This company has made it possible for "large power banks" to enter millions of households.

On September 6, 2024, in Wenchang City, Hainan Province, a super typhoon "Capricorn" made a landfall along the local coast.

Official data shows that this is the strongest typhoon to make landfall in China this year. It has caused trees along the streets to be uprooted, and severe waterlogging in some streets. Not only has the road traffic been severely disrupted, but it has also caused power system failures, resulting in large-scale power and communication outages in the local area, and seriously affecting the lives of residents.

In the face of such extreme weather, emergency power sources have become a key facility to ensure the operation of the city.

In multiple disaster-stricken resettlement sites in Wenchang City, "Temporary Emergency Power Supply Stations" have been set up one after another. Emergency power sources ensure the power supply for professional equipment at the disaster relief site, such as powering chainsaws for clearing roadblocks and extending the battery life of unmanned aerial vehicles for the rescue team, to ensure the smooth progress of the rescue operation. At the same time, emergency power sources also provide emergency power supply support to the local affected people to ensure the basic living and communication needs of residents.

The emergency power supply products on the scene are from EcoFlow (hereinafter referred to as "EcoFlow"). In September of this year, in an emergency comprehensive drill of the Jiangsu Blue Sky Rescue Team, EcoFlow also provided key equipment power supply support, providing power for demolition equipment, unmanned aerial vehicle systems, communication systems, medical equipment, lighting systems, life detection equipment, etc. in emergency disaster relief.

Emergency power supply is a typical application scenario of mobile energy storage, allowing energy storage products to continuously exert social value.

As a flexible and efficient energy solution, mobile energy storage, also known as portable energy storage, has gradually become a key component in the energy storage field.

In recent years, with the sharp increase in outdoor power demand, as well as factors such as natural disasters and energy crises, the "power anxiety" has driven the rapid explosion of the mobile energy storage market, making it quickly become the focus of global attention from a niche market, and even triggering a rush to purchase in the European market, which is deeply affected by the energy shortage.

However, after entering 2023, combined with the stabilization of electricity prices and the impact of manufacturers' inventory reduction, the market demand for mobile energy storage has begun to slow down. For example, the global household energy storage shipments decreased by 2% in the second quarter of 2023 compared to the first quarter, which is the first decline since the household storage statistics were available. These signs have raised questions about the future direction of mobile energy storage products.

In fact, the application scenarios of mobile energy storage are very diverse and are still expanding. From emergency disaster relief, balcony photovoltaic storage, to outdoor camping, self-driving travel and household power backup, mobile energy storage can exert multiple values in different application fields.

With the enhancement of the energy independence awareness of C-end users and the increase in the power demand of the industry, as an energy independence product with a low usage threshold, the future market demand for mobile energy storage is still long-term and lasting.

In the mobile energy storage track, EcoFlow is a heavyweight player. Founded in 2017, EcoFlow has become the global market share leader in mobile energy storage in just seven years, selling products to more than 120 countries and regions around the world, benefiting more than three million customers.

In September of this year, EcoFlow officially announced the launch of the X-Core Technology Platform 3.0, which is a clean energy solution technology platform covering the three core energy application aspects of "performance, safety, and intelligence". It is also the first in the industry to propose that mobile energy storage should continuously develop technological innovation with performance, safety, and intelligence as the three core elements. This is a new concept in the energy storage industry, aiming to continuously improve its product experience and safety standards through continuous technological evolution. EcoFlow also simultaneously released four new mobile energy storage products based on this platform, namely DELTA Pro 3, DELTA 3 series, RIVER 3 series, and RAPID magnetic charging bank.

In EcoFlow's view, mobile energy storage is the product with the lowest threshold for the public to use new energy. They want to use continuous innovative technologies and product equipment to create a simpler, more flexible, and more reliable power usage experience, accelerate the universal application of clean and sustainable energy, and lead the industry to grow stably and healthily in the long term, and jointly promote the high standardization of product experience and safety.

01 When energy storage products enter thousands of households, the bottom line is always safety and reliability

Whether it is to power tents and provide nighttime lighting during outdoor camping, to charge electrical devices during self-driving trips, or to provide backup power support during power outages at home, mobile energy storage products are becoming essential items for more families and individuals due to their convenience and versatility, and are gradually penetrating into vertical industry work applications.

From a technical perspective, the built-in power of mobile energy storage devices is higher, so that more electrical energy can be stored in a smaller volume. Coupled with the changeable working environment and frequent movement operations, energy storage batteries are likely to face challenges of complex conditions such as high temperatures, humidity, and impacts. Whether for individual users or industrial applications, any malfunction may directly threaten personal safety, which puts higher requirements on the safety of mobile energy storage products.

In the past few years, with the explosive growth of the portable energy storage market, a large number of novice enterprises have rushed in, however, this has also led to a mixed situation and caused many industry chaos.

In particular, some "white-label" energy storage products with uneven quality flood the market, leading to an increase in potential safety hazards. Some energy storage enterprises are also involved in issues such as false propaganda, lack of after-sales service, and even phenomena such as malicious competition by hyping low prices, seriously damaging the market competition order.

Compared to the price war that affects only for a while, once a major safety accident occurs in energy storage equipment, the negative impact will last for several years and may even shake the foundation of the entire industry. Therefore, product safety is not only the basic requirement of mobile energy storage products, but also the cornerstone of the long-term development of the industry.

In EcoFlow's technical system, the safety performance of energy storage products has always been an important pillar. In the newly released X-Core 3.0 technology platform, safety is one of the core aspects.

At the hardware level, the DELTA Pro 3 under the X-Core 3.0 platform uses high-temperature-resistant materials and has obtained the UL-certified 5VA level, and has a self-extinguishing function within 30 seconds. This means that even if the product accidentally catches fire, the product itself can quickly extinguish within 30 seconds to avoid the danger of the fire spreading.

In addition, the PACK modules of the newly released DELTA Pro 3 and DELTA 3 products by EcoFlow have reached the IP65 protection level, with waterproof performance, and the safety performance is leading in the industry.

It is understood that IP65 is an international protection level standard used to evaluate the protection ability of the equipment casing against solid particles and liquids. Products under the IP65 protection level can completely prevent dust from entering and can withstand water flow impacts from all directions, making them suitable for use in outdoor and other occasions that require protection against dust and water.

EcoFlow's technical innovation engineer Adrian told us that from a technical principle perspective, it is not difficult to make a single PACK module reach the IP65 protection level. The difficulty lies in the consistent control of the airtightness of the PACK module, that is, to ensure that each mass-produced product can reach IP65.

In order to ensure the airtightness of the product, EcoFlow first strictly controls through the production process, introducing an intelligent electric screwdriver to control the torque and number of turns of the workers' screw tightening to ensure that each screw meets the standard. All products will also undergo airtightness testing before leaving the factory, and only products that meet the standards will be delivered to users.

At the same time, the products under the X-Core platform use automotive-grade LFP batteries, which meet the highest UL9540 and UL9540A standards to ensure the long-term safety of the batteries.

The new products also adopt the CTC (Cell-to-Chassis) integrated design. This structure closely combines the battery with the internal frame of the equipment, not only improving the overall strength of the equipment, but also enhancing its impact resistance, enabling the product to perform well in various usage environments.

At the software level, EcoFlow uses intelligent algorithms to monitor safety in real time and uses cloud data to predict risks. Since 2022, EcoFlow has also introduced a cloud-based intelligent production management system to upload production data in real time. If the safety performance does not meet the standards, the system will alarm and prevent the product from entering the next process to ensure that each process meets the requirements and provides safety guarantees for the entire product manufacturing process.

In the increasingly rational mobile energy storage market, the market is no longer simply driven by price, but pays more attention to the long-term usage experience and safety guarantee. Safety and reliability are not only the basic requirements of mobile energy storage products, but also the competitive basis among enterprises, and will become a key factor in future market competition.

02 Ultra-fast charging + Ultra-easy to use, the "both-and" of mobile energy storage

Mobile energy storage products are actually "mobile power banks". In scenarios such as outdoor camping, self-driving travel, and emergency rescue, the core demand is to quickly restore the power reserve of the equipment, and the fast charging capability has thus become a key factor.

In the highly competitive mobile energy storage arena, fast charging and high-power functions have become industry standards. But looking back to the early stages of the industry's development, EcoFlow was the first enterprise to layout the fast charging technology capability.

As early as 2019, EcoFlow developed the X-Stream fast charging technology using bidirectional inverter technology. At that time, the charging time of mobile energy storage products was generally more than 10 hours, seriously affecting the user experience and product popularity.

EcoFlow's fast charging technology launched that year can make the mobile energy storage product 80% charged in 1 hour, fully charged in 1.6 hours, and the maximum charging power reaches 1200W, accurately solving the pain points of users and quickly occupying the market with outstanding product performance.

Based on the newly upgraded X-Core 3.0 platform, EcoFlow's product equipment can now support up to 7200W AC fast charging. And whether it is using the mains electricity or the EV charging pile, the ultra-fast charging of the equipment can be realized, greatly reducing the charging time.

From initially emphasizing mains electricity fast charging to now expanding to support more AC charging methods, EcoFlow's fast charging capability is constantly iterating, which also makes the products under its technology platform more compatible and the usage scenarios continuously expanding, solving the power usage pain points of different types of users.

Different from "power banks", the winning point of professional mobile energy storage products is: using only one charging device to power multiple electrical devices.

In order to make the power supply not affected by the rated power and drive more or higher-power devices, EcoFlow has specially developed the X-Boost dimensionality-lifting drive function to improve the ease of use of the product.

In the early days, the X-Boost technology was mainly to enable small-power power supplies to support some electrical appliances that exceeded their rated power, expanding the usage scenarios of small power supplies.

Nowadays, the technical capability of X-Boost has been significantly improved, especially in driving high-power electrical appliances. In the newly released DELTA Pro 3, due to the integration of the newly upgraded X-Boost technology, the voltage can be intelligently adjusted to smoothly drive high-power equipment such as central air conditioners, water pumps, and demolition machines, thereby enhancing the product usage effect.

In the newly released X-Core Technology Platform 3.0, EcoFlow has also innovatively introduced the X-Quiet ultra-silent technology and the X-GaNPower gallium nitride technology.

In order to make the mobile energy storage more silent, EcoFlow optimizes the internal structure of the product for high and low heat generating components, and uses a dual air duct system, heat pipe technology, precise temperature monitoring and intelligent heat dissipation technology to achieve the best heat dissipation effect, ensuring efficient cooling and quieter operation.

The X-GaNPower gallium nitride technology is a hardcore technology at the technical material level. 36Carbon learned that one of the four new products released this time - RIVER 3, uses the new generation semiconductor material GaN (gallium nitride) to replace the traditional silicon-based material used to manufacture transistors.

Gallium nitride has low conduction and switching losses, and can withstand higher current densities and operating temperatures while providing higher energy efficiency, making the device design more compact.

Tests show that the RIVER 3 using gallium nitride material has a volume reduction of 30%, and for electrical equipment, the RIVER 3 can extend the usage time of small-power electrical appliances (<100W) by up to 91%.

For any technical device, improving the comprehensive performance of the product cannot rely solely on hardware equipment. Without the support of intelligent software equipment, it is like a machine lacking lubricating oil and still cannot achieve efficient operation.

In addition to the hardware, EcoFlow is also actively developing the software equipment capability and launched EcoFlow Oasis, which is a software system that can connect EcoFlow's own mobile energy storage products, household energy storage products, power consumption ecological products and charging equipment, and can also access various third-party hardware and software, truly enabling users to achieve the interconnection, flexible scheduling and control of their own ecological product data.

Therefore, EcoFlow Oasis is also vividly called the "Home Energy Brain", which will play a more important role in energy management in various scenarios.

Energy storage is an essential infrastructure for the development of renewable energy and a key link in building a new power system.

Currently, the energy storage market is returning to rationality. When the bubble is gradually squeezed out, a more product-oriented arena will be ushered in.

As a pioneer in the energy storage field, EcoFlow continues to increase investment in product technology research and