DaranEner NEO2000 Review

The DaranEner NEO2000 is a high-powered portable power station with an output capacity of 2000 watts and a 2073Wh LiFePO4 battery. It is designed for power outages, natural disasters, camping, and car use, and is capable of keeping your devices running anytime, anywhere. It is also equipped with an onboard charger, which enables the NEO2000 to be fully charged in just 1.8 hours using the included AC cable. Off-grid charging is also supported through solar, handling up to 600W out in the field.

The DaranEner NEO2000 is a high-powered portable power station with an output capacity of 2000 watts and a 2073Wh LiFePO4 battery. It is designed for power outages, natural disasters, camping, and car use, and is capable of keeping your devices running anytime, anywhere. It is also equipped with an onboard charger, which enables the NEO2000 to be fully charged in just 1.8 hours using the included AC cable. Off-grid charging is also supported through solar, handling up to 600W out in the field.

DaranEner NEO2000 Front

LiFePO4 Battery Chemistry

The NEO2000 is equipped with an automotive-grade LiFePO4 battery, and advertises longer lifespan and greater safety compared to ternary lithium batteries. It can withstand up to 3500 cycles of charging and discharging and still maintain a healthy state, and is less prone to spontaneous combustion and explosion.

Traditional lithium batteries are made with a cathode material that consists of a mixture of cobalt, nickel, and manganese. These batteries tend to be less expensive to produce than LiFePO4 batteries, but they also have a shorter lifespan and are more prone to overheating and catching fire.

LiFePO4 batteries, on the other hand, are made with a cathode material made of lithium iron phosphate. They are known for their longer lifespan, with the ability to withstand up to 3500 cycles of charging and discharging and still maintain a healthy state. LiFePO4 batteries are also generally safer than ternary lithium batteries, with a lower risk of spontaneous combustion and explosion. They may be more expensive to produce, but they offer a longer service life and greater peace of mind.

DaranEner NEO2000 Specifications

DaranEner NEO2000 Features

The power station features 14 output ports, including AC outlets, USB ports, a cigarette lighter port, and a DC5521 port, as well as a 15W wireless charger, allowing you to power a wide range of devices. The primary AC output of the system is rated for up to a 2kW load, handling peaks up to 3kW. In terms of power quality, it has a pure sine wave output, which is more compatible with sensitive equipment

DaranEner NEO2000 Front Panel

In addition to its durable exterior design, the NEO2000 is also built with safety in mind. It has a rugged unibody design case and BMS technology to protect against voltage, current, and temperature fluctuations. The safer LiFePO4 battery has a long lifespan, with 3500 cycles to 80% capacity and 6500 cycles to 50% capacity.

DaranEner NEO2000 Port Cover

The NEO2000 is designed for outdoor use, with a sturdy handle and wind channel grille that is dustproof and sandproof. It can also act as a home-grade uninterruptible power supply (UPS) with a response time of under 15 milliseconds, although DaranEner states this shouldn’t be used all the time as it can speed up wear on the battery.

DaranEner NEO2000 Side

Charge Performance

We put the DaranEner NEO2000 through full discharge and charge scenarios to measure the battery capacity of the unit. With a stated battery capacity of 2073Wh, we were able to draw 1584Wh from the battery with a heavy load before it turned off.

This worked out to about a 79.2% efficiency, which is pretty normal for units in this class. With a 1,291 watt charge rate we measured 2,231Wh drawn from the wall to bring the unit back up to a 100% charge. This took right around 1.7 hours from 1%, which is in line with the charge rate claims.

DaranEner NEO2000 Field Performance

Out in the field, we saw no issues testing the NEO2000. We took the DaranEner NEO2000 out for a weekend of astrophotography and were able to get 2 full nights of photography, powering the camera cooler, mount, USB hub, and laptop.

The abundance of power capacity provided by the NEO2000 completely eliminated any fears of running out of power in the off-grid location, even to the point that we were able to field process the pictures during the day and keep the laptop plugged in, a power-intensive process drawing about 100 watts for long duration.

DaranEner NEO2000 Bottom

All of the power ports also are spaced out nicely with plenty of room, and the display is big and bright enough to be read in direct sunlight. The included flood light on the back of the unit is bright enough to light up an area for work or a campsite while not being too overpowering, and it includes some distress modes that will blink as well. The handles are large enough to get a good grip on the unit and carry it around, weighing in at the better part of 60 lbs, the handles provide a sturdy grip.

Closing Thoughts

The DaranEner NEO2000 is a highly capable portable power station that offers ample power and versatility for outdoor adventures, camping, and home or lab backup use in a pinch. With a 2073Wh LiFePO4 battery chemistry providing longer lifespan and greater safety, the NEO2000 it a more reliable and safe option for use in challenging environments.

Thanks to the BMS technology built in, it is able to protect against voltage, current, and temperature fluctuations. It packs in all the features you want in a portable power station, except maybe an app. That isn’t always a bad thing though when the system is designed with a solid button-controlled interface for field use.

The NEO2000 is well-designed, thanks to the 14 available outputs, a rugged unibody design case, and the inclusion of a 15W wireless charger, it provides flexibility for multiple people to use in the field. During the last month with the NEO2000, there was never a longing for “more” of anything.

The field performance of the NEO2000 is impressive, with no issues reported during a long weekend of astrophotography. The only feature that would be nice to see on future revisions, is a way to set the charging speed, by default the unit will pull 1200w from the wall, great for fast charging. However, we can envision some scenarios where selecting a slower charge rate would be needed depending on circuit capacity. Overall the DaranEner NEO2000 is a great addition to the field lab, and I am excited to keep using it for a long-term review of the longevity of the new battery chemistry.

4/27/2023 Update: After longer-term testing, this model presented problems with calibration and power loss sitting off over a period of time. 

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