Parking Battery-Power Station, 3X capacity and 3X cheaper than dedicated options + extra functionality

GPak said:
It will charge faster, but I remember that the high current setting of 70mA may exceed the 10A limit of the R3 DC port and this may cause an overload error.
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So my current test setup includes:

1. 70mai battery pack
2. River 3
3. DR970X-2CH LTE Plus ( the lte is active with my carrier and the river 3 is connected to the camera's hotspot so I can monitor the activity of the river 3 remotely)

The river 3 is being charged by the ciagrette lighter port in the car which works with ignition. The 70mai is being charged by connecting it to the ciagrette lighter port on the river 3. I think im better off leaving the 70mai in low current mode. I am relying on the black vue to enter parking mode after a few minutes of no activity at the moment.

With the 70mai fully charged, the vehicle charges the river 3 at around 100 watts and below, most times I glance at the river 3's app. In parking mode, according to the river 3's app, the output shows about 5 watts. I know there will be some power loss but do you think these numbers are acceptable or can I do better some other way with the same devices? Maybe triggering the parking mode with the xt60 splitter cable? Im sure I will run into some other quirks as this is a new setup and I have yet to monitor anything else like seeing what will happen when the river 3 dies etc.
 
Jrham08 said:
Hey all new here, you can give vague answers if you want but just looking for some general information. I'm at work and don't have the ability to read through this whole thread so please give me a little grace. I read the first few pages until I realized the the original Necespow power station is no longer available. Does this thread mention at any point and suitable alternative? I live in Phoenix AZ and heat is a real concern. It seemed like the Necespow was able to deal with it well. It seems like the River 3 is a newer option but in the beginning of the thread it was mentioned that the River 2 didn't handle heat well and I also saw some mention of and Anker Solix. Any insight would be appreciated, if you know the solution is somewhere in this 26 page thread I'll read it all. I'm ready to grab a River 3 but I'm reluctant due to the high heat demands here in Arizona.

Thanks for taking the time to read my babbling.
Jason
Click to expand...

what temps do you get there ?

Ecoflow river 3 temps are on their website :
us.ecoflow.com

EcoFlow RIVER 3 Portable Power Station | EcoFlow US | RIVER 3

Compact yet powerful, RIVER 3 sets a new standard for small, affordable off-grid & UPS backup power. 300W/245Wh runs 90% of appliances.
us.ecoflow.com us.ecoflow.com


i use a river 2 pro, never had any problems here in the UK
 
Shiwarrior said:
what temps do you get there ?

Ecoflow river 3 temps are on their website :
us.ecoflow.com

EcoFlow RIVER 3 Portable Power Station | EcoFlow US | RIVER 3

Compact yet powerful, RIVER 3 sets a new standard for small, affordable off-grid & UPS backup power. 300W/245Wh runs 90% of appliances.
us.ecoflow.com us.ecoflow.com


i use a river 2 pro, never had any problems here in the UK
Click to expand...
Hey thanks for that info, funny I never thought of looking at the spec. Does anyone have personal experience using the River 3 in Arizona? The UK unfortunately isn't a great example of heat. Optimal operating temps max out at 86°F with charging and discharging temps maxing out at 113°F. In Arizona we can have interior vehicles temps hitting well over 150°F and often hitting 180°F near the dash.
 
I used to live in Tucson. It’s hot. Damn hot. I’m not sure any LPF battery will stand up to Arizona summers…

Quote from here: https://ecotreelithium.co.uk/news/lithium-iron-phosphate-battery-operating-temperature-range/
“LiFePO4 batteries can typically operate within a temperature range of -20°C to 60°C (-4°F to 140°F), but optimal performance is achieved between 0°C and 45°C (32°F and 113°F).

It is essential to maintain the battery within its recommended temperature range to ensure optimal performance, safety, and longevity.”
 
EricSan said:
I used to live in Tucson. It’s hot. Damn hot. I’m not sure any LPF battery will stand up to Arizona summers…

Quote from here: https://ecotreelithium.co.uk/news/lithium-iron-phosphate-battery-operating-temperature-range/
“LiFePO4 batteries can typically operate within a temperature range of -20°C to 60°C (-4°F to 140°F), but optimal performance is achieved between 0°C and 45°C (32°F and 113°F).

It is essential to maintain the battery within its recommended temperature range to ensure optimal performance, safety, and longevity.”
Click to expand...
I may have to test under seat temps this summer.
 
stephenjones said:
So my current test setup includes:

1. 70mai battery pack
2. River 3
3. DR970X-2CH LTE Plus ( the lte is active with my carrier and the river 3 is connected to the camera's hotspot so I can monitor the activity of the river 3 remotely)

The river 3 is being charged by the ciagrette lighter port in the car which works with ignition. The 70mai is being charged by connecting it to the ciagrette lighter port on the river 3. I think im better off leaving the 70mai in low current mode. I am relying on the black vue to enter parking mode after a few minutes of no activity at the moment.

With the 70mai fully charged, the vehicle charges the river 3 at around 100 watts and below, most times I glance at the river 3's app. In parking mode, according to the river 3's app, the output shows about 5 watts. I know there will be some power loss but do you think these numbers are acceptable or can I do better some other way with the same devices? Maybe triggering the parking mode with the xt60 splitter cable? Im sure I will run into some other quirks as this is a new setup and I have yet to monitor anything else like seeing what will happen when the river 3 dies etc.
Click to expand...
Your setup is good, perhaps the best possible.
When the 70mai battery is fully charged, it is simply passing through power from the R3 to the dash cam.

Power consumption when parking depends on the specific camera and parking mode, however about 5W for a 2-ch camera with LTE seems reasonable.

The only thing I would change is to use the ACC input to switch to parking mode and back to normal mode instead of relying on GPS, not because it will reduce power consumption, it will not, but for more reliable parking switching.
 
Jrham08 said:
Hey all new here, you can give vague answers if you want but just looking for some general information. I'm at work and don't have the ability to read through this whole thread so please give me a little grace. I read the first few pages until I realized the the original Necespow power station is no longer available. Does this thread mention at any point and suitable alternative? I live in Phoenix AZ and heat is a real concern. It seemed like the Necespow was able to deal with it well. It seems like the River 3 is a newer option but in the beginning of the thread it was mentioned that the River 2 didn't handle heat well and I also saw some mention of and Anker Solix. Any insight would be appreciated, if you know the solution is somewhere in this 26 page thread I'll read it all. I'm ready to grab a River 3 but I'm reluctant due to the high heat demands here in Arizona.
Click to expand...
Jrham08 said:
Yes! At times I question my sanity living here but the winters are amazing.
Click to expand...
The Necespow is rated at 65°C (150°F), which is similar to most dedicated batteries that have a range from 60°C to 70°C (see post #14).
It worked great for me during a very hot summer, but I didn't measure the temperature during that time.

As @EricSan mentioned, the LFP battery cells are typically limited to 60°C (140°F).
However River3 is rated to 45°C (113°F), much less, possibly because the R3 is designed to charge and discharge at 300W, with the inverter on, which likely contributes to the temperature rating limit, (maximum charge/discharge rates are very important along with temperature).
For use with the dash cam, we only charge up to 100W and discharge up to 10W (4ch dash cam).
Also, Ecoflow provides a warranty of up to 5 years and may limit the thermal rating to be conservative.

I'm currently testing the R3 in my Jeep, which is usually parked in direct sunlight on weekdays.
So far the ambient temperature has reached 32°C (90°F) and the R3 temperature in the rear of my Jeep was 47°C (117°F), see attached images.
I hope for much higher temperatures in the near future.

The R3 has ‘Over Temperature Protection’, and I hope it is set to 60-65°C (140-150°F) or so.
 

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GPak said:
The Necespow is rated at 65°C (150°F), which is similar to most dedicated batteries that have a range from 60°C to 70°C (see post #14).
It worked great for me during a very hot summer, but I didn't measure the temperature during that time.

As @EricSan mentioned, the LFP battery cells are typically limited to 60°C (140°F).
However River3 is rated to 45°C (113°F), much less, possibly because the R3 is designed to charge and discharge at 300W, with the inverter on, which likely contributes to the temperature rating limit, (maximum charge/discharge rates are very important along with temperature).
For use with the dash cam, we only charge up to 100W and discharge up to 10W (4ch dash cam).
Also, Ecoflow provides a warranty of up to 5 years and may limit the thermal rating to be conservative.

I'm currently testing the R3 in my Jeep, which is usually parked in direct sunlight on weekdays.
So far the ambient temperature has reached 32°C (90°F) and the R3 temperature in the rear of my Jeep was 47°C (117°F), see attached images.
I hope for much higher temperatures in the near future.

The R3 has ‘Over Temperature Protection’, and I hope it is set to 60-65°C (140-150°F) or so.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that information! Idk if it's a US thing but I can't seem to find the Necespow on Amazon. I'd love to give the River3 a try as well but I'm definitely worried about heat. I also have a Jeep and was thinking it would fit under the front seat. I don't have money to throw away so buying it just to destroy it with heat doesn't sound like fun nor does a fire. LiFePO4 batteries don't have the same issues with thermal runaway like Lipo and Li-ion right? Or am I misunderstanding.
 
LFP is relatively safe lithium chemistry, LFP cells are used in all dedicated dash cam batteries.

Note that Necespow has its limitations such as:
- Continuous parking mode is limited to 12 hours, after which it will time out.
- Charging speed is limited to 65W via USB-CPD port.
- No app
So it depends on your use case, i.e. daily driving duration vs daily parking duration
If you need more capacity and faster charging I would stick to R3. (providing it will pass my summer testing)

Necespow is currently not available on Amazon, but is available at Walmart (online), although the price is about 50-60% higher than before ($100 now vs. $60-70 before) for the 161Wh version (usable capacity is about 130Wh).

https://www.walmart.com/ip/NECESPOW-Portable-Power-Station-161Wh-50400mAh-Solar-Generator-Lifepo4-Battery-Supply-AC-Outlet-150W-USB-C-PD-65W-Input-Output-Quick-Charge-CPAP-Camp

I have a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee and no power station will fit under the seat, it's too tight.
I don't think even relatively thin dedicated batteries would fit in there.
 
What is an easy fix to get the cigarette lighter adaptor cable to stay in the river 3’s socket? I notice while I am driving thru certain bumps it eventually pops up a bit. It does not come out, just moves upwards so slightly that it looses the contact with the r3.
 
stephenjones said:
What is an easy fix to get the cigarette lighter adaptor cable to stay in the river 3’s socket? I notice while I am driving thru certain bumps it eventually pops up a bit. It does not come out, just moves upwards so slightly that it looses the contact with the r3.
Click to expand...

Get a cig lighter to usb adaptor
 
GPak said:
I'm not a big fan of mixing different power stations, let alone mixing them with special batteries.
However, you can try to daisy chain R3 and 70mai, but there is a good chance that it will not work.

The reason is that R3's DC output is rated at 12.6V at 10A for a total of 126W.
This 12.6V output (which I verified) can probably drop under the load and may be very close to the 70mai's low voltage protection setting (if it has one, I don't remember).

You can try setting the 70mai to charge at a low current of 5A, for less possible voltage drop and connect it to R3's DC port as you described, except that you must place an XT-60 splitter (adapter) between your car's cigarette lighter port and the River3.
I assume your car's cigarette lighter port is ACC activated.

If you have done this setup, please let us know if it worked.
Click to expand...
So once I get the splitter like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/B09L62W679 I can just cut one of the connector off and connect the red cable to the acc cable on the dash cam? Then it would mean there is no acc going from the 70mai to the dash cam, correct? ( the dash cam is a blackvue 12v)
 
stephenjones said:
So once I get the splitter like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/B09L62W679 I can just cut one of the connector off and connect the red cable to the acc cable on the dash cam? Then it would mean there is no acc going from the 70mai to the dash cam, correct? ( the dash cam is a blackvue 12v)
Click to expand...
Correct,
ACC positive from the splitter, main positive and negative from 70mai.
 
stephenjones said:
So once I get the splitter like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/B09L62W679 I can just cut one of the connector off and connect the red cable to the acc cable on the dash cam? Then it would mean there is no acc going from the 70mai to the dash cam, correct? ( the dash cam is a blackvue 12v)
Click to expand...


i use one of those splitters


ive just got a new car and i found a company that i feel i can trust, they are going to install my Blackvue front and rear camera + battery pack AND my ecoflow, i had it before in my old car where its all installed, i then bought a splitter XT60, so i charge my Ecoflow at the same time as my Cellink battery pack

i have the dashcam to cig lighter to my ecoflow, i use that, then switch over to the cellink if i every need to run the ecoflow indoors to charge it, so ive got 24/7 coverage
 
Shiwarrior said:
i use one of those splitters


ive just got a new car and i found a company that i feel i can trust, they are going to install my Blackvue front and rear camera + battery pack AND my ecoflow, i had it before in my old car where its all installed, i then bought a splitter XT60, so i charge my Ecoflow at the same time as my Cellink battery pack

i have the dashcam to cig lighter to my ecoflow, i use that, then switch over to the cellink if i every need to run the ecoflow indoors to charge it, so ive got 24/7 coverage
Click to expand...
I like being able to see the status of the ecoflow remotely. Hopefully you get LTE with the blackvue so the ecoflow can connect to that 🙂
 
Shiwarrior said:
hope it can connect to my blackvue
I've got the 970x LTE 😀
Click to expand...
Nice, it seems we have a similiar setup with the ecoflow. Not sure of your taste but in a new car check out the blend mount for the blackvue. Personally I like the looks of the blendmount setup with those barrel cams 🙂
 
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