EcoFlow announced the Delta 2 power station at IFA Berlin 2022 with the tagline of: “Not Just a Battery.” It was available for purchase on September 16, 2022. After their excellent Delta Pro we reviewed not too long ago for our vacation home, we were very intrigued by what this new product could do, and how it would compare against Goal Zero and Jackery.The Delta 2’s 1,024Wh battery capacity — how long something can run for — and price point puts it right in direct competition with the identically priced Goal Zero Yeti 1000x and Yeti 1000 Core, Jackery Explorer 1000, and its own predecessor, the EcoFlow Delta 1000 — but with one major change. Instead of using Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC), the Delta 2 now uses Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) like its more powerful Delta Pro sibling. There are significant differences between both Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery chemistries that I will detail later.How much energy a battery can store is measured in Wh (Watt-hours), and how much power is used or produced in W (Watts).Goal Zero launched the Yeti 1000 Core power station on July 16, 2021, five weeks after the flagship Yeti 1000x was available for purchase, and the Delta 2 packs more powerful features with its announcement a year later:- LiFePO4 battery chemistry (Pros and Cons to that over NMC)- 1,200W AC charging input-- Rapid-charging from 0 to 80% in an unheard of 50 minutes — a claim I personally verified to be accurate--- Test #2: 36% to 88% in 32 minutes (4:34pm to 5:06pm)-- Fans were VERY loud during that time and significantly got more quiet around the 90% charged mark--- If fan noise is important to you because of a tight sleeping quarter, be mindful of that. On the other hand, it would only take 50 minutes to go from 0 to 80% charge. So, charge before you go to sleep.FAN TOO LOUD?You can lower the charging speed from 1200w to 600w via the app, and the fan won't be as loud.- 500W solar charging input (11-60V @ 15A)- Whopping 15 outlets-- AC output at a Continuous 1,800W and Peak of 2,700W-- X-Boost output at 2,200W-- USB-C at 100W- Mobile app control via WiFi or Bluetooth- Near-instant auto-switching between AC and battery power-- Makes it suitable for use as a Standby Power Supply (SPS) during a blackout- Expansion options-- Battery capacity expansion to a total of 2,048Wh or 3,040Wh with the Delta 2 Extra Battery (+1,024Wh) or Delta Max Extra Battery (+2,016Wh), respectively--- Only the Goal Zero Yeti 1000x (983Wh) has expansion capabilities in this 1,000Wh-battery roundup to a total of 5,783Wh (938Wh + four 1,200Wh Yeti Tanks)-- Connectivity with solar panels, the EcoFlow Wave portable air conditioner, and EcoFlow Smart Generator- 5-year warrantyEcoFlow, Goal Zero, and Jackery power stations can be used while simultaneously charging themselves.Sweet Spot: The 1000Wh battery capacity hits the sweet spot for many consumers, including this author, who are looking for the right balance of power and portability. But when it comes to home integration, the more Watt-hours a battery ecosystem offers, the longer one can power a home for during a blackout.PAIRING WITH EXTRA BATTERYI paired the Delta 2 Extra Battery (EB) with this Delta 2 power station. I was happy to see that chaining the EB to the Delta 2 and charging it from the AC wall produced about 1100W of input. This fully charged the EB in about an hour. Without the AC wall, it sipped only about 54W directly from the Delta 2 -- this would charge an empty EB from 0 to 100% in 19 hours.When plugged in to the AC wall, the Delta 2's fans were very loud just like when it charged standalone at 1100-1200W input. Once the Extra Battery was at around 90%, charging dropped to roughly 700W and the Delta 2's fans lowered manageably quieter.Note: Delta 2 Extra Battery cannot be independently charged. It must be connected to the Delta 2.BATTERY TECHNOLOGYThere has been a lot of debate on whether Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) or Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) is better. Both are Lithium-ion batteries. Goal Zero, Jackery, and most of today’s power station manufacturers use NMC, but why do EcoFlow and Bluetti use LiFePO4 when they are bulkier and heavier? They hold some important advantages over NMC:- Safer, less volatile, and thus cheaper to manufacture- Charge cycle: 1500-2000 (10+ years)-- NMC: 20-25% capacity loss after every 500 cycle (6-10 years for up to 2000 cycles, after which capacity is vastly diminished)-- EcoFlow claims 3500 cycles before dropping to 80% of original capacity and 6500 to 50%. Those are some VERY optimistic projections that I do not think are accurate in actual usage- Usable in more extreme temperatures (-4F/-20C to 176F/80C). NMC: only 140F/60C max-- Check with manufacturer for your battery to be sure- Holds 350-day charge. NMC: 300LiFePO4 batteries are less volatile (safer), more usable in extreme temperatures, and have a higher charge cycle count (battery lifetime) than NMC.CAUTION: Lithium-ion batteries do NOT like to remain discharged at 0% for prolonged periods of time. If you let your battery stay at 0% for too long, you may not be able to charge it again without specialized equipment.CONTINUOUS VS PEAK OUTPUTIt is important to understand the difference between Watts and Watt-Hours. How much power is used or produced is measured in Watts, and how much energy a battery can store is calculated in Watt-Hours. See the “Calculations” section below for more details.How much energy a battery can store is measured in Wh (Watt-hours), and how much power is used or produced in W (Watts).- AC Inverter: Converts battery (DC) power into AC-- Delta 2 provides 1,800W continuous output with a 2,700W peak- Peak/Surge (Starting): Nearly every device initially draws extra power to turn on. The highest amount it pulls is the Peak. As long as that number is below 2,700W, it can be STARTED. Examples…-- Turns on OK (PEAK under 2,700W):--- Freezer starts at 400W (peak), runs at 150W once on-- Will NOT turn on (PEAK over 2,700W):--- Home AC starts at 4,000W (peak), runs at 1,000W once onMost devices power on at a higher (Peak) wattage than when they are already on (Continuous). Therefore, if its peak exceeds the power station's max, it may not be able to start- Continuous Output (Running): Once devices are on, as long as they keep drawing less than 1,200W total, they will stay ON until the battery runs out-- CONTINUES running (under 1,800W)--- 100W TV + 60W laptop = 160W-- COULD STOP running (over 1,800W)--- Temporary overdrawing beyond 1,800W for a few seconds is okay. A quality BMS will protectively shut down the battery if the surge does not end after a while. Regularly going over for a prolonged time can ruin the battery in the long run--- 1,000W machine (2,100W peak) + 300W appliance (500W peak) + 700W appliance (900W peak) = 2,000W. Probably will stay on for a short period---- Add 1,000W mower (1,400W peak) = 2,300W. Battery will definitely shut downCALCULATIONSThe below calculations are rough ESTIMATES as conditions, battery quality, and age can vary. [SORRY: I had to shorten my original review by a LOT (including many calculations) so it could fit here on Amazon.]Time to Charge This 1,024Wh Power Station- Calc: Hours to charge battery = Battery capacity (Wh) / Input Wattage-- As battery approaches 75% full, the input charge will increasingly be slowed down to prevent overcharging- AC Wall: 1180W @ 52 mins [1024 Wh / 1180W]- 12V Car Charger-- 120W @ 8.6 hrs (at 10A, if car supports it)Charge Time with Solar- Calc: Hours to charge battery = Battery capacity (Wh) / (Panel Wattage x [0.5 or 0.75])-- In a perfect lab, solar panels charge at the listed wattage-- Expect to only receive 50-75% on a good, sunny day (ie. 75W – 113W for a 150W panel), depending on panel's age, component quality, and weather- 200W solar panel: as fast as 6.9 hours [1024Wh / (200W x 0.75)]- Underproduction: If a panel is not making enough, adding extra ones can generate a higher, combined output- Overproduction: If the panels make more than the maximum the power station charge port can take, only the max will go throughWatts Used/Produced by a Device- Calc: Watts used or produced by device = Voltage x Amperage- Vacuum with 120V @ 9.5A uses 1,140W- Solar panel with 12V @ 10A can produce up to 120WIdeal Battery Power Station Size- Calc: Battery capacity (Wh) = Watts used by device x Hours needed for / 0.85-- 10-15% of power is lost during power conversion- 45W car fridge needed for 8 hours: Minimum 424Wh power station (45W x 8 / 0.85)FINAL THOUGHTSEcoFlow thoroughly impressed us with their Delta Pro power station and quickly added the company to our list of recommended battery providers. Their newest Delta 2, now a LiFePO4 product, further surprised us with 1,200W rapid-charging that took the battery from 0 to 80% in a whopping 50 minutes! Had we not seen that in person, we would have dismissed it as a marketing gimmick, but we were proven wrong. Add to that the ability to have its capacity and features expanded with additional products, and the Delta 2 makes for a VERY compelling choice against Goal Zero’s own Yeti 1000x that is starting to show its age. Jackery, on the other hand, is extremely difficult to recommend against the Delta 2, except that they have excellent customer service and consumer-friendly policies.