ETaker’s M2000 power station strikes a perfect balance between power and portability
When it comes to power stations, you have a lot of choices available. Depending on your needs, there are power stations that are designed to be used as home backup systems where thanks to their modular design, users have the option to add as many (or as little) batteries as they need.
Then there are also power stations designed to be small and portable, where they’re good enough for road trips where you might need to keep your phone or laptop charged, as well as power appliances like a kettle or heater.
But what if you want the best of both worlds? What if you want a power station that’s not only powerful, but also relatively compact where you have the option of taking it on the road with you, or using it as a home backup system? That’s where we think ETaker’s M2000 has managed to strike the right balance, thanks to its use of GaN and semi-solid li-ion battery technology, along with protective features like an IP63 rating that allows it to be used outdoors.
Cutting-edge technology
The ETaker M2000 power station uses a semi-solid li-ion battery. While li-ion batteries aren’t new and can be found in many of our mobile devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops, the main difference is that the M2000 uses what is known as a semi-solid li-ion battery.
Unlike traditional li-ion batteries, the semi-solid version uses semi-solid electrolytes (hence the name). One of the benefits of this type of battery is that it is considered safer than traditional li-ion batteries as the semi-solid state reduces the risk of things like leaking.
The battery has been tested against potential damage such as needle punctures, compression, drops, and overcharging and based on the tests that the company has conducted so far, it has not resulted in the battery catching on fire or exploding (we’ll get more into the safety features later).
It also provides 30-50% higher energy density, meaning that a semi-solid li-ion battery that’s the same physical size as a normal li-ion battery could hold a larger capacity, so you would be getting more battery in a smaller package.
The M2000 also utilizes GaN technology, which the company claims they are the first to introduce GaN to solar generators. GaN technology has been making its way into mobile chargers where one of their benefits compared to traditional silicon components is that they’re smaller and are also considered safer as they are better at managing heat. As a result they are also more energy efficient since less heat is lost during use.
Insane performance lets you power anything
Now, a power station is really only as good as its battery size and the power it can output. If the power output is weak, then you might as well just bring a power bank. With the ETaker M2000, the company boasts that the model is capable of putting out up to 12Kw of power.
With this much power output, there’s almost no limit to what kind of devices you’ll be able to power and charge with the power station. There are also a bunch of ports and connections, including USB ports and AC outlets so whether you need to charge something simple like a smartphone, or power something more demanding like a kettle or heater or a lamp, you’ll have a lot of options to choose from. It will support 240V/120V and 230V.
The M2000 also packs a massive 20kWh battery so you don’t have to worry about running out of juice anytime soon.
Speaking of juice, the M2000 supports a variety of charging methods. There is the regular AC wall outlet method which is fine if you’re at home, but if you’re on the road, there is also support for solar charging, wind charging, car charging, and even EV charging, so there will be plenty of options as to how you want to recharge the power station’s battery.
Small and compact
One of the advantages of power stations is that unlike generators which can be large and require fuel, power stations are generally pretty compact. Some are larger than others, for sure, but they’re still relatively small enough where you could pack it up with you and take it on the road if you want.
The ETaker M2000 weighs 17kg, which we wouldn’t necessarily say is the lightest power station out there, but it is still not that heavy where it would be impossible to lug it around. Like we mentioned earlier, the use of GaN technology and semi-solid li-ion batteries also means that the M2000 can be built smaller. ETaker claims that it is 60% smaller and 30% lighter compared to other power stations in the same class, so if your needs are greater and you don’t want a smaller and less powerful power station, the M2000 seems like a good choice.
Deisnged with the outdoors in mind
The M2000 has also been designed to be compatible for outdoors use. It features an IP63 rating for dust and water resistance, it can also be used in extreme cold environments up to -30C, and it runs relatively quiet where even at 1,000W, it emits 0dB of noise. This could be important if you plan to use it for camping trips where you don’t want to draw too much attention to yourself with a noisy power station.
The ETaker M2000’s body is built with six-series alloy materials which makes it substantially more durable to the plastc shells you typcially see on competing devices. Unlike other power stations, this device should have not problem being left outside, even on a beach.
Built with safety
Power stations are essentially massive batteries, and batteries have been known to catch on fire and explode when not used properly or when damaged due to user error, a manufacturing defect, or faulty components that might cause it to overload and overheat.
Unlike most other power stations that purely reply on an integrated fan to keep the inverter and other components cool, the ETaker M2000 uses its integrated fan in conjunction with the metal shell as a colling component, allowing it to operate much queter when compared to the competition.
The metal enclosure also provides electromagnetic shielding so that should there be any kind of external electromagnetic interference, it will block it from interfering with the components. Also, since the M2000 has been designed to be somewhat portable, the metal body allows it to better withstand some degree of impact and vibrations, so you can safely transport it in your car or RV or bring it to a camping site without worrying too much about damaging it.
Last but not least, there are three redundancy systems at play here, such as CMS (Charging Management System), BMS (Battery Management System), and EMS (Energy Management System), all of which work together to ensure that everything is working and to back one another up in case one fails.
Pricing & availability
At the moment, the ETaker M2000 isn’t available for purchase yet. The company will be launching it on Kickstarter. The full retail price will be $2199, but the Kickstarter campaign will allow you to pick one up for just $1099. If you think that the ETaker M2000 has everything you need from a power station, then this could be a Kickstarter project that you could help fund and make a reality!