Charging a Lithium portable power station from a gas generator is very poor efficiency and defeats the purpose of having the power station. Get a power station with solar panels. Even on cloudy days you will get some charge but if you run out of gas you are screwed.
I bought a champion 2000 watt duel fuel generator inverter. I can recharge my ecoflow tech Delta in 2 hours. And I only paid $499. For the duel fuel generator. I have 7-20 gallon propane tanks and 7-5 gallon gas cans. Also have 4-100 watt renogy solar panels.
I reckon the reason that the generator doesn't use the "infinity port" (the EV port) is because that's the one you have to use with the 240V link unit that connects two of these together. I guess they decided it was less of a problem to lose one of the battery ports than the only link port, and lose 240V altogether.
The infinity port is an AC port, the SMART Gas Generator has both a DC output to direct battery DC input (as shown by Tom) and a AC outlet under the front flap on the right, both 1800w.
Looks like a great system but needs some fine tuning for all the reasons you pointed out. The surging is an issue that can be addressed. The inability to run the generator in eco mode while charging needs to be updated. As always.... a great review!
All I can say is what a pretty well thought out packaging for a gas generator. No need for tools to operate it plus I can monitor it with my Ecoflow App.
Yes light weight easy to pick up and go when it shuts down or just shut it down unplug it and go the owner won't even know it's gone until he runs out of power and by then you'll be long gone great idea would be nice if you could put it inside and vent it outside the technology has been around since the 1920 back then it wasn't theft you worried about as those old generator were solid cast iron and very heavy also most people never looked their house no back then by the old generator were very hard to start below freezing and you didn't want to get all bundle up to go out and start the generator wasn't so bad what the automatic start came out but if you didn't have enough power to run the furnace you didn't have enough to start the generator
As I understand it, using the Generator along with the connector Hub/box will combine 2 Pros to offer double the power, however, the gen will only charge ONE Pro at a time....to charge the other Hub connected Pro, the Gun Plug needs to be switched from one to the other manually in order to get the other Pro charged. Confirmed from EcoFlow.
Give it time and either they or someone else will make a t plug for it with 2 in and 1 out used to be if you had a DeWalt cordless tool and a Milwaukee you couldn't switch the batteries you can now people with 3D printers are making all sorts of things and I'm sure if ecoflow doesn't bring one out someone will
@@douglaswindsor120 That would be great and I can't wait to get mine to tinker with it some. One possible solution could be to splitting the Gen. power to both Pros by supplying Gen power into the DC ports of each while connected to the hub and still providing passthru ...it may work but, the charging rate will be greatly reduced and I'm not sure how the communications will be effected...we shall see.
Great concept. Goal zero announced something similar a few years ago and then never delivered. Hope they work the few kinks out. This would be a great add if it can work in conjunction with solar input into the pro and kick in whenever solar just isn’t cutting it(such as on a rainy day).
its has some nice features, but the smarter the device the more things can go wrong, and have fun trying to fix this unit if your not an electronic tech.
I bought a champion 2000 watt duel fuel generator inverter. I can recharge my ecoflow tech Delta in 2 hours. And I only paid $499. For the duel fuel generator. I have 7-20 gallon propane tanks and 7-5 gallon gas cans. Also have 4-100 watt renogy solar panels.
Would you happen to know how much propane is used in that 2 hours you charged your Delta? How much did it cost you in propane? Having those answers will help quickly determine if this is a more viable solution. Thank you.
@@mannys4036 I have not ran it yet. The propane is from Tractor Supply. I will only be able to guess when I do run it on how much it will use. I only have gauges on two tanks. Maybe I could use a scale? Tractor Supply fills them all the way up. Unlike the propane exchange things at the gas station. This is way cheaper.
@@Lifesabeachmusicvideos to fill a propane tank to 100 percent is dangerous they filled my 30 pounder to full it popped off twice before I got home and one final time after unfortunately it ignited from my from my fridge pilot and everything went up found what was left of the tank over a block away if it below freezing and you are using it right away then you'll probably get away with it we live in the Chinook belt were when a Chinook comes in it can go from forty below to seventy above in minutes and a full propane tank will overpressure and vent
A high altitude kit (if it’s a carburetor jet change kit )would not be very convenient for those who change altitudes with any frequency. Maybe Hobo-techs idea of a tunable (variable wattage output) generator controls could also solve the up and down with the rpm’s.
My honda ran great right out of the box and is nice and quiet at any altitude. At higher altitudes the rpm is a little higher when hooked up to my trailer and thats about it and its 2000 watts. The has some nice features but would like to see at least 2000 watts and not have to do a jet swap every time you go up to some elevation
My Honda EU2000i can only give me 1450 watts consistently at 7,000 feet in the Arizona mountains. I’m sure ECOFLOW will have to make the charge adjustable eventually or this beast will fail at high altitudes. A possible solution would be to plug in the charger to the generator AC plug in and then just limit the charge to the Delta Pro. This might be the better solution anyway so that the generator can have a long extension cord that gets the noise further away from the living space. BTW excellent review! I love this channel! Can’t get enough. How about you show us that big ground mount array you have in the background of some of your videos. I’m excited to see how that is working.
That was going to be my solution too but it defeats the purpose of auto start/stop. I have other generators that can charge the Pro like that. I haven't even started my solar build yet. Trust me there will be videos!
The nice thing about propane conversation is in most cases it's only an adjustment to run either natural gas or methain if you want one cheap wait until they have been out a year and there will be lots sold second hand they'll probably be hot but cheap as the light weight and and auto start means the owner won't even know it's gone until the theif is long gone the biggest thing this unit needs is the ability to pipe it outside so you can lock it up the technology has been around for a hundred years or more
I don't know about the Smart Generator but the Delta Pro does have a way to adjust its input so you can adjust how much you want it to pull while charging using the app.
It doesn't seem too smart if it doesn't have fuel injection to automatically adjust for altitude. At the very least, it should have a lever to flip for high altitude like other generators. The main features I want in a generator is SUPER QUIET operation (like a Honda) and remote starting from 100' away.
Adding fuel injection also add significant amount cost to the Inverter Generator at lease $600+ on top of what ever this cost plus the space required for all components and most meet CARB (California Air Resources Board) and EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).
@@SHSPVR EFI does NOT cost that much more for a small single cylinder engine! And it doesn't take more space! Please don't put misinformation out there.
@@randbaldwin Ecotron Electronic fuel injection is smallest out there and I dare you to try to fit one in the Ecoflow box, you still need space for it do keep in mind that engine displacement 80cc is very small even the kits from ebay listed as (Motorcycle ATV scooter buggy moped UAV EFI engine Electronic Fuel Injection kit) bear lee work with 125cc and not very good and if that was the case then why non of small engine maker are using them ?.
What they don't tell you is that it will not work as a smart generator if the temperature is freezing or below. The instruction manual says to run the generator for 3 minutes before putting any load on it. Having it plugged into the Delta pro unit is a load and therefore the generator should not be charging the Delta pro when the weather is freezing or below.
Exactly, I live in the "midwest" closer to the Great Lakes aka The Northcoast and we get a lot of overcast days w/Snow and Rain seasonally although I do have solar panels for power outages...so, having a generator directly in line for the battery backup is AWESOME. Looked into getting one of the permanent Nat Gas Generators installed but, there is currently a 22 month waiting list and they are thousands $ more. The EcoFlow offers a very reasonable alternative and I love that it is NOT permanent and can be used on the go plug and play anytime if, when, and how you choose. During a power outage you can be power conservative and be just fine with an EcoFlow system. I picked up 2 Pros and a generator to go with...can't wait to get them as they are shipping out next month.
Thank you so much for the step by step instructions, and all of the extra information you give. I had no idea ethanol free gas was best for generators. 😁
Ethanol free fuel is best for anything that you have to store away for a while, such as generators, lawn mowers, motorcycles, boats, chainsaw's, weed wackers, classic cars etc. The reason is because the ethanol will corrode the inside of the carburetor and fuel system if it sits for a while.
Is it OK to store it long-time with the fuel valve open ? Would the dual fuel fuel generator running on propane be a better option for covering rere power cuts ? Regards Mike
The biggest question is how good is the engine? Honda makes the best small engine in the world, that why everyone copy’s there design. Time will tell. This is definitely a good design and with a few changes that Hobotech has mentioned it will be a excellent setup.
Great video. Thank you. Been considering the smart generator for exactly the use you demonstrated. Have to say that at a retail price of $1400, the smart generator is an absolute NO GO for me. Clearly the hook here is the tech, and the tech is great for sure. Unfortunately, the generator itself seems to be a POC in my opinion. Not going to spend that kind of money for a generator that puts out less than comparable gens and is so loud and clunky. Will wait for the better version in a year or two. Price might even be better then.
I've said it before, there are two types of generator buyers. Those that buy Honda, and those who buy other brands and then end up comparing it to a Honda. I do see some nice innovation such as how the generator will kick on when the battery unit gets to a certain %. That's really neat. I can see the gas generator being a nice complement to solar input, only kicking in if demand outpulls solar. But, you can't say it beats a Honda. Honda set the bar. Yamaha is a good one too, but Honda has the benefit of the largest little motor, which translates to running lower RPMs for a given output. Yamaha makes the next best thing, but their motor is smaller and therefore runs faster = sounds louder. Honda has the best inverter you can get, I've heard many people express envy over that inverter unit. Another benefit of the Honda is, it's rugged as a tank. A gas generator gets a lot more abuse than a solar battery generator. They're usually outdoors, in the sun, smelly chemicals, etc. I can throw my generator on my work truck and it is fine. A Bluetti or Ecoflow type unit, I would be afraid of dust and getting kicked around. But overall, I do like the benefits that we see when battery/solar tech and gas generator tech are built by the same manufacturer and designed to work in concert. (edit for clarity)
At first I thought this was a spoof video you were having fun with! I would never have imagined there was an actual gas engine Inside that familiar looking plastic case. I guess it’s like the first time someone said “come take a ride in my battery powered Porsche.” You just get that feeling you’re being punked.
Another RU-vidr posted a video and showed that the 30 amp plug was wired wrong for the Ecoflow. Could you open your unit to see if yours is miswired? He pointed out dire consequences when used as an UPS. His viewers alerted him.
At this price point and level of computer integration I'd like to see fuel injection, that way you wouldn't need to screw with carb adjustments at altitude and it would always run at the ideal AFR
I am considering their new dual fuel generator, but I am at high altitude also. Did the high altitude kit stop the surging? Also how difficult was it to get to the carb to install it? Would I even need a high alt. kit if just running on propane? Thank for any info!
How might a decent solar battery have helped in post-Ida, not to replace everything but to help with some refrigeration, powering fans, to make things a little easier without the need to get gas for a generator? I saw some places post storm with sunny skies.
@@stevec3872 it would help run some fans and lights at night and charge back up with solar in the day we had a Predator 3500 and ran that 24 hrs a day for 8 days we have power back now I’m going to get a solar generator too if I’m going to ride out another storm
Other peoples preparations are their preparations, not yours. You need to go and get your own preparations,while you still can. Then you will both be prepared.
I have one of these on my order.. thanks for the review and good info, as always sir! Curious if you can tell anything about the engine itself. Do we know what company manufacturers it?
So the slow charge button on the delta pro only effects the ac charge input line? Could the demand on the gas generator be curtailed with a 'cruise control' switch to lock in ~ 1200w or some power level for 7000ft where the surge won't happen? I mean the carburetor kit ..would have to be frequently changed ie sea level to sierra (typical California RVing).
Yes, I tried that. Only works with AC wall charging but nothing stopping you from charging with the generator that way if you don't mind losing auto start/stop.
to be "smarter", it should be able to control the carburetor and adjust the mixture to adjust for different altitudes. I wonder if a butane generator would have trouble with altitude?
EDIT: *IF* the generator was propane, you could hook this to a few hundred pound tank and it would recharge the ecoflow over and over for weeks or months when the solar can't keep up. I love the idea of the generator, for 1k I'll probably buy it BUT I really hope that ecoflow improves this generator for my delta pro ecosystem
So another thought that would make this an incredible addition to anyone's power backup needs. Would it be possible to convert the carb on the unit to use propane and/or natural gas?
I think alot of the problems would be solved by the ability to set a throttle on the output. Most of the surging problem was it couldnt maintain 1800 at high altitude and kept faulting back down before cycling back up again. I'd be willing to bet it could run steady at 900 or 1000 even at your elevation. Auto detection of that issue and auto throttle would be nice but even a manual throttle would work. And as you stated there are other reasons to want to limit output. Honestly thats probably something that could be done with a software update.
I would like to see how the internal components compare to the honda. There are generators out there comparable to this and the honda for 350-600 but they use parts that don't last as long as honda if being used on a regular basis. What are we getting from the ecoflow?
Hello, I'm a big fan of your videos, Question, I have a Bluetti 200 max and I'm thinking on buying the Ecoflow dual smart generator to charge the Bluetti using the AC brick but also will like to charge using the DC output of the Ecoflow generator. Do you know about a cable or adapter that I can use to connect to the Bluetti DC enhancer D050S. Thanks
I actually checked for this now. The DP is set to the max of 1800W. But yes, if the charge rate was changed (there is a switch on the DP to enable customization of this setting), the generator might have worked fine.
Great info!!!! How can I use this Bluetti in my 34ft RV w/ 30A/120v shore power in parallel with the 3500 Gen Set. I have 500 watt factory solar panel for on board solar. Can I direct wire panels, ahead of on board solar controls to the Bluetti? Keep solar panel feeding Bluetti "and" on board battery charger. I am thinking of putting a selector switch to go either Bluetti - or - on board gen set for self contained power when not plugged in to shore power.?
Hey Tom, Is it an inverter generator like the Honda or does it have a 60cycle 120vac generator? If it was a 12v generator with an inverter to provide 120vac it could have a throttle for variable speed. On larger sailboats, we use a variable speed diesel engine that turns a high output alternator so you can set the speed depending on how many amps you want/need.
Yes his reviews are great he's one of the big 4 reviewers I see other reviews on products and they give great reviews but from the big 4 and many full time RVers it's saved me a lot$$$$$ and if I'd found utube sooner would have saved me a whole lot more I'm in Canada and with our lower dollars and high shipping cost these units are way out of my budget the ones that are the big 4 won't touch because they are sealed lead acid batteries I looked at one but it had modified sine wave inverter and that's not good for electronic or running things fill time great reviews though I looked at another great reviews but from what I learned charging parameters or wrong if the big 4 reviewers would review them maybe we might get a good cheap entry level solar generator and if they really listen maybe they might put a programmable mppt solar charge controller that's able to charge lithium and then we'd have a great entry level solar generator in the meantime I'll keep watching and waiting
I'm expecting my Ecoflow Pro next month, I got the Smart generator as an add-on. I'm planning on using them in an R.V. across the country. Am curious if you got the high altitude kit and how well it worked?
@@HOBOTECH Mine will arrive next week and I live at 6,500 ft. Any word on the high altitude kit? I contacted them by email and they said it was not yet available … I am trying to find which carburetor/engine supplier they use to then find the high altitude yet in the interim. Thanks
@@javiercastellar1 They sent me a new model that automatically adjusts output. I haven't tried it yet. Too busy. I'm quite sure they use a Yamaha engine.
@@HOBOTECH, quick update - since it is cheap got a set of yetis for a random small Roto engine (i guess it is a clone of the Yamaha) as I noticed in a random table in their website that they use ‘R-80i’ … just in case ahead of the arrival. It is hard to guess as there are so many carburetors that look alike … that might increase the efficiency even if their software now manages the output better. As you reported, I prefer a longer run to recharge but quieter and less taxing on the engine. Thanks very much for your detailed tests and honest reports all these years!
I guess I have more questions than answers. (1) can you use the generator for anything else? Or is it proprietary - only connects to an Eco Pro. (2) what are the significant advantages over a gas/propane generator? Yes there are some nice features but if I can only use it fir this one purpose then I might still need another gas/propane generator for other stuff. I do like the electric start and scheduling the recharge based on power levels. But is that enough to not go with a more flexible Honda etc?
Would like to see they would separate the fuel shut off and power off, that way you can run the carburetor dry without having to fiddle with a drain plug..
It's their first whack at this type of product, so room for improvement for sure. Also you said you live at 7,000 ft more than LLOD says he lives on Colorado. 😀
Can you connect another delta pro to the extra battery port instead of a regular delta extra battery? And can you daisy chain an unlimited amount of delta pros connected via the extra battery ports?
Can you just plug the other Eco flow into the front of the one you’re charging and charge it? I mean if you had two that you needed to charge? This is all new to me
A Bluetooth capability would solve the lack of strong cell/internet connection. Even if all the software “bells and whistles” would only be available with the internet, basic functions via Bluetooth would add to the flexibility. Currently I only have the 1800 watt Ecoflow Delta, so I’m kind of limited for any extended (several days) use if the days are not sunny (slowing the solar charging time). Case in point Louisiana during IDA. Great system though, hopefully Ecoflow tweaks the software a bit
@@HOBOTECH Yeah well I live in the mountains of Montana in my sprinter .I have the river 2 the Delta 2 Delta Max wave two and two eco flow foldable panels . There's never much sunshine and I'm tired of chasing the Sun with the panels. I just got the dual fuel generator I ran it 1 hour I changed the oil then it ran 3 days for 2 hours each day that's the only time I needed to charge my eco-flow products I run propane only And now it won't start and so I have to leave camp and go to 30 miles just to get internet. The codes that keep coming up is 509 and 520 Can anybody help me with those codes besides me having to call technical support
That is cool: But I am like you ,it needs to (run at higher altitude) ( multiple connections for batteries) ( larger gas tank or way to use auxiliary gas tank)
Maybe I'm Confused? Can't you daisy chain the Ecoflow Pro so you can still have 3-4 batteries and the generator? Second thing, Generators run more efficiently at the higher load not at 25% they run longer this way though with less overall power output per tank.
I hear there is a dual fuel model out, at least for testing. Looking forward to a review if that one. I you want to charge your feta pro from 0 to 100%, all 3600 watts, you would have to run the generator for 2 hours. How much fuel will that burn? Since there is an AC outlet, can you plug the generator into the delta pro for charging as well? Like from a wall outlet? This would be helpful to charge other brands of solar generators, like a Bluetti
Realizing that some of the best travel and camping areas also have the worst cell service (even with a cell “booster”system installed per my travel camper brother). It would be nice to have some “basic” functions controlled on the unit itself.
Can you charge with both the generator and solar input at the same time? If your Delta Pro is down to 30%, how much will a single tank of gas charge up the battery to? Will a single tankful charge it up entirely? Would it be enough to charge the Delta Pro and the one extra battery you can still attach?
I thought the infinity port was AC and that smart generator is more efficient because it charges via DC. I don’t like the idea of losing one of the battery ports on the back but I don’t think it’s possible to use the infinity port.
@@HOBOTECH I said the same thing on the Delta Pro launch Facebook group. Especially since they released that new MPPT charge controller for rooftop. That thing supports tons of solar but again, takes up one of the battery ports on the back. Hopefully they’ll come out with a Y adaptor so you can chain the batteries.
Being that is a clone MZ-80 engine they all use the same 10-30 weight oil. 5-30 is a great sub. eco flow needs to update that 10-30 is the correct weight for this particular engine.
@@ThanksForTheLaugh I was thinking about using 15w50 synthetic Amsoil in a duromax xp9000ih inclosed inverter generator here in south tx because of the heat. Being a splash oil system also would this weight oil be to thick. Just curious.
I was thinking about using 15w50 synthetic Amsoil in a duromax xp9000ih inclosed inverter generator here in south tx because of the heat. Being a splash oil system also would this weight oil be to thick. Just curious.
Love your reviews as always, but still don't believe in these kick starter campaigns. To me, it's a pig in the poke buy when in six months there will be bigger fancier model and the older model will be much lower in price and tested by those who have already purchased. As a fellow Roadtreker, I do boondock, but have never needed more than factory power and onboard generator for my short term stays. Always need to head down the highway and see what I'm missing. But keep it up!
This is very exciting. I think we’re going to see more of these because it solves a big problem with power stations, the automation of keeping it charged.
As part of the great unwashed pubic that are regular viewers, and not trusting things that look too good, won't be purchasing. To be honest I don't think that three years ago the Prof also would not buy it. After all his Sportsman generator probably cost him about $25 a year at most to run..(purchase cost included) Also I have found customer service at EcoFlow less than adequate. Good vid though!!!!!!!
hi b long Your comment on being a slinger motor I assume has to do with the motor slinging the oil instead having a dedicated oil pump. I was thinking about using 20w50 synthetic Amsoil with a Duramax 450cc inverter full inclosed generator here in south tx because of the summer heat. Any ideas