.
One notable compatibility feature is that the Delta 2 can communicate with EcoFlow’s Smart Generator. When paired together, the Delta 2 will signal the Smart Generator when it needs a recharge. The generator will automatically turn on and top up the Delta 2, then shut back down when fully charged. This removes the need to manually monitor battery levels and operate the generator.
Overall, the Delta 2’s compatibility with other EcoFlow products provides additional functionality and convenience when using it as part of an integrated off-grid power system. The ability to communicate state of charge and automatically coordinate charging makes power management simpler.
X-Boost for High-Wattage Devices
EcoFlow’s X-Boost feature allows the Delta 2 to boost wattage temporarily without increasing voltage. This makes the Delta 2 ideal for powering high-draw devices like induction cooktops, heat guns, and portable heaters. The wattage boost gives you the extra power you need to operate these appliances, even though the Delta 2 has a standard 1800W AC output.
X-Boost works by tapping into the battery’s reserve capacity. It can provide up to an extra 500W of power beyond the inverter’s continuous output rating. So the Delta 2 can produce around 2300W to handle temporary start-up loads and motor-driven tools or appliances. This prevents tripping and disruption which can happen when the inverter is at full capacity.
The key benefit of X-Boost is that it only increases wattage, not voltage. Sudden voltage spikes can damage sensitive electronics like laptops, medical devices, or power tools with variable speed triggers. So X-Boost makes the Delta 2 safe for your essential equipment while still providing extra power for high-draw devices when you need it.
EPS Capability
The Delta 2 has the ability to act as an uninterrupted power source, similar to a UPS. This EPS (Ecoflow Power System) capability allows the Delta 2 to switch over to battery power in just 30 milliseconds if there is an interruption in wall power.
While a true UPS switches over in 0 milliseconds, the 30 millisecond switch time of the Delta 2 EPS is fast enough for most appliances and devices, outside of highly sensitive electronics like computers. So if you have the Delta 2 connected to devices like lights, small appliances, or even a monitor, they will stay on during a power outage thanks to EPS.
This gives you some extra time to properly shut down any sensitive devices that can’t handle the tiny gap in power delivery during the automatic switchover. EPS on the Delta 2 isn’t meant for complete replacement of a UPS for mission critical systems, but it does offer useful backup power and seamless switching for less sensitive devices.
AC Efficiency Testing
The AC efficiency of the Delta 2 is on the lower end compared to similar products on the market. During my tests, I put a 75% load on the Delta 2 by running devices that drew about 760 watts until the 1024 watt-hour battery was fully drained. I measured the power draw with a simple meter to determine the total watt-hours used. This total was then divided by the rated 1024 watt-hour capacity to arrive at the efficiency percentage. For the Delta 2, this calculation resulted in an efficiency of only 74%. This number is quite low compared to other comparable solar generators I’ve tested, which tend to fall in the 82-91% efficiency range. The lower AC efficiency means you’ll get less usable energy out of the Delta 2’s rated capacity than you would from other generators with higher efficiency ratings. This is an important consideration, as you may need a larger capacity battery to make up for the losses. While the Delta 2 offers ample ports and fast charging, buyers should be aware that they won’t get full use of the stated capacity due to the lower than average efficiency.
DC Efficiency Testing
I also tested the DC efficiency of the Delta 2 by running it until the battery was fully drained and measuring the total power output. The Delta 2 achieved a 74% DC efficiency rating, which is on the lower end compared to similar portable power stations.
When testing DC efficiency, I use a power meter connected to the DC output to measure the total watt hours extracted from the battery. For the 1024Wh Delta 2 battery, I was able to extract 760Wh before it was fully depleted. By dividing the output (760Wh) by the total capacity (1024Wh), I arrived at an efficiency rating of 74%.
While a 74% efficiency is not terrible, it is below average compared to most of the other portable power stations I have tested. Many of the alternatives achieve DC efficiency ratings in the low 80% range or higher. The lower efficiency means you get less total energy out of the Delta 2 battery compared to models with higher ratings.
Overall, the lower DC efficiency was one downside I noticed while testing the EcoFlow Delta 2. It’s still reasonably efficient, but falls short of some competitors when it comes to getting the most energy from the onboard battery capacity.
Pure Sine Wave Testing
I tested the Delta 2’s pure sine wave capability at loads of 0%, 50%, 75%, and 100% by connecting it to a meter. At a 0% load, it produced a pure sine wave as expected. However, at 50%, 75%, and 100% loads, I noticed some degradation of the sine wave on the meter. This indicates that under high power draws, the Delta 2 struggles a bit to produce a perfect sine wave. While it still powered my test devices fine, this is something to keep in mind if you plan to run sensitive electronics. Overall, the Delta 2 provides reasonably clean power for most uses, but may introduce artifacts or noise in electronics that require extremely stable, noise-free AC. So consider your use case and devices if a pure sine wave is critical.
Solar Charging Experiments
I tried an experiment for solar charging using 3rd party rigid monocrystalline solar panels instead of the foldable Ecoflow branded panels. These are the kinds of panels you often see mounted on rooftops, and they can be purchased for around $100 per 100W panel.
Initially I connected 3 of the 100W panels in series, but the voltage was too high and the Delta 2 wouldn’t accept the charge. I reconfigured the panels into parallel and was then able to successfully connect 4 x 100W panels, providing 400W of solar input. With this setup the Delta 2 charged smoothly.
These 3rd party solar panels demonstrate the Delta 2’s flexibility to work with non-Ecoflow equipment. While the Delta 2 is limited to 500W of solar input, it’s able to leverage solar power from a variety of sources. This flexibility improves the Delta 2’s capabilities for off-grid and emergency power situations where Ecoflow’s own foldable panels may not be available.
Competitor Comparison
The EcoFlow Delta 2 stands out among competitors in the portable power station market for a few key reasons:
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The lithium iron phosphate battery chemistry provides an estimated 3,000-3,500 charge cycles. This outpaces standard lithium ion batteries in many competing models.
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The 5-year warranty is one of the longest offered in the industry. This provides peace of mind for a longer period of time compared to 1-2 year warranties on some alternatives.
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It can be expanded with additional EcoFlow batteries. Few competitors provide easy expandability like this.
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With X-Boost, the Delta 2 can briefly provide a wattage boost for high-draw devices. Not all competitors offer this feature to accommodate short surge power needs.
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The Delta 2 offers full remote monitoring and control via WiFi and app integration. Being able to check battery levels and turn the unit on/off remotely sets it apart from less “smart” models lacking connectivity.
Overall, the Delta 2 stands out with its battery chemistry, generous warranty, expandability, and remote monitoring compared to many standard gas generator alternatives or more basic power stations without those capabilities. For its balance of features, power output, and price point, it remains competitive in the growing portable solar generator market.