How to expand Power Station with Lifepo4 battery
, From Liu Ling, 4 min reading time
Meet our friendly customer Lukáš, a photographer from Slovakia! A passionate camping and outdoor adventurer, he often shares his travels on YouTube and Instagram, capturing the beauty of nature. In July of this year, he upgraded his power supply with a Power Queen battery, increasing the capacity of his station so he's always powered and worry-free on his travels. Read what he has to say about his Power Queen experience!
I've been using a power station for years to power my electronics on camping trips and outdoor excursions. The capacity requirements have increased with each new device: a larger refrigerator, a larger drone, a new camera, and charging multiple iPhones for my wife and me. I've had to gradually upgrade my power station and switched from the EcoFlow River Max to the Delta 2.These days, I spend more time outdoors, sleeping away from power not only on weekends, but also on longer 5-10 day shoots with a small crew, as I'm shooting a documentary series for a local TV station in addition to my hobby videos. Such extended stays outdoors have dramatically increased the capacity I need, as not every crew member is as equipped as I am, so I often have to charge each other's cameras, laptops, lights, radios, cameras, and drones—and, of course, chill a few liters of beer :)
The Power Queen was a perfect fit for my project because while the Delta 2's power is sufficient, its capacity simply isn't enough. Yes, EcoFlow offers extra batteries, but they're more than twice as expensive as the Power Queen batteries. I charge with solar panels, but under real-world conditions like forests, marshlands, or rainy autumn days, the solar power isn't as high as I need.
First, I had the opportunity to test the LiFePo4 12V 100Ah smart battery I charged it with a DC-DC charger while traveling, with solar while camping, or at home using an AC charger. I connected it to the Delta 2 with an XT60i cable, which plugs directly into the input of the Power Station. This way, I had an additional 1280Wh of energy stored in the Power Queen battery, in addition to the 1024Wh in the Delta 2, which I could access when needed. In a video you can watch here, I go into detail about the advantages, limitations, performance, and much more:
I contacted Power Queen and explained that I wanted to upgrade from a 12V to a 24V system because of the Delta 2’s 15A input limit, and they didn’t hesitate to offer me a 24V battery (more specifically, a 25.6V 100Ah Smart) that perfectly meets my needs. In addition to doubling the charging capacity of the Delta 2, I also have twice the capacity (1280Wh versus 2560Wh).
Since I'm using this system primarily to power the Delta 2, the voltage has a significant impact on charging performance. Why? Because the Delta 2's input is limited by three parameters: 15A, 60V, and 500W. When the 15A limit is reached with a 12V battery, it delivers approximately 180W (15A*12V). Switching to a 24V battery results in approximately 360W (15A*24V).
Can I use a 48V battery? Yes, and that would reach the 500W limit.None of the specified parameters can be exceeded, and since the Delta 2 regulates the input itself and only draws as much current as it can handle, the result with a 48V battery would reach 500W as follows: 500W/51.2V ≈ ~10A
When I'm not on the road, filming or camping, I use the battery at home to expand the capacity of my solar system with inverters. Currently, I only use EcoFlow microinverters, also in combination with the Delta 2. Just like outdoors, the Power Queen batteries serve as highly efficient storage for the energy generated by the solar system during the day and power the Delta 2 at night, allowing selected devices to run throughout the night.
My solar system currently has a total output of 1.6 kW and a capacity of 3.6 kWh, which I plan to expand over time. The 24V battery has proven effective, and since they can be connected in series, parallel, or combined, I will purchase additional 24V batteries and continue with a 24V parallel system configuration. If I need to upgrade to a 48V system in the future, I will simply switch the batteries to a series or series-parallel configuration to achieve 48V.
It's possible to expand the capacity of a power station with an external LiFePo4 battery on almost all types, not just EcoFlow stations. However, it's important to pay attention to the correct voltage and current, and to choose the right cable. I also plan to test Power Queen batteries with other types of power stations. If you're interested, follow the articles on the Power Queen website and my YouTube channel for updates on this topic.
Volvo Camper Life, 2024
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