-October 14, 2021 at 5:40 a.m. Pacific Time

Jackery's new Explorer 1500 portable power station made its debut earlier this year. It is a huge, high-capacity and high-power backup battery whose function is far more than providing emergency power. I have been testing a solar panel from Jackery to see how useful they are for daily tasks.

I actually have two other Jackery Explorer devices. My first one was the rather large Explorer 1000 I reviewed last spring, and then I bought another Explorer 300 earlier this year, so I have a small device that can be easily put in a backpack and on the go Charge for my stuff.

But when I saw Electrek's Michelle Lewis first saw the huge Jackery 1500, I knew I had to get bigger.

This baby is the largest "portable" battery I have ever used, and I fell in love with it.

Compared to my other devices, Explorer 1500 is not only bigger, but better. It should be-Jackery has been around the block several times now. This is not some night start. They are now celebrating their 9th anniversary, which is quite a long time in this industry.

Jackery has upgraded the 1500 several times over other models I own, the most important of which is a better screen with more information.

Previous models will tell you how much battery is left and how much power you consume or dump into the device. The new model also provides a more accurate indication of the amount of power you are using by calculating the time remaining in your current charging or discharging state. I know exactly how long it will take the device to fully charge, and I know exactly how long I can run at the current discharge rate before it fades away. It has better contrast in bright light, and it is easier to read the screen.

For my other devices, I always have to guess, but the accurate and detailed data on the display prevents me from guessing about charging or powering the device.

Although the USB and 12V sockets are good, I found myself mainly using the AC inverter part of the Jackery Explorer 1500. This is the real magic, being able to carry an AC power outlet with you.

When I work outdoors and the power tool is running low, the battery has proven to be a convenient tool that allows me to not have to rest indoors and wait for the battery to recharge. I can put one in my tool and remove the other from Jackery.

As a big fan of electric bicycles, I am always looking for ways to carry more batteries with me or not be tied to the wall. Jackery 1500 is also very convenient here.

With a capacity of more than 1,500 Wh, I can charge a normal electric bicycle battery several times. Whether it is a day trip and return to the base or overnight camping, Jackery can charge my electric bike and let me ride all day.

I find that a long-distance ride in the morning and then take a break at noon is a good combination to effectively use Jackery to charge my electric bike battery without missing too much daylight during the ride.

If you use your phone to view maps and GPS while riding a bike like me, and therefore the GPS battery is low, you can also use the cycling/charging rest time to recharge the USB socket from Jackery's. I always find it interesting, I can use the same source to dump a huge load into a big electric bike battery and suck electrons into my small phone battery.

Speaking of large charging loads, electric bike charging makes me want to raise the stakes.

Jackery 1500 has a power rating of up to 1,800 W. My small 100W electric bike charger is useless, so I used a higher power 600W charger to charge my Sur Ron electric off-road vehicle. That's also a piece of cake.

The fact that I can use solar panels to charge Jackery and Jackery charge my bike is the epitome of crispness and coolness. There is nothing more environmentally friendly than quiet, efficient and solar-powered outdoor fun!

Since Jackery seemed to be able to easily handle my 600W charger, I had to move on. It's time to go all out: charge my electric mini truck.

After I discovered it in a very strange Alibaba electric car article this week for me, I bought this lively pickup truck from China.

It has a 1,000W charger, and when I asked it to provide more electronics for my truck, Jackery did not protest. Of course, it can only charge about a quarter of my 6 kWh battery, but if I just need a little more to charge home (or to a real outlet), it will definitely help.

Again, these solar panels are key because they mean Jackery can output more than just the 1,500 Wh it stores. As long as there is sunlight, you can always charge.

I have four 100W panels to test. I can get an actual input power of about 300W under direct sunlight. This is not too crude!

Imagine camping all day and charging your Jackery while using it to power all your good things. You can completely disconnect from the grid, but still enjoy the comfort of a truly reliable AC power source. It's not just any AC power source-it's the electricity you get from the sun by yourself. I know this makes me a nerd, but I think it's so cool.

Although cool, it doesn't mean Jackery is perfect. I like almost everything about it, except the weight. This thing weighs 35 pounds (15 kg), which is amazing.

Of course, most healthy people can lift it. Most people can pick up a 35-pound dumbbell from the ground. But try to lift the dumbbells in front of you with your straight arms, and suddenly the situation is completely different.

The problem with Jackery is when I put it on a shelf, or once when I lifted it to the side of the truck bed and put it back, when you tried to put it somewhere, it suddenly felt heavy. a lot of. So keep in mind that this is a loosely explained "portable" power supply. It has a beautiful big handle, and farmers can carry it with them, but it will definitely become very laborious after a period of time.

However, for these functions, I can stand the weight.

The price may now be more unbearable for some people. This huge battery sells for $1,599. The foldable 100W solar panel, although it has its own USB charger inside, is also very expensive, at $299 each.

But in order to celebrate Jackery's 9th birthday, the company will carry out promotions from October 18th to 20th, when all products on its website will enjoy a 15% discount.

This of course will make the transaction sweeter! With these savings, you can buy some extra Icy Hot tubes for your back, or maybe just spend money to ask someone to drag this heavy battery for you.

Although it's not cheap, it offers great features, and I think it's totally worth it. Fast and reliable solar charging keeps me completely off the grid, which is exactly the type I like.

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Micah Toll is a personal electric car enthusiast, battery nerd, and the author of Amazon's number one best-selling book DIY Lithium Battery, DIY Solar, and the Ultimate DIY Electric Bike Guide.

You can send him a reminder via Micah@electrek.co

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