Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly popular as more environmentally friendly alternatives to gas-powered cars. However, a major concern for many potential EV buyers is range anxiety – the fear that an EV’s battery will run out of charge before reaching a charging station. This is where portable power stations like those made by EcoFlow could come in handy. But can EcoFlow power stations actually charge an electric vehicle? Let’s take a look.
EcoFlow is a company that makes portable lithium-ion power stations designed for energy storage and power delivery. Their products aim to provide reliable battery-powered electricity for home backup power, outdoor recreational use, and more.
The company offers several different models of portable power stations with capacities ranging from 160 watt-hours to 3,000 watt-hours. Their goal is to provide high-capacity renewable energy solutions that are eco-friendly and accessible.
Some of EcoFlow’s key portable power station products include:
These stations can be recharged by plugging them into wall outlets, through solar panels, or even in some cases through a car’s 12V outlet. The larger capacity models feature multiple AC outlets, USB ports, DC outlets, and more to power or charge up a wide range of devices.
When it comes to charging an electric vehicle, the short answer is no – EcoFlow’s portable power stations do not have the capacity to fully charge an EV battery.
However, they may be able to provide a small emergency charge to an EV in certain limited situations. Although they cannot completely recharge an EV battery, they could potentially add a few miles of driving range.
The issue is that EV batteries tend to have very large capacities, while portable power stations have much lower capacities by comparison. For example:
So even EcoFlow’s largest power station holds less than 3% of the charge capacity of the F-150 Lightning’s battery. This major mismatch in capacity means it is not feasible to use a portable power station to provide a full charge for an EV.
Another consideration is that EVs require a high power input for charging. Level 2 EV chargers operate on 208-240 volt circuits and require 20-80 amps for the fastest charging speeds.
The most powerful EcoFlow model, the DELTA Pro, can only provide 1800 watts (15 amps) from its 110/120V AC outlets. This is far below the power delivery needed for any reasonable EV charging speed.
While the DELTA Pro has a 12V car outlet, it can only supply 10 amps through this port. Again, this is insufficient to charge an EV battery in any practical timeframe.
While a full charge is not realistic, some EcoFlow owners have reported being able to add a few miles of driving distance to their EVs in an emergency situation.
By plugging into the 110V AC outlet on a high-capacity EcoFlow power station, they’ve been able to add around 2-3 miles of range per hour of charging. For an EV with very low existing range, this could be enough to reach a charging station or other destination.
Of course, the actual charging speed and added range will depend on the EV battery’s state of charge, capacity, and accepted charging rate. But for some EV owners, the ability to add even a handful of miles could prove very valuable if stuck in a bind.
This emergency charging use case is where an EcoFlow power station might come in handy for EV owners. While far from a full charge, it could potentially get you to a charging station or home in a pinch.
If you did want to use an EcoFlow power station to provide an emergency EV charge, the higher capacity models will likely perform best for this purpose.
Here’s a quick comparison of EcoFlow model capacities:
So while not a substitute for a dedicated EV charger, the DELTA Pro or DELTA Max could give you the best shot at a boost if your EV is almost out of juice.
While EcoFlow portable power stations cannot fully recharge an electric car, they are very capable of charging smaller electric vehicles like e-bikes.
Recharging an e-bike with a portable power station can be done in a couple ways:
Most e-bike batteries are around 300-500Wh capacity. So even the smaller EcoFlow RIVER models with ~200Wh can provide a full recharge for an e-bike in about 2-3 hours. The higher capacity EcoFlow models will charge an e-bike even faster.
While EcoFlow’s portable power stations cannot fully recharge an electric vehicle battery due to the mismatch in capacities and charging power requirements, they may be able to provide an EV with a small emergency charge in limited situations. This could add a handful of miles to make it to a charging station.
The highest capacity EcoFlow models like the DELTA Pro and DELTA Max provide the best potential for adding some emergency driving range to an EV in a pinch. They also work very well for recharging smaller electric vehicles like e-bikes.
So while you won’t want to rely on a portable power station for daily EV charging needs, they can be a useful emergency backup option for EV owners in case you end up stranded without enough charge to make it to a charger. Having a backup EcoFlow unit in your EV could give some extra peace of mind when it comes to range anxiety.
