lion safari me manual

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Lion Energy LION SAFARI ME User Manual

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Table of Contents

• Troubleshooting
• Package Contents
• Circuit Breaker
• Automatic Shut-Off
• Battery Information
• Frequently Asked Questions

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Summary of Contents for Lion Energy LION SAFARI ME

• Page 1 LI NENERGY LION SAFARI ME Lithium Iron Phosphate Solar Generator User Manual WARRANTY INFO: Serial number Purchase date CUSTOMER SERVICE: 385.375.8191 Available Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Mountain Standard Time. Please call the customer service department before returning this product.

Page 2: Package Contents

• Page 3 Part Main switch ON/OFF AC output ON/OFF button Screen ON/OFF...
• Page 4 How to use the power unit is an energy storage solution that features 668 W charging, 600W solar charging and a 2,000W pure sine wave inverter . It supports 12V, 25A DC output, two USB 2.4 A outputs, an external battery (sold separately), and TFT screen display. Refer to the section above and follow the operating instructions below.

Page 5: Circuit Breaker

Page 6: troubleshooting.

• Page 7 Rated Power 2,000 VA Main input voltage 102-140 VAC 45-65 Hz Inverter voltage 120 VAC ± 10% AC parameters Pulse power 4,000 VA typically > 88% , 90% maximum Switching time gap 10ms standard, 20ms maximum Output wave Pure sine wave Rated battery voltage 25.6 VDC Battery working range...
• Page 8 Recycling Properly dispose of your unwanted electronic products, batteries, and packaging materials at a local collection facility. Copyright No part of this publication is reproducible — in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying—without express written permission from The power unit supplier reserves all rights to make statements, information, and suggestions within in this manual do not constitute any express or implied warranty.

Page 10: Frequently Asked Questions

• Page 11 What are the top benefits of the Safari ME? There is a lot to love about the Safari ME: • Renewable Solar Generator You can use the power of the sun to fully recharge the ME in as little as 95 mins so you can use power without running out of power.
• Page 12 Lion Energy, LLC 735 S. Auto Mall Drive Suite 200 American Fork, Utah 84003 [email protected] 385.375.8191 Monday-Friday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM MST...

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Review: lion energy safari me gives your home (or off-grid site) a massive battery and solar panel package.

I recently had the chance to test out the Lion Energy Safari ME portable power station along with the massive battery expansion pack and solar panel package. I don’t say this lightly: This is THE high-capacity portable power station I’d want to bring with me to an off-grid cabin, campsite, or even to have in my garage in case of a natural disaster.

Having lived through nearly a week of Hurricane Irma-induced power blackout after taking a direct eye hit in September 2017, I have a certain appreciation for off-grid power generation.

At the time I charged up all the electric bike batteries I had on hand in the hours before the storm hit and jury-rigged a golf cart DC-DC converter to a 12VDC to 110VAC inverter to pull useful 110V power from the batteries.

But those e-bike batteries only lasted me a day and a half of sparing use, including keeping the box fans on low power setting (did I mention Florida in late summer?). The rest of the week was a hot and miserable mess until power was finally restored.

If I could go back and do one thing differently, it would be to have a time machine and bring the Lion Safari ME kit with me. Because this thing is basically everything you need to live like a king whether during a power outage or thriving miles away from the nearest electric lines.

The main part of the system is the Lion Safari ME itself. This is the fully self-contained power station, which includes a 922 Wh battery and a 2 kW AC inverter that can put out 4 kW of peak power. There are also a couple beefy grab handles on the unit, which make it easy (or easier) to lug the 45 lb (20 kg) device around.

It gives you two 110VAC outlets that are tied into its pure sine wave inverter, plus you get two USB-A ports, two USB-C PD ports (one for 18W and one for 60W), a 12V cigarette lighter outlet (rated up to 15A DC), and a 12V Anderson Powerpole outlet (rated up to 25A DC) for whatever 12V devices you want to power.

Each output has its own power switch to turn it on or off (saving power when not using certain outputs) and there’s a main power switch. There’s also a color screen that lets you know what’s going on in the unit.

So far everything is looking great, though I would have loved to see another couple 110V AC outlets. Two outlets seems a bit low, though of course you could also plug in a power strip.

While everything so far has been pretty standard among power stations, now it’s time to buckle up because we’re heading into uncharted territory. I’ve tested a pile of these power stations , but the Lion Safari ME has some very cool features that I haven’t seen on others yet.

First of all, there’s no charging brick to keep track of (or to lose). The AC charger for juicing up the device from your wall outlet is built into the power station itself. You just pull the AC plug out the back and jam it into your wall outlet. Done.

It’s also a super fast charger, filling the device in under and hour and a half! If you forgot to top it up and suddenly you get word of a tornado warning, you could conceivably have the thing fully charged before the first two-by-four comes through your living room window.

The unit is also built with LiFePO4 battery cells to give it a longevity rating of at least 2,000 cycles instead of the typical 500-800 cycles of Li-ion cells used in most other power stations.

Next, there’s a massive port on the back, which leads me to the next coolest part of this kit: the ME-XP expansion unit.

This expansion unit is sized to fit right on top of the main Safari ME between the carry handles and adds 2,048 Wh to give you a total of around 3 kWh of stored capacity.

The connector cable is built into the back of the XP, which sticks with the theme of including everything as connected hardware so you don’t misplace or lose bits and pieces of the kit.

There’s even a recess to store the chunky cable in the back when you don’t have the two units connected. That makes it easier to store against the back wall or your garage or in a closet, since the anaconda-thick cord won’t hang out of the back. They really thought of everything here.

With 3,000 Wh of combined capacity between the two units, you could run the necessities in your home for a full day or more, and you probably have way more capacity than you’d need for a typical off-grid cabin.

But I’m not even done yet, because the whole thing can be recharged with up to six solar panels daisy chained together.

Lion Energy’s 24V 100W solar panels are pre-wired to work with the kit (though you could plug them into anything that accepts a 24V solar panel, if you just wanted the solar panels themselves).

They have their own neoprene carrying case to protect them, and they use double-walled aluminum construction instead of the plastic housing I’ve seen in every other portable folding solar panel I’ve tested.

These panels are way more rugged than I’m used to, with full locking metal closures and a folding metal handle to make them easy to carry. The panels even have adjustable-angle aluminum support arms so you can get the exact angle you want to optimize the solar power generation of the panels. Most other companies have plastic support arms that don’t let you change the angle of the panels, and it’s quite obvious to me that the build quality of these panels is far and above anything else I’ve tested.

With a maximum of six panels connected together, the panels recharge at up to 600W of power. That would fuel up the main Safari ME unit in less than two hours or the combined Safari ME and ME-XP expansion unit together in less than six hours. In other words, a full day of sun would keep you always topped up with the ability to provide 4,000 watts of peak power and 3,000 Wh of energy at your fingertips. And since the unit can do well over 2,000 cycles, you could even use it for your primary, everyday solar energy device for years and years in an off-grid cabin scenario before you’d even begin to make a dent in its capacity.

There are even subtle design notes that are just great common sense inclusions, like the handle design on both units. The heavy boxes have nice big handles for a good grip, but they both remain either spread far apart or actually fold flat so you can still place other gear on top of the units. Many other power stations have molded handles in the top that prevent you from using the top as an impromptu table or prep surface. I love that Lion Energy doesn’t rob you a flat place to rest a book or a hammer or a (tightly closed) water bottle. The handles on the bottom unit are also still accessible when the expansion pack is sitting on top. The two boxes weigh 90 lb (42 kg) together, so carrying them piggyback style isn’t fun, but I could still pick them up and waddle them around like a heavy water bucket without needing to separate them thanks to the handles remaining accessible on the lower unit. That’s some nice design forethought.

I try not to be hyperbolic, but this is absolutely one of the best high-power and high-capacity solar power generators I’ve tested to date. The only real downside is this the price. You’ve got to pay for all of this convenience and quality construction, and you’ll pay handsomely.

The main Safari ME base station is priced at $2,349 . If you add the expansion pack, the pair will cost you $3,995 . Then there are those high-quality solar panels that are priced at $299 each . However, we’re told by Lion Energy that using our Electrek links above will apply an automatic 15% discount to the price, which worked when I tested them.

It is fair to say that in terms of dollar per watt hour on the power station or dollar per watt on the solar panels, this certainly is not the best bang for your buck. But then again, it isn’t meant to be.

There are cheaper ways to get energy storage or solar power. The Lion Energy system isn’t designed to be cheaper. It’s designed be better, as in more convenient to use and with higher build quality. It works better, lasts longer, and is probably even cheaper in the long run when you factor in the significantly longer cycle life. But up front, oh man, that’s a lot of dough to fork over!

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Micah Toll is a personal electric vehicle enthusiast, battery nerd, and author of the Amazon #1 bestselling books DIY Lithium Batteries , DIY Solar Power,   The Ultimate DIY Ebike Guide  and The Electric Bike Manifesto .

The e-bikes that make up Micah’s current daily drivers are the $999 Lectric XP 2.0 , the $1,095 Ride1Up Roadster V2 , the $1,199 Rad Power Bikes RadMission , and the $3,299 Priority Current . But it’s a pretty evolving list these days.

You can send Micah tips at [email protected], or find him on Twitter , Instagram , or TikTok .

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REVIEW: Lion Safari ME Solar Generator Pros & Cons

Table of Contents

History of lion energy solar generators, lion safari me solar generator features, components of the lion safari me solar generator, watch the lion safari me power full size fridge/freezer:, can you use the safari me with a home transfer switch or 30a rv plug , pros of the lion safari me solar generator, cons of the lion safari me, what makes the lion safari me solar generator different - key takeaways & comparison, final words, browse popular products.

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 The Lion Safari ME solar generator is one of the most exciting and versatile solar-powered generators on the market today. From Lion Safari, a company successfully dipping its toes into many solar niches, the ME is a great portable source of continuous power for recreation, emergencies, and off-grid living.

Over the past few months, this solar generator has gained a lot of interest, especially the complete solar generator kit, the Lion Safari ME Gold kit , which includes everything you need to begin producing and using massive amounts of solar power. To give our readers a closer look at this high-powered solar generator, we put together this in-depth article to explore the pros, cons, and small details of the Lion Safari ME solar generator.

If you’ve been shopping around for the perfect solar generator, then you may already be familiar with Lion Energy. Lion Energy is an American company out of Utah producing high-quality solar energy products for about two decades.

The Lion Safari ME is much larger and more capable than most of the company's products which are lightweight, stealthy, and reliable. Despite their small size and price tag, compact generators such as the Lion Cub GO and the Lion Safari LT are still extremely capable of producing, transporting, and using clean, renewable energy, anywhere in the world.  

When we say that Lithe Lion Safari ME is the company’s most capable product, we mean it. The ME efficiently powers large amounts of appliances and takes in tons of solar power to recharge one of the highest quality lithium batteries on the market.

Lion Energy joins a club of modular solar generators that allows you to stack and swap batteries for an unlimited source of power. With fast charging and a long shelf and cycle life (2000+), the Lion Safari ME is a perfect backup or continuous source of electricity.

The biggest reason people love the Safari ME solar generator is it can power almost anything. The 2,000-watt pure sine wave inverter is among the highest capacity on the market, making it ideal for powering high-demand appliances or many electronic devices at once.

It also has a 4,000-watt surge, so it handles things like pumps, full-size fridges, freezers, and more, no problem!

Lion Safari ME Gold Kit (Pictured Above) - $3,995

The Lion Safari ME comes in two parts, the main unit, and the ME battery expansion. It's incredibly easy to transport the device alone or with an extra storage capacity bank for when you need more electricity. 

As a package, the Lion Safari ME Includes:

• A built-in 922 Wh lithium battery, with a 2048 Wh expansion
• 2000W continuous / 4000W surge pure sine inverter
• 2 AC (standard wall plugs) outlets
• 2 USB-A  & 2 USB-C outlets
• 1 12V DC (car cigarette lighter) outlet
• A built-in MPPT charge controller
• And a clear display screen

The Safari ME solar generator base unit weighs just 45.5 pounds. Although this is much heavier than its smaller products, it is still very light for its size. In a pinch,  you can carry the ME to an emergency to power high-capacity equipment or appliances. 

Of course, the included expansion battery also weighs 44 pounds, making the entire package a little less portable. However, with an extra set of hands (or a vehicle), the Lion Safari ME is still a great portable power solution. 

Lion Safari ME Solar Generator Charging Capabilities 

You can charge the Lion Safari ME with AC power through an ordinary wall plug or DC power from solar panels. You cannot charge it with your car, but you cannot deny the efficiency of the two available charging methods.

Plugged into the wall at home, the ME’s main battery charges in one hour and 23 minutes, with the massive expansion pack charging in as little as three hours. Likewise, the ME’s batteries charges in one hour and 35 minutes (the main unit) and three hours and 30 minutes (expansion) with solar panels in ideal sunlight conditions.

The Lion Safari ME includes a 585W MPPT charge controller that handles over 600W of solar input. With this in mind, it is very easy to achieve continuous power with 400W or 500W of portable or permanent solar power input.

What Can the Lion Safari ME Solar Generator Power?

The 2000W continuous/4000W surge pure sine inverter is perhaps the most notable feature of the Lion Safari ME. With 2000W of continuous power, you can charge and power practically everything found in a home or RV. 

On top of that, the 4000W inverter handles massive short-term loads, like the moment an AC unit kicks on. 

With the expansion battery, the Lion Safari ME can power the following and more:

• Full-Size Fridge (150W) - 20+ Hours
• Phone Charger (5W) - Charge up to 200+ times
• Laptop Charger (56W) - Charge up to 50+ times
• 55" LCD T.V (75W) - 38+ Hours
• LED Reading Lamp (4W) - 720+ Hours
• Hot Plate (500W) - 5.8+ Hours

Yes, you can. The ME has a big enough inverter to handle this sort of usage. However, since it has 2 x 15A 110V plugs, you need a. 30A to 15A plug adapter that plugs directly into the ME. See the picture below for how one customer set this up:

Modular Battery Design & Technology

Perhaps the most critical aspect of the Lion Safari ME’s design is its modular expandable ability. With a detachable massive storage bank, the Safari ME has the dual capability of providing massive amounts of power and remaining a truly portable solution. 

In a way, we feel as if the ME may be the ideal device for vans, RVs, and campers. While you can keep as many expandable batteries as possible in storage, the ability to detach the main device and power electronics in campsites and other remote locations makes the ME extremely versatile.

Beyond this, the massive battery bank is great for keeping large amounts of electricity on-hand in an off-grid cabin or as an emergency backup for a regular home. The battery’s impressive shelf-life means you always have storage on hand as the lithium technology retains battery charges for up to a year. 

On top of that, the expandable battery has an incredible cycle life of over 3,500 full charges. Compared to cheaper options, this battery pays for itself and more with years and years of possible daily use. With this in mind, you won't have to worry about replacing your batteries anytime soon. 

Battery Cycles

One of the biggest things people notice on the Safari ME solar generator is the long cycle life. Cycle life is basically the number of times you can charge and deplete the unit before it starts to lose efficiency. A good analogy is like your phone battery after two to three years but on a much bigger scale. 

The Safari ME solar generator base unit has a 2,000 cycle life, and the expansion battery has 3,500. Compared to something like a Goal Zero Yeti with 500 cycles, it’s easy to see why the Safari ME is so popular! When you’re investing this much money, you want to invest in something that will LAST!

Huge, High-Powered Inverter (Output)

Next, the large storage capacity of the Lion Safari ME matches its equally impressive inverter. With 2000W of continuous power, the ME packs a punch with one of the largest portable inverters on the market today. 

If you’re not up to snuff with your technical electric jargon, the key takeaway here is that the ME can power just about anything. Although it is limited, with only two AC outlets, one DC outlet, and four USB outlets, you can use all of the ME’s plug options at the same time without overpowering the device. 

With 4000W of surge protection, the ME handles large loads, like when your fridge, air conditioner, or other high-powered device has a high electricity demand on startup. For homes, RVs, workstations, and more, the Lion Safari ME powers nearly anything that you can plug into a socket. 

Watch as one YouTuber runs his entire house off of the Safari ME Solar Generator:

Fast Solar AND AC Charging Times

Lastly, the Lion Safari ME’s fast solar charging makes it possible to generate and continuously use solar electricity in a highly efficient way. The device is standard with an MPPT charge controller capable of handling up to 600W of continuous solar power. 

In ideal circumstances, the ME’s built-in storage and the massive expandable battery charge in as little as seven to nine hours. This period may seem like a long time, there are many solar generators on the market today that charge batteries with half of the capacity in twice the amount of time. 

Although its AC charge time is equally impressive, the efficiency of the ME’s solar charging makes it possible to use this device as a reliable and continuous off-grid source of power for camping, cabins, festivals, emergency relief, and so much more. 

Limited Output Options

Despite all of its advantages, the Lion Safari ME is not perfect, and the limited amount of output options is perhaps the most obvious drawback of the device. While other high-powered solar generators have as many as six AC outlets, the ME only has two. The same goes for DC outlets, as there is only one included on the Lion Safari ME. 

We fear that a 2000W inverter is almost too powerful for its own good knowing that the capacity is tough to reach while only powering a few appliances and devices. If you want to run an entire home, you may find that the lack of plugs on this device is a bit inconvenient.

No Car Charging 

Secondly, it is important to note that the Lion Safari ME does not come with a car charger. Although this is not critical for many people who choose to power their generators at home or with solar, the lack of DC car charging is tough for some to ignore.

We still think this is a great device for van lifers and full-time RV dwellers, long periods of cloudy days may leave you wishing that you could charge this device while driving your car.

To get a better idea of how the Lion Safari ME stacks up against other high-powered solar generators, let’s look at the raw numbers of its features compared to other popular devices.

First, let’s examine the differences between the Lion Safari ME and the companies previously mentioned Lion Cub Go:

• Battery: 2,970 Wh vs 120Wh 
• Inverter: 2000 W vs 150W
• AC outlets: 2 vs 1 
• Weight: 45.5+ lbs vs 3 lbs.
• Charging Cycles: 2,500 (3,500 for extra battery) vs 1,000+

Obviously, Lion Energy has upped its game with the ME, but how does it compare to other high-powered devices? Here, you can see the Lion Safari ME solar generator vs. the Yeti Goal Zero 3000X:

• Battery: 2,970 Wh vs 3032Wh 
• Inverter: 2000 W vs 2000W
• AC outlets: 2 vs 2 
• Shelf Life: 1 Year vs 3-6 months
• Charging Cycles: 2,500 (3,500 for extra battery) vs 500

The Yeti 3000X is a very similar device with a nearly equal battery and inverter capacities. However, what sticks out the most is the number of charging cycles you can expect from both devices.

With over 2000 more battery life cycles, the Lion Safari ME delivers a far superior return on investment over the Yeti 3000X. 

Ultimately, yes, we strongly believe that the Lion Safari ME solar generator is worth it for an emergency backup source of power and individuals looking for large amounts of continuous renewable energy. 

With the Lion Safari ME Gold kit ,  you can quickly get up and running with your own power station for emergencies or even just your next camping trip. To learn more about the Lion Safari ME solar generator, feel free to check out our dedicated product page here.

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Power Units

CleanTechnica Tested: The Lion Safari ME Portable Power Station

The Lion Safari ME Portable Power Station is a behemoth power station that brings not only a ton of base utility to wherever you need it, but the ability to scale up from the built in ~1kWh of storage capacity to nearly 3kWh by adding one of Lion Energy’s Safari ME-XP expansion packs . Both packs use lithium ferro phosphate ( LFP) cells, which are known for longer life expectancies, higher number of cycles, and resistance to heat and thermal runaway issues.

Disclaimer: Lion Energy provided the Safari ME to the author for the purposes of this review.

Pulling the Safari ME out of the box, the first thing that stands out is that it looks like a military grade piece of equipment. Massive handles make it easy to grab onto and seem ready to be lashed onto the back of a Hummer or moved into camp. It’s a large unit, measuring 18.7″ x 12.8″ x 12.8″ and weighing in at 45.5 pounds. Competing packs of a similar size and weight with the more common but less durable NMC chemistries would have nearly double the storage capacity and at a similar price.

The Safari ME’s LFP chemistry does weigh more than competing chemistries but comes with additional benefits that might outweigh its extra mass. As a far more stable chemistry, iron phosphate batteries are inherently better for use in a portable device that might get banged around or dropped. NMC chemistries, on the other hand are prone to thermal runaway when the cells are damaged, which can lead to battery fires. LFP batteries are more thermally stable and not prone to fires caused by thermal runaway like most lithium-ion chemistries are.

LFP also last longer, supporting far more charge-discharge cycles than more traditional lithium-ion cells. The Lion Safari ME supports 2,500 cycles with full depth of discharge and the Safari ME XP expansion should last a staggering 3,500 cycles compared to 800-1,000 for comparable NMC chemistry-based packs. That’s like getting three or four times the life expectancy for the price of one.

When it comes time to use the stored energy from the pack, it is more than up to the task, with some of the highest power output ratings I’ve seen in a portable power station. It boasts a continuous output rating of 2,000 watts and can support peak power draws of up to 4,000 watts. That’s super impressive and speaks to the quality of the integrated inverter.

The pack itself technically is listed as storing 922 Wh of energy, so we put it to the test. I plugged in my trusty 800W water kettle and let that ship sail. It immediately began gobbling up the energy, according to the display on the power station The Safari ME’s display is full color, which looks nice, but it unfortunately does not indicate what the realtime energy consumption or charging speeds are. Those are some of the most basic metrics and not having them on this beautiful display is a shame. Instead, we get the high level indicators of “time remaining” and battery percent. From these, you can roughly approximate the amount of battery capacity remaining if you know the draw of the connected devices.

With my water kettle plugged in and fired up, I stacked on the 500 watt Bonbowl induction cooktop and the Safari ME didn’t even blink. The time remaining scaled down linearly, tracking towards a usable capacity of 800 watt-hours. Lion Energy shows the Safari ME powering a number of power tools so I took it outside and plugged in my Bosch Colt router.

It pulls around 680 watts, but the startup curves of power tools often put more strain on power systems so I was eager to see how the power station handled the load. I cranked it up and the Safari ME didn’t even blink. It powered 10 minutes of the router without an issue and from full, could support 1 hour 20 minutes of routing. Power tools are used intermittently at a job site and it’s not hard to imagine the Safari ME being used as a daily driver to power table saws, compressors, and other power tools at a job site.

The Safari ME can be recharged with solar panels via an Anderson connector. Plugging in a 100 watt solar panel recharged the power station from empty to full in 10 hours and it’s not hard to imagine bolting a small 100 watt solar panel to a work truck to keep a battery in the back of the truck charging throughout the work day. It can also be charged via a standard 120 volt outlet by simply unrolling the integrated charging cable in 85 minutes. Most portable power stations require an external charging brick to charge and Lion Energy went through the extra trouble of integrating the necessary electronics directly into the unit to streamline charging.

On the power output side, it can push power out through one of the 2 USB-A ports, 2 USB-C ports, a standard 12v outlet, an Anderson connector, or one of the two AC outlets up front. More AC outlets would be nice, but the high power output capability means you can also add a power strip. It’s not ideal, but it’s also not the end of the world.

Overall, the Lion Energy Safari ME is a capable portable power station with less storage capacity and a higher instantaneous and peak power output than expected at this price point. The integrated electronics are nice and make this a capable all in one package that sets it apart. The massive handles up top make it easy to move around, at the cost of increasing the footprint of the unit.

The LFP chemistry is a huge benefit, due to its ability to last through more charging and discharging cycles and its more stable nature. At $2,349, it’s not cheap, but the ability to add 2 kWh for $1,749 with a Lion ME Expansion Pack opens up the possibility of using the system as a backup battery for the home or even for some larger commercial applications.

• Price : $2,349 MSRP. Currently on sale for $1,996.65
• Weight : 45.5 lb
• Dimensions (L x W x H) : 18.7″ x 12.8″ x 12.8″
• Output – AC : 2 x 120v outlets @ 2,000 watts continuous, 4,000 watts peak
• Output – USB : 2X USB-A 5V @ 2.4A ea, 2X USB-C 20V @ 3A (60 Watt Max) PD
• Output – 12V : 1X 12V @ 15A
• Output – 12V Anderson :  1X 12V @ 25A
• Input – 12V Anderson : Up to 600 watts PV solar
• Input – 120v AC : Up to 30A
• Warranty : 1 year

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I'm a tech geek passionately in search of actionable ways to reduce the negative impact my life has on the planet, save money and reduce stress. Live intentionally, make conscious decisions, love more, act responsibly, play. The more you know, the less you need. As an activist investor, Kyle owns long term holdings in Tesla, Lightning eMotors, Arcimoto, and SolarEdge.

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