Ecoflow & Victron

[Glynn]

Hi
Can the ecoflow delta be charged by a victron orion xs , instead of a ecoflow alternator charger fir fast high current charging ?, if do how would it connect to the victron ?.
Tthanks

 

[Guigsy]

It looks like the alternator charger can output some interesting voltages. I suspect it's communicating and coordinating with the BMS in the main unit to achieve those fast charges?

EcoFlow 800W Alternator Charger - EcoFlow UK

- Charge while you drive, and stay powered up on the road.- 800W turbo alternator, 8× faster than traditional in-vehicle auxiliary power outlets. Top up 1kWh in only 1.3 hours. - A 3-in-1 fast charger, maintainer, and jump starter keeps your battery in mint condition.- Easy installation-...

uk.ecoflow.com

Although the Victron can throw out the power required, I not convinced it'll be able to do it in a way the Ecoflow battery will accept. You'll probably be limited to the standard 12v charge times.

 

[nigelivy]

I suspect Guigsy is right that you might not get the most of the Orion XS.
Whilst the Ecoflow could accept the capacity of the Orion XS, it may not. A lot of these power banks have a limit as to how much they’ll take from 12v, so it depends whether there is any comms between the Ecoflow and their Alternator Charger that enables the fast charging.

 

[Guigsy]

I suspect Guigsy is right that you might not get the most of the Orion XS.
Whilst the Ecoflow could accept the capacity of the Orion XS, it may not. A lot of these power banks have a limit as to how much they’ll take from 12v, so it depends whether there is any comms between the Ecoflow and their Alternator Charger that enables the fast charging.

From the specs, it looks like it'll push up to 60v through to speed up charging. USB C PD does voltage tricks to push lots of power down relatively skinny cables. But it requires bidirectional comms to confirm the device on the other end will accept more than the standard voltage. I'm guessing this box is doing something similar.

Whereas the Victron will expect to remain at ~12v and shove 50 amps, and require a chonky cable and terminals to do so.

 

[Landy Andy]

You can increase what the Ecoflow will take by putting power into to the XT60I port on the unit, not up to 800w, but up to 500-600w. But you must use a XT60I not just a XT60 terminal even though it fits. This is far far better than the 12v charge via cigarette lighter port.

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[Cush]

Might be worth considering a pure sine wave inverter and charge via 240v. Is it possible to rig one up that only works while engine running?

 

[Guigsy]

Might be worth considering a pure sine wave inverter and charge via 240v. Is it possible to rig one up that only works while engine running?

A good inverter would end up being most of the cost of the EcoFlow alternator charger.

 

[Landy Andy]

A good inverter would end up being most of the cost of the EcoFlow alternator charger.

And the Ecoflow alternator can do more than just charge the power bank.

 

[Glynn]

Thanks for that eveyone, very useful info.

 

[Glynn]

And the Ecoflow alternator can do more than just charge the power bank.

Such as?, reverse charge back to eng battery ?.

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[Landy Andy]

Such as?, reverse charge back to eng battery ?.

Yes, reverse power feed, adjustable voltage that it starts taking power, adjust voltage to stop taking power, adjust watts in, adjust max fast charging, or best for battery longevity, all controlable via the same app as the powerbank.

Also it comes with 16 foot (I think) of wire and fuses for installation so one off cost.

 

[Cush]

A good inverter would end up being most of the cost of the EcoFlow alternator charger.

Ecoflow 800 watt alternator charger - £340
Renogy 1000 watt inverter - £130

Can you select the 240v charging wattage on the ecoflow or does it run at >1000 watt. Asking as the anker will let you select the charging wattage.

 

[mikash]

Ecoflow 800 watt alternator charger - £340
Renogy 1000 watt inverter - £130

Can you select the 240v charging wattage on the ecoflow or does it run at >1000 watt. Asking as the anker will let you select the charging wattage.

Inverters typically work at their peak efficiency at around 20-30% load so 1000W inverter working at continuous 800W load is going to be quite inefficient. The renogy data sheet claims >90% nominal efficiency so it's probably a safe assumption that at 800W it's closer to 80%. 2-3kW inverter would be more appropriately sized for the use case.

 

[Landy Andy]

Can you select the 240v charging wattage on the ecoflow or does it run at >1000 watt.

Yes you can

 

[Cush]

Inverters typically work at their peak efficiency at around 20-30% load so 1000W inverter working at continuous 800W load is going to be quite inefficient. The renogy data sheet claims >90% nominal efficiency so it's probably a safe assumption that at 800W it's closer to 80%. 2-3kW inverter would be more appropriately sized for the use case.

Would the efficiency be a key consideration in the case of running an inverter off a cab battery while alternator producing so much untapped power?

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[PlacidoD]

This thread has got me thinking. I had been planning to charge my Delta 2 direct via the cigarette lighter socket. I am not expecting the Delta to be completely empty when setting out after an overnight stop (And I do have a 160 Watt Ecoflow panel that ideally I will mount on the windscreen when parked facing East so the morning sun might even have me topped up before set out on my way!!) but assuming no or very little morning sun , using the the cigarette lighter socket it would take 6-8 hours from near zero to full on the Delta 2. Hence some interest in the Ecoflow alternator 800W charger but the cost and the pfaff of fitting it would put me off.

However I have a small cigarette lighter inverter rated at 300 watt. It is much like this one except mine is older and has no USB A or C connections.

Amazon.co.uk

I bought it a good while ago but have never got round to using it in part because I have blown far too many fuses on cigarette lighter sockets with a tyre inflator plugged in! It is definitely not a pure sine wave but rather a modified sine wave inverter like this one.

I am wondering about setting the 240V input to 200 watts on the Delta 2 and plugging in the Delta via my 300 watt inverter. If it works presumably that should be significantly faster than via the 12V route?

It could be that the electronics on the Delta 2 will not work with a modified sine wave but will require a pure sine wave. Has anybody tried? Am I risking anything by trying? Am I likely to blow a fuse on the cigarette lighter on those settings? 200W/12V = a tad under 17 Amps. Have I got that equation right? Does that sound workable?

Anybody tried it?

 

[mikash]

Would the efficiency be a key consideration in the case of running an inverter off a cab battery while alternator producing so much untapped power?

800W output from the inverter at 80% efficiency would translate to 1kW or roughly 75A strain on the alternator. So we're actually in the upper reaches of what modern alternators typically have available for tapping, and past the capabilities of many older, smaller alternators. And since AC-DC-conversion isn't that efficient either, you'll pay double the penalty - first invert DC to AC, then AC to DC by the powerbank charger .So 1kW from alternator turns into probably something like 650W net to the bank battery after the losses.
The Ecoflow unit can probably shave some 10-15 amps off the alternator strain and still push a net charge of 750W or so into the bank.
So, significant numbers and worth considering, but a key consideration? Definitely maybe, if you're working your alternator close to its limits. If your alternator has plenty of muscle, then it's just about 750W vs 650W negligible charging speed difference - and maybe little more attention to heat dissipation.

 

[Cush]

Ciggy lighter probably only 10 amps. Guess modified sine wave may not be pure enough. Ecoflow might just not charge.

 

[Landy Andy]

I’d be careful of having the ciggy lighter charge too high. It’s a workout for the ciggy socket, and it’s wiring.

 

[CAB96]

This thread has got me thinking. I had been planning to charge my Delta 2 direct via the cigarette lighter socket. I am not expecting the Delta to be completely empty when setting out after an overnight stop (And I do have a 160 Watt Ecoflow panel that ideally I will mount on the windscreen when parked facing East so the morning sun might even have me topped up before set out on my way!!) but assuming no or very little morning sun , using the the cigarette lighter socket it would take 6-8 hours from near zero to full on the Delta 2. Hence some interest in the Ecoflow alternator 800W charger but the cost and the pfaff of fitting it would put me off.

However I have a small cigarette lighter inverter rated at 300 watt. It is much like this one except mine is older and has no USB A or C connections.

Amazon.co.uk

I bought it a good while ago but have never got round to using it in part because I have blown far too many fuses on cigarette lighter sockets with a tyre inflator plugged in! It is definitely not a pure sine wave but rather a modified sine wave inverter like this one.

I am wondering about setting the 240V input to 200 watts on the Delta 2 and plugging in the Delta via my 300 watt inverter. If it works presumably that should be significantly faster than via the 12V route?

It could be that the electronics on the Delta 2 will not work with a modified sine wave but will require a pure sine wave. Has anybody tried? Am I risking anything by trying? Am I likely to blow a fuse on the cigarette lighter on those settings? 200W/12V = a tad under 17 Amps. Have I got that equation right? Does that sound workable?

Anybody tried it?

As said above, you are limited by the socket.

The inverter may be 300W, but the socket is probably limited to 10A, so 120W.

And not advisable to run at max rating for extended periods, the plugs and sockets really aren't designed for it.

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