Anker just launched the Solix S2000, a compact home backup power station that fits in a surprisingly small package for what it can do.
The headline number is 35 hours of continuous fridge runtime, which Anker says beats competing 2kWh units by about 20 percent.
That’s thanks to a feature called OptiSave, which cuts idle power consumption by 40 to 70 percent. The idea is that most blackouts don’t actually require full power the whole time since appliances like fridges cycle between active cooling and standby, so the S2000 is built to take advantage of that rather than just drain at full capacity.
The unit packs 2kWh of capacity into a frame that’s typically sized for 1kWh units, measuring just 8.19 x 11.1 x 12.7 inches and weighing 35.7 lbs. The footprint is about 30 percent smaller than the industry average. The chassis is designed vertically with rear-facing AC outlets so you can push it flush against a wall and keep the cords hidden.
Anker Solix S2000 specs:
For power outages specifically, the built-in UPS switches over in under 10 milliseconds, fast enough that most devices won’t even notice the interruption. You can recharge it to 80 percent in 1.2 hours from a wall outlet or hook it up to a single 400W solar panel for a full recharge on a sunny day. Under the hood it runs on lithium iron phosphate cells rated for 10,000 cycles and a 15-year service life, which is on the longer end for this category.
The unit looks pretty compact and that makes it handy to keep your fridge or freezer juiced up in the event of an outage. We’ll have more on the S2000 soon.
Anker is putting its 35-hour fridge runtime claim to the test with a live YouTube stream starting at 5 PM PT/8PM ET today. The stream will show the S2000 powering a real refrigerator in real time, and if it hits the 35-hour mark it would be the first live-verified runtime of its kind for a backup power station in this category.
You can watch it here:
Okay so what about pricing? Launch pricing for the Solix S2000 (I keep thinking of the Honda S2000) is at $679.99 US (MSRP: $1,199.99 US), which is about $939 CAD. As for official Canadian pricing and availability? That’s coming soon according to Anker in an email to iPhone in Canada.
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