EcoFlow DELTA 2 (portable power station with expandable battery capacity): our review

A stormy evening, the lights go out, and suddenly the broadband router seems rather important. With 1024 Wh of stored energy, the EcoFlow DELTA 2 offers a substantial reserve for essentials such as phones, lamps and communications. Start with what matters. The sensible approach is to choose the appliances you need most, rather than connect everything within reach. Actual running time depends on their consumption and the energy available at the outputs.

What would you want working first during a power cut? That answer matters more than a crowded collection of plugs. Its overall standing is among the best on the site, and the combination of useful output and expandable storage helps explain the appeal. The LiFePO4 battery chemistry is also worth recognising when choosing a station you intend to keep ready for interruptions to everyday life.

The distinction between energy and power matters here. The reserve determines how much electricity is stored; the 1800 W rated output determines what the station can supply at a given moment. That gives scope for a demanding appliance, provided its requirements remain below the limit. A camping kettle deserves a look at its rating before it earns a place beside the mugs. Tea has a remarkable talent for becoming essential equipment.

Add together the demands of appliances running simultaneously. Having spare sockets does not create spare output. Equipment with a motor also needs care because starting demand can exceed normal running demand; rated power alone cannot settle compatibility. We like the flexibility this output offers for a motorhome stop or a job beyond the garden socket. Choose the equipment around the available power, and the station has a clear, useful role.

At a campsite without electric hook-up, solar charging could help replenish the reserve while breakfast stretches into the morning. The maximum solar input of 500 W is generous, giving you scope to make worthwhile use of compatible panels. It is an input ceiling, however, rather than a promise of what panels will supply. Sunshine, orientation and the panel itself determine what reaches the battery.

Solar compatibility makes placement part of the plan. Panels unfolded on the grass need a useful position, while the station needs shelter from rain and excessive heat. A bright start beside a loch can turn into a wet afternoon without consulting your charging arrangements. Keep charging equipment appropriately sheltered and ventilated, following the manufacturer's instructions. For campervan use, solar is a useful route to replenishing energy when conditions cooperate, with the weather retaining its usual right to interfere.

For an evening in a holiday cabin with an unreliable supply, 4 sockets means plenty of connection points for mains equipment. A lamp and the broadband router can have somewhere to plug in without immediately turning the arrangement into a puzzle. The important habit is to keep their combined demand within the station's output capability. More connections mean more choice, rather than permission to ignore consumption.

There is also a 12 V cigarette lighter socket, giving compatible equipment a connection beyond the mains outlets. Bluetooth app connectivity adds another way to interact with the station, although specific app functions should not be assumed. Check the connections your own equipment actually needs. Which plugs would you bring to the campsite? Working that out before departure is considerably more useful than finding an incompatible connector after the tent is up and daylight is fading.

The carry handle and 12 kg weight suggest a manageable trip of a few metres from the car boot to your pitch. That is the right scale of portability to picture: a deliberate lift and a short walk, with space already cleared at the destination. A boot full of bedding, chairs and cooking kit makes planning its position worthwhile. Portable still needs a parking space.

For choosing a configuration, the useful distinction is between the station alone and a setup with a compatible expansion battery. Expansion offers a route to more stored energy if prolonged use of demanding appliances is your priority, which is the main constraint of the standard reserve. Compatibility does not make an expansion battery part of the package. For motorhome trips, decide how much equipment you intend to support before choosing the storage arrangement and allocating space for it.