Anker’s Gen 2 Solix power station slims down without compromise

If there’s one type of gadget I have reviewed more than any other, it’s portable power stations. Like a turbo-charged power bank, these gadgets are all-in-one boxes with a built-in battery that supplies 240-volt, 12-volt, and USB power, allowing you to power your appliances off-grid or during a power outage. The most common trade-off is always weight versus battery capacity. As the Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2 shows, this balance between portability and power is improving.

Weighing in at under 19kg, the C2000 has 2,048Wh of capacity, which would run a household refrigerator for around a day or a camping fridge for more than two days. In comparison, some competing models weigh over 24kg with the same capacity. For those wanting more power, a 2,048Wh expansion battery can be plugged in to double the capacity.

The trade-off for this lighter battery is a reduced lifespan of around 4,000 recharge cycles, which is still 11 years if you recharge the unit every day. The battery output is up to 2,400 watts, matching the output limit of a household 240-volt outlet, so running a kettle or hair dryer is no problem. You could not, however, run them both at the same time. But the Solix will allow a surge of up to 4,000W, which might be required if you were using it to power an RV air conditioner.

Charging and power options

Other power outlets include a 12-volt car/cigarette lighter outlet, two USB-C outlets rated at 140W each, one USB-C at 15W, and one USB-A at 12W. It is nice to see the high-wattage USB-C, which means you will have no trouble powering and recharging a laptop. All the DC outlets will work when the unit is turned on, but the AC power will only work when you press a separate button or switch it on via the Anker app. The app lets you monitor the capacity and see what output wattage is being consumed. If within Wi-Fi range, the C2000 can be controlled from anywhere; otherwise, a Bluetooth connection lets you control the power station from your camp chair.

Image: Angus Jones.

To charge the power station, you have several options. When plugged into the mains, you can charge faster than with any other similarly sized power station, taking the unit from empty to 80% in 45 minutes. You can also charge concurrently via a solar panel at up to 800W. You will be more likely to charge from a 400W panel, which would give you a full charge on a sunny summer day. The unit does ship with a 12-volt car charger, but at only 100W, this will take up to 24 hours of driving. Instead, Anker sells an alternator charger for $799, which will charge your battery at up to 800W, reducing the charge time to about 2.5 hours of driving. Power comes directly from your car’s alternator and will require you or an expert to run cables.

Power inputs. Image: Angus Jones.

Quiet operation

Something I have noticed in my testing is how quiet the unit is. I am used to some power stations with noisy fans, and this unit is super quiet at a quoted 35dB. If you use the power station as a UPS to keep critical devices powered, the unit will switch over in 10 milliseconds, which is fast enough that a battery-less PC will not power off.

Screenshots: Angus Jones.

Anker’s app is quite good, too. The ability to vary how fast the power station charges from mains, from 200W up to 2300W, can be handy if you need to adjust based on your power source, such as a generator or a car inverter. Also, the ability to time when the power station recharges (time-of-use mode), which means you can take advantage of cheaper power if you are on a time-of-use plan or have home solar panels.

The Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2 Portable Power Station costs $2,699 directly from Anker’s website in Australia. But watch for specials: it has been on sale for less than $2,000 before, which is excellent value.

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