Lithium 1000w generator

[steventexas]

http://www.thriveon.shelfreliance.com/shelf-reliance-power-station-1000.html

Has anyone seen this system yet? It has a Lithium battery, weighs 40 pounds in total and is inclusive of solar controller, inverter, specific USB for I-pad and claims to be quick charge.
Manual link http://wwwthriveon.shelfreliance.com/pdf/manuals/PowerStation1000.pdf

 

[Haf-E]

Only 50 amp-hours of capacity - which is not much. You could only run the 1000 watt inverter at full power for about 15 minutes. Even at half power - you would be lucky to get much more than 30 minutes. The price is high as well - it would be cheaper to get individual components which would allow replacing a dead component if needed.

The only good feature is that it is light weight and compact... using lead acid to get similar capacity would weigh at least 2X this amount and probably twice as large.

 

[steventexas]

Yeti vs Sentinal

I did learn today that while the Sentinal Lithium generator has less amp hr capacity, it fully charges by 100 w solar panel in three hrs.
2.5 hrs on a wall plug or from isolated alternator connection to the rig.
I'm do not a use a heavy load but do have c-pap, fridge and a fan.
With 2000 charge cycles compared to maybe 500 on a lead acid, the weight difference and sustainability of the charge, Im thinking the 50 amp hr is not an issue.
A field test is in order

 

[chromisdesigns]

Other issues aside, I'm a bit skeptical about the claim that it can sit for up to 6 months "fully charged" and ready for use. This has not been my experience with lithium batteries in cameras and other electronics, not with the lithium battery packs for portable power tools.

I have two different brands of power-tool lithium batteries, and neither one holds a full charge for extended periods of time.

 

[steventexas]

I have one on the way to test for the three week run which includes Expo 12.
I will ask of it all it can give and report back on this thread. I hope it works as Humless claims.
If it does, the $1,650 is a deal.

 

[Haf-E]

... it fully charges by 100 w solar panel in three hrs...

That seems unrealistic - even if the solar panels gives 100 watts (which is under ideal / unrealistic conditions) that would only be 300 watt-hours - which, at 12vdc, would be 25 AH (and typically less as most of these products use really simplistic charge controllers and not maximum power point tracking mppt) type controllers). When you add in the charging losses also - I think you would be lucky if it was 1/3 full after three hours of good strong sun.

I would love to see a lithium battery that gives even 500 charge cycles - so far all the ones I have used have been much much less unfortunately. I agree that they potentially / theoretically can do that - but the ones used in consumer products don't seem to deliver what is possible. The problem with such a small battery is also that you will end up cycling it 100% compared to a larger battery being cycled only 50%...

The lighter weight / smaller size is nice - but I still think you could put together an off-the-shelf package together that would work better for less money - but it would weigh 2X as much.

It will be very interesting to see how it performs. I would love to be wrong!

 

[steventexas]

Field test

I have one in the LJ on the way to Expo.
So far it has run the Cpap for two nights, keeps the ARB Fridge running and charges everything, iPads phones and head sets.
It is plugged into a 12 vdc socket for charging.
No solar experience yet but I did bring the 100 w panel for when we stay still long enough..
More to come.

 

[dwh]

If it doesn't generate, then it's not a generator. And it doesn't, so it isn't.

Which means to me - without even seeing it - that it's got one automatic "BS" strike against it.

 

[steventexas]

Generation

I have a Honda generator. When I plugged in the drill the drill did nothing. I asked the guy at the dealer why this was and he told me to add gasoline, turn the generator on and then the generator would produce electricity.
So I asked why couldn't I just our gasoline on my drill?

Out here at he expo I plugged in my c-pap and nothing happened. Dang battery is not charged.
Hooked up the 110 w solar panel, read the indicator lights at
Full in 4.23 hours.
An amazing thing happened! My Cpap turned on and has run for three days, along with some other devices.
I figured out that plugging in the solar panel directly to the cpap would not work.
The solar panel had to be in through the generator with built in solar switching and then through the built in inverter to convert electricity for camp use.
Amazing concept.

Still not convinced this particular device is the way to go but it does work very well generating electricity
Here in the camp.

 

[dwh]

The solar panel GENERATES electricity. The battery in the box STORES electricity.


According to the ad on YOUR SITE:

"The Shelf Reliance Power Station 1000 can be charged from a regular AC wall outlet, or it can capture and store energy from solar panels, a hand crank, windmill or almost any other 12VDC power source. The Shelf Reliance Power Station 1000 stores the captured power in a state of the art Lithium Battery pack to be taken with you and used whenever or where ever you might need it."


As nearly as I can tell, it doesn't come with the solar panel (or a hand crank or windmill). Is that correct?
I would expect it would come with the charger that plugs into the wall. But that charger is not a generator. It takes power from the grid. Power which was generated elsewhere.
A solar panel, hand crank or windmill WOULD be a generator, but it doesn't include those - right?

Therefore, the box IS NOT a generator. It can be recharged from a generator - IF YOU HAVE ONE.

You could recharge it from your Honda, because the Honda IS a generator.



[Making an effort to defend the hype, just earned a second "BS" strike in my book.]

 

[dzzz]

This trend in repackaging batteries with inverter/chargers is interesting. There's one on the front page too.

 

[dwh]

This trend in repackaging batteries with inverter/chargers is interesting. There's one on the front page too.

Yea, no doubt. I'm not saying the box isn't handy. I'm sure it is.

My gripe is calling it a generator when it clearly isn't - that's just misleading marketing double-talk.

A battery is not a generator, an inverter is not a generator, and if you bolt them together - you still don't have a generator. But the uninitiated will buy the thing thinking that it is a generator - and then discover that they still need a solar panel, hand crank, windmill or a Honda to actually generate something to charge it up.


And Steve didn't create that BS - he apparently bought the Shelf Reliance "Pimp Our Stuff" package and is using their verbiage for the pimping. I'm okay with that. Hell, half the people on this site are pimping something.

It's the double-talk that I take issue with.

 

[steventexas]

Solar generator field test thread.

If you have a gripe contact Humless. They created the verbiage and you can take it up with them.
Anyone who thinks they are buying a self perpetuating battery that never dies is probably not on this forum of educated consumers like yourself. If I had a typo , I apologize. This is a real exploration of a power unit source for a smaller platform vehicle like my LJ that is lite weight and performs.

About the issue at hand it is true there is a banner ad and some others that are packaging an inverter battery combo. At the Expo, Goal Zero, (yes I pimp that one too) has told me they have made a lite weight lithium combo and would do it again if asked. I plan to field test one of those as well when I get done with the Humless.

The Sentinal did fully charge in 4.25 hours with one 110w solar panel.

 

[dwh]

If you have a gripe contact Humless. They created the verbiage and you can take it up with them.

When they post on a site I participate on, rest assured - I'll jump on them with both feet.

Here's a (long, but loads of fun) thread where I did exactly that to the manufacturer of a very similar product. (Note that several of my posts in that thread have edits at the bottom added by the site admin after he verified some of the claims of the manufacturer that I was reaming):

http://www.wind-sun.com/ForumVB/showthread.php?4873-Solar-Generator-should-we-buy-one

 

[TangoBlue]

When they post on a site I participate on, rest assured - I'll jump on them with both feet.

...and that's why I always read your posts - to get the "Paul Harvey" version of the story. :bowdown: