The EcoFlow Wave 2 is an air conditioner, heater and fan that is uniquely powered by batteries and solar panels. This portable heat pump packs a ton of cooling and heating power for its size, which may be a game-changer for some and a disappointment to others. It all depends on whether you believe EcoFlow’s marketing.
A heat pump’s ability to move heat in and out of a room is what makes these increasingly popular devices so efficient, but EcoFlow’s claims about the tiny Wave 2 are ridiculous and misleading. It shows people using it in spacious living rooms, large RVs, on the decks of boats and at outdoor campsites. Some backpackers even take it into the mountains and use it with their tents.
After a year of testing, I can assure you that the Wave 2 does not cool or heat these spaces in any meaningful way, as shown in the picture. As EcoFlow claims, it certainly won’t raise or lower the temperature by 18 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius) in just five minutes.
I tested the $799 Wave 2, which can heat and cool a cargo-container-sized surf shack as well as a camper and a small bedroom in an old Portuguese farmhouse. The fastest temperature change I’ve ever seen was an 8 degree Fahrenheit (4.6 degree Celsius) drop 30 minutesfar less than EcoFlow claims. But when the outside temperature reaches 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius), it also keeps the room temperature at or below 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius). Its worst performance results in no temperature change at all.
It’s worth noting that in certain climates, a 400W solar panel can keep the $1,199 Wave 2 running continuously with an additional battery, without having to plug it into a wall outlet. The Wave 2 is undoubtedly innovative, and a very capable device in certain limited scenarios – but it’s not the small wonder that EcoFlow seems to be.
EcoFlow’s Wave 2 is equipped with a compact compressor, condenser and heat exchanger, with exhaust and inlet pairs on both sides of the device, forming two closed loops. This system works by transferring heat from one circuit to another to cool or heat your space. JerryRigEverything has a great teardown of the Wave 2 and explains in more detail how everything works.
The Wave 2 is very small for an HVAC unit, which is both a benefit and a drawback. It measures just 20.4 x 11.7 x 13.2 inches (518 x 297 x 336 mm) and weighs just 32 pounds (14.5 kg). It’s rated at 1500W / 5100BTU hours for cooling and 1800W / 6100BTU hours for heating, but only produced about 200W to 450W in my testing. But anyone who has ever purchased an air conditioner will tell you that 5100BTU doesn’t pack a lot of air.
Basic window air conditioners commonly sold in the United States start About 8000BTU. They cost less than half the price of the Wave 2 but use far more power over time. If you can afford the extra space you need, you can also buy a much more portable 14,000BTU heat pump from Midea for $100 less than the Wave 2.
But only the Wave 2 can be had with an optional battery, which adds 17.2 pounds (7.8 kilograms) to the total weight and allows for up to 8 hours of wireless runtime. Uniquely, the battery can be charged via a DC connection with high-efficiency 700W DC power from EcoFlow’s many giant power stations. Or charge it from any power station or DC-DC charger using the battery’s XT150 socket. It can also be charged via a standard AC wall socket (820W maximum), solar power (11-60V/13A, 400W maximum) or vehicle cigarette lighter socket (200W maximum).
Placement of the Wave 2 was limited by several factors, including the rather short AC power cord and the 55.1-inch (140 cm) long ducting, which required 5-inch and 6-inch (12.7 cm and 15.2 cm) diameter openings. . You may also want to place a bucket within reach of your drain hose to collect any accumulated condensation.
Last year, I tried using the Wave 2 to heat and cool a one-room surf shack that was about 800 cubic feet in size. I wasn’t impressed because in both cases it failed to regulate the temperature effectively. However, I did benefit from having warm or cool air blown directly on me, especially while falling asleep, but it wasn’t enough to justify the price.
Then I read the fine print. Ecoflow says the Wave 2 works best in spaces smaller than 350 cubic feet (10 cubic meters), which is just enough space for a double bed and two side tables. In such a compact place, heating and cooling performance are about the same – cooling is slightly louder and heating uses slightly more power. But the Wave 2 is not a heater suitable for cold winters. Instead, it is designed to operate at temperatures from 41°F to 122°F (5C to 50C). Since EcoFlow calls it “the most powerful and compact portable air conditioner in the industry,” I tested its cooling capabilities primarily during the hot summer months.
So with my expectations reset, I’ve been using the Wave 2 for the past few weeks to cool down a small 500 cubic foot bedroom and a 364 cubic foot Sprinter van in central Portugal, where the skies are often clear and cloudless. The temperatures were too extreme for my Scottish roots.
Installing the Wave 2 in a Sprinter requires more patience than at home – but that’s true of everything in van life. After parking, I had to drag the equipment out of the truck’s storage compartment and place it in front of the passenger seat. I then connected the battery, drain hose, and outlet and carefully routed the paper-thin pipe up through the window using a thick foam insert I made. I cut the whole process down to less than 10 minutes.
I tested the cooling effect of the Wave 2 in my car at night and in direct sunlight. For the sunlight test, I closed the door and covered the inside of the window with insulation and reflectors. With cooling set to maximum, the unit is as cold as possible (16°C / 61°F), and the inside of the van is about the same as the outside, with temperatures ranging from 86°F to a muggy 99°F (30°C to 37°C) . Considering that without the Wave 2 running, the interior could easily exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Fahrenheit), which isn’t bad, but it’s still a failure in my opinion, as companies like Dometic and Coleman’s are higher A high-capacity rooftop air conditioner (costing more than $2,000) will tame that heat.
Of course, I doubt the Wave 2’s meager 5100BTU capacity wouldn’t pass this test, but EcoFlow’s pitch to vanlifers is that the Wave 2 will “cool or warm on the go” and that’s not the case, especially for RVs – many of which are The motorhome is much larger than a Class B Sprinter van, which has to be parked in the sun to take advantage of rooftop solar power to charge leisure batteries.
Cooling sprinters after the sun goes down will produce better results. On the warmest night I tested, when the outside temperature was 72 degrees Fahrenheit to 77 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius), I was able to lower the internal temperature to about 66 degrees Fahrenheit (19 degrees Celsius) and keep it there into the morning. It was so cold in the van that I needed a duvet at one point. It’s a big win, but there’s a caveat.
In my testing, the Wave 2’s optional 1159Wh battery only lasted about two and a half hours in Max mode, and more than eight hours in Eco mode (its most energy-efficient setting). That’s not enough to keep the air conditioner running all night in a mix of maximum and economy cooling modes, so I have to plug the Wave 2 into a larger solar generator I carry to power my van’s lighting, induction, etc. machine. When I woke up, the larger battery was 10% drained, leaving me with barely much power to start the day.
My last test was cooling a small room in a restored Portuguese farmhouse. Here, Wave 2 was helped by a small window in the room, cut into the two-foot-thick stone wall structure. exist There is another On a 99-degree day (37 degrees C), I managed to keep the room between 68 degrees F and 72 degrees F (20 degrees C to 22 degrees C), with the Wave 2 running on a low-to-medium mix setting, even though the house temperature Highs reach 83 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius). Touching.
Over the past year of turning it on and (mostly) off, I’ve noticed two issues with my review unit. First, the buttons on the physical control panel now only work intermittently, perhaps because they got squished during movement. That’s not really a problem, though, as I prefer to control the device using the excellent EcoFlow app, which works well over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
Even more concerning is the fact that the Wave 2 can sometimes produce very loud and annoying noises. I think this has something to do with the water pump because sometimes this happens when the water container is full or the drain hose is tangled in a way that reduces gravity’s help. The scream is the same sound reported by several other users. EcoFlow tells me there is a known issue with the water pump becoming clogged due to debris or trapped air. Affected vehicle owners can request a replacement within the warranty period.
- When initially cooling a room on its maximum setting, the Wave 2 was 53dB from one meter away, dropping to a reasonable 45dB in Eco mode, which is in line with the quietest basic window air conditioners.
- Wave 2 can automatically evaporate condensation water generated during heat exchange, but only in environments with humidity below 70%.
- Optional batteries include 100W USB-C and 18W USB-A charging ports to charge your gadgets.
- IPX4 waterproofing means the Wave 2 (and IP65 battery) can survive rain.
- The top hose pipe heats up significantly as heat exits the window (thereby cooling the room). It’s a good idea to wrap it in insulation for a more permanent installation, rather than putting heat (or cold) back into the room.
The Wave 2 heat pump is a fairly niche but interesting product, best suited for cooling and heating small spaces in temperate climates. If the insulation is good enough, it can even cool a small room in very warm climates. It’s also a good option for RVers who occasionally need DIY temperature control, especially at night and when traveling off-grid. But if you regularly need to heat or cool living spaces larger than 350 cubic feet (10 cubic meters) in more extreme climates, you should consider more traditional cooling and heating options.
Still, as a budding van enthusiast and off-grid adventurer, I’m excited about the future of battery-powered heat pumps. Wave 2 has improved upon the original EcoFlow Wave, with EcoFlow telling me the third generation will launch in 2025.
All photography by Thomas Ricker / The Verge
