Ecoflow
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| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2017 |
| Legal structure | Private |
| Industry | Portable solar generators, portable power stations |
| Official website | https://ecoflow.com |
EcoFlow Technology is a manufacturer of solar-energy storage devices designed for mobile and off-grid use. The company systematically requires installation of a proprietary, closed-source application on a mobile device to unlock the full functionality of its battery backup products.
Consumer impact summary
Anti-consumer practices
Reliance on application
The application connects to the EcoFlow devices through Bluetooth or over WiFi, but the app cannot be used with the devices without creating an account with EcoFlow and periodically connecting to their servers for an authentication token.
This creates inherent privacy risks and raises concerns about data collection and unwanted telemetry by the manufacturer. It also poses a problem for their customers who may go off-grid for extended periods of time with no data connection available. Moreover, it is unlikely that the system will remain fully usable after support is discontinued by the manufacturer or if the company ceases operations.
App installation and account creation are required to unlock the full functionality of the solar generators. Key features such as current limiting while charging from an AC power source are unavailable without the app.
The benefits of its integrated app are displayed prominently in marketing media. The customer only discovers the requirement to create an account after purchasing the product and installing the app.
Product Performance
PowerOcean
The PowerOcean lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries continuously consume ~100W when charging or discharging which Ecoflow misrepresent on their dashboard and app as an increase in house load. Therefore unless the battery is at a 100% state of charge (SoC) or at its reserve limit the batteries would consume ~2.4kWh/day, ~16.8kWh/week and 873.6kWh/year. Also, as each battery pack has a capacity of 5kWh, the battery will drain itself in 2 days @ ~2.4kWh/day.
When solar generation to the PowerOcean inverter increases, the house load also increases, which is assumed to be a misrepresentation of the inverter efficiency losses. Furthermore, the calculated efficiency based on the losses is in the ~80s% which is short of the >96%[1] efficiency claimed.