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Tested: EcoFlow's Wave Unlocks Potentially Free Air Conditioning Anywhere You Want

It may be odd bringing up air conditioning systems almost in the middle of winter, but after a few months of testing the EcoFlow Wave, the time has come for me to reveal just how magical it is to not have to pay for air conditioning; it's solar-powered!
EcoFlow Wave and Delta Pro 28 photos
Photo: Florin Profir for Autoevolution
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Folks, a few months ago, I discovered a mobile air conditioning system unveiled by EcoFlow, the Wave. Well, after writing an article about the magic this crew put together, we got in touch, and after a small hold-up with customs, autoevolution got its hands on a Wave and the remaining EcoFlow ecosystem. From there, I began to explore all the power that solar energy brings with it.

Now, the Wave is marketed as being suitable for home and outdoor use, the latter being possible with the help of solar panels, a portable battery pack, and/or EcoFlow's portable power stations; even your car is a solution for charging. EcoFlow was kind enough to forward an entire setup our way. The result? How do I put this? More money in my pocket and enough cooling power to force me to put on some clothes! No joke.

Considering that I don't own an RV or even had the time to leave the city this summer, I used my Wave in a setting that may surprise you, my RV simulator. Don't worry; you have one, too, most commonly referred to as a home. In particular, my living room is the space I chose to test the powers of this machine, and it helped me considerably reduce the amount of money I spent on cooling.

The Setup

To help you understand more about what's in store with this one, let me run through a few specs. One of the beauties of the Wave is the fact that it can be powered by an array of means. From that battery you see underneath the unit to solar power, to AC charging, DC charging, and even plugging it into your car, not to mention an array of other portable power sources. This ensures you can use the system in a variety of places. Overall, the Wave weighs 38.6 pounds (17.5 kg) without the portable battery attached, so moving it around my house wasn't an issue.

EcoFlow Wave
Photo: Florin Profir for Autoevolution
Overall, the Wave is said to pump out nothing more than 4,000 BTUs of cooling power, but I'll get into what that really means in an RV or living room shortly. According to EcoFlow, this is enough to cool a 6-square-meter (65-square-foot) space by 11 degrees Fahrenheit in 8 minutes. While I couldn't carry out that particular test, let me point out that my living room is roughly 17 square meters (183 square feet), and after some time cooling, I won't lie: I either had to turn this thing to fan mode or simply put on more clothes. 4,000 BTU's my butt.

As for a neat little trick that the Wave has up its sleeve, you typically don't have to worry about any sort of drainage. If you're operating the Wave in a setting with less than 70% humidity, the inner workings of the unit – the compressor – will evaporate any condensation, helping cool components in the process. The only thing you may have to worry about is the exhaust outlet that pumps hot air out of it, but with the add-on ducts EcoFlow includes, you can easily push that hot air out of a window, as you should.

Coming back to the charging and plugging this puppy into your whatever socket, there's something you need to know, and what could be seen as a slight downside is that battery pack that the Wave needs to function on the go. Things get tricky once you integrate the battery pack into the mix.

You can use the Wave by simply plugging it into your wall and giving it all the energy it needs to function or throw on the battery pack. However, those battery packs can only be recharged while hooked up to the Wave, and with just one 200-watt solar panel, the Wave doesn't have enough input power to also cool – the battery packs can't be recharged without being connected to the Wave. But not all is lost, not by a long shot. If the power source for your Wave is enough to support the compressor's operating needs with no problems whatsoever, charge away while keeping cool.

In truth, if you have just the Wave and the add-on battery, no solar panels, you'll still be able to see a 33% reduction on your cooling bills in the room or RV you use. How!? Well, using a standard wall outlet, the battery will recharge in just two hours, but offers a run time on the cooling mode of up to three hours, and that's without the Fan mode active. Understand the math now?

EcoFlow Wave and Portable Battery
Photo: Florin Profir for Autoevolution
If you can take things as far as I did, with an entire EcoFlow setup, you can tap into unlimited solar power. With the Delta portable power stations this manufacturer has in store for folks looking to go off-grid, you can use solar power to keep the stations charged and ready to go. When it's time to recharge your battery, plug the Wave into a Delta, and keep cooling, recharging, and capturing the sun's rays. Do I really need to say more? Hell, the Wave is already sold out on EcoFlow's website. A statement on its own.

The Experience

When I started this article, I let you know that I couldn't evade city life this year. Still, my trusty simulator helped me understand precisely what I have in my hands, potentially limitless and free energy, up to a point. I say "up to a point" because batteries have life cycles and degrade with use, solar panels can get busted, and God forbid a short circuit in the system – there's a solid 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of lithium phosphate in my house right now, e-bikes not included.

But, all fears aside, this system is a godsend. It all started with me receiving my components one by one as customs were afraid of gear coming in from China for some reason. I first received the Wave, a few days later, the 200-watt panel and add-on battery, and after a week or two, the Delta Pro, the largest of the portable power stations this manufacturer offers the public. Honestly, these portable power stations and some solar panels are really what you need to unlock 100% free cooling.

EcoFlow Wave and Delta Pro and Solar Panel
Photo: Florin Profir for Autoevolution
I started by simply using the Wave by plugging it into the wall to ensure that everything was working fine and that I could connect with my smartphone and operate things from afar. With systems ready to go, I set up the vents to push exhaust out of my window and waited. I must say, do not stand in front of this thing with nothing but shorts and a T-shirt; it gets cold... fast.

After playing around with the simple controls – not much you can do to mess things up - I waited to start feeling the cooling effects in my simulator. In about 15 minutes, I could feel a palpable change in the room. My only flaw in this experiment was that I didn't note the starting and finishing temperatures; I was excited to see such a change. Fear not; the long-term review and video I have planned will reveal much more info than I can outline in a 5 to 10-minute article.

Now, as I cooled my living room on that first day, I decided to access all the power that the Wave has, and after about 3 hours of operation, I could no longer stand around without any socks on my feet. Yes, I had to turn the temperature setting back up or put this beast on fan mode. I then found my sweet spot and stayed in it while my wall-mounted AC unit witnessed the beginning of its end.

The real magic started to unfold once I received the battery pack, solar panel, and Delta Pro. I'll admit, it took me a bit to figure out how to access full cooling independence from the grid, but once you've walked through it, not a problem at all.

Everything starts with that glowing and iridescent ball of hydrogen way up in the sky; humans have designed solar panels to capture its energy. Take that juice and funnel it through the solar panels into the Delta. Personally, I recommend using at least 600 watts of panel power; otherwise, you're going to be chasing the sun all day.

EcoFlow Wave and Delta Pro
Photo: Florin Profir for Autoevolution
Once your power station batteries have been filled to the brim, plug in your Wave, add-on battery too, and recharge while cooling. This is made possible by the fact that the Delta Pro can pump out AC current and does so with enough power to operate the Wave's cooling and recharging abilities simultaneously. That's my understanding, and so far, no fires. With the battery recharged, unplug the Wave, cooling in the process, and let the power station refill its tanks for the next round three hours later. Things kept up that way for the rest of my summer.

Yes, there are days when the sun doesn't shine, and I realized that the larger your power station, the more you'll be able to use your Wave without plugging into your wall or a carport, tapping into that solar juice as best as you can. Even if you plug into your wall to use the Wave, it won't matter against the days you skipped paying your local power provider. I hope you have a large, sun-loving balcony like I do to arrange your solar panels.

Conclusion

Then there's the fact that an apartment is slightly different from an RV. An RV is a soda can with wheels that is sure to bake in the day's sun, but you can always use your head a bit and park under some trees in the area. If money is of no matter to you, go all out and pick up two Waves. Oh, wait, you can't; they've all been sold out. Not to worry, my discussions with EcoFlow tell us that you'll get your chance too, and probably at an updated machine if there's anything to improve. Hell, it even looks good in a modern home.

With home use checked off of the EcoFlow Wave testing list, there's just one other place to see the Wave's performance, in an RV. For that, we'll be back next glamping season for the northern hemisphere. Until then, I need to find a way to access solar heating options; it's hella cold for an Arizona Sun Devil like myself. Wait a minute, I can just plug a heater into my Delta Pro and still tap into solar power for my home, on the road, and even during a blackout. G.G EcoFlow, G.G.
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Editor's note: Images in the gallery showcase the EcoFlow Wave and Delta Pro.

About the author: Cristian Curmei
Cristian Curmei profile photo

A bit of a nomad at heart (being born in Europe and raised in several places in the USA), Cristian is enamored with travel trailers, campers and bikes. He also tests and writes about urban means of transportation like scooters, mopeds and e-bikes (when he's not busy hosting our video stories and guides).
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