We have been a big fan of ZeroBreeze for a few years now.
Their portable AC unit really is an incredible bit of kit (don’t worry if you haven’t heard of this, more on that below).
So when we discovered they had recently launched the ElecHive 2500 power station, I simply HAD to give it a try!
Not just because it looked like a fantastic addition to their AC unit, but because spec-wise it stood out amongst the best and most powerful power stations available!
Well, after more than a month of use, I wanted to give my in-depth review of the ElecHive below.
Discussing not just what makes it unique and appealing, but also what limitations it has.
And overall sharing who I think it is well suited to.
Let’s get straight into it …
Full Disclosure: We received courtesy product from Zero Breeze in exchange for our honest review only. All opinions expressed here are our own.
We first discovered ZeroBreeze, as you may have too, because of their portable AC unit.
Honestly, their MARK 2 AC unit is a genuine lifesaver, by far the most cost-efficient and power-efficient AC unit we could find for our own travels or driving our camper around the world.
We went so far as to hard-install into our van and make it a permanent part of the setup; and 2 years of hard use after it is still going strong.
So long story short … These guys know how to develop innovative, cost-effective tech that works.
They are all about squeezing lots of power into as much small space as possible, and I suppose that’s why the power station was the logical next step.
The company as a whole doesn’t have a huge range. They are not solely a power station producer, like other companies such as Jackery or BLUETTI.
Instead, they have a limited range of highly efficient and powerful products that naturally work great together.
Is this to say you should only consider buying the ElecHive 2500 if you already have an AC unit?
No.
And let me tell you why …
When I came across the ElecHive, my initial thoughts were that it was developed solely as a solution to help power the Mark 2.
Well, it does do a great job at this, especially as it’s a 24v power station and the ZeroBreeze AC runs solely on 24v, so without something like this you need some sort of 12v to 24v step up converter.
So long story short, it saves you that process and you can power your AC unit straight off this.
But as you will see, it’s fully possible to review the ElecHive as a standalone power station. Not just something to power a 24v AC unit.
To do this, let’s look at its key features.
This thing is a beast.
There's no other way to put it. Zero Breeze has packed an incredible amount of battery capacity into this thing.
In fact its size-to-power ratio is one of their key selling points.
Fundamentally, they needed to produce a beasty power station that was capable of running the Zero Breeze Mark 2 AC unit which draws an incredible amount of 24v power.
But what’s impressive is that they manage to build all of that capacity (plus the tech necessary for the power station to run) into such a small unit.
I’m going to reference the Anker 767 a few times in this guide now, as it’s the closest unit I have personally used (extensively) and can use as a benchmark.
If you haven’t heard of it, the Anker 767 PowerHouse is, well, a powerhouse! Offering huge battery capacity, lots of outlets, and great portability.
It also comes from the company Anker, famed for years for producing battery banks.
But even still, the ElecHive is SIGNIFICANTLY more compact than the 767. All while offering MORE battery capacity.
They are both similarly priced, but the Anker has 2048 Wh of capacity, vs the 2500Wh as offered by the ElecHive. That’s 25% more!
Bottom line here, the capacity (the amount of actually usable battery power) that the ElecHive has is astounding.
Okay so battery capacity isn’t everything, you also need to consider the actual power the unit has, i.e how many Watts it is.
This will dictate what size of device you can actually power through your station.
The ElecHive runs with a 2200W inverter. Meaning that it can comfortably tackle most high power electronics. For reference this is normal for a unit of this size, the Anker 767 has a 2300W inverter.
The ElecHive also has a 4000W surge, meaning that it can run up to 4000W devices but only for shorter periods of time.
Another key thing to consider when looking at an inverter is its noise. When running at high capacity, I’ve found that many power stations kick out a lot of noise. Even if it’s just a small 600W unit.
To test this I actually used both the Anker 767 and the ElecHive 2500 to recharge our houseboat’s battery capacity instead of running our petrol generator.
As you’d imagine both were significantly more quiet, each kicking out just over 1500W consistently.
You can certainly hear the whir when the cooling fans kick in, but the noise wasn’t anything above what you’d expect, and the unit did indeed keep much quieter. It’s worth noting that when I plugged the ElecHive in it was at 90% and I took it off at about 15%.
So it was running for well over an hour at this level and did so effortlessly, the Anker ran for less time despite being 100% full, due simply to the fact the ElecHive has that 25% larger capacity.
One of the useful features of the ElecHive is that it has a number of different ways to charge it. The most obvious and easiest is home charging through a typical mains AC outlet.
The standard charger that comes with it charges at 240W. Meaning that to fully recharge the unit from empty to fully will take a little over 10 hours. Which is fine if you are happy to leave the unit overnight and then plan to reuse each day.
For those that require faster charging, they have both a 600W power supply and a 1250W power supply. These do cost extra and I haven’t personally tried them. But through basic math you can see that the 600W charger will recharge the unit in 4-5 hours & the 1250W one in around 2 hours.
Having these flexible charging modes is super useful, especially as the unit is so large.
The only comparison again I have with this is the Anker 767 which does have just one power cable and the fast charging capabilities inbuilt.
So it’s just something to bear in mind that if you want this fast charging capability, you will need to pay more for it. You can check the current prices of these fast chargers here:
You’ve probably heard the phrase “solar generator” being bandied around a lot along with “power station”. The only difference being that a solar generator is a unit that also comes with a panel.
Meaning you can generate your own power when off grid to recharge your power station. The ElecHive is solar compatible, like almost every other power station these days.
One difference being though the ElecHive has the capacity for a LOT of solar to go in at one time.
Smaller units are typically limited to say 200W of solar input. The ElecHive has an inbuilt MPPT which allows for up to 1250W. Which is a lot!
At full whack this could mean recharging your unit at the same speed as a mains household fast charger.
This will of course depend on a number of conditions and would require a large solar array.
However, this is entirely possible if you plan to use the ElecHive for a more off-grid permanent living situation where you have panels permanently in place and plugged into your ElecHive to recharge throughout the day as sunlight comes and goes.
What this means is that, due to its humongous battery capacity and compatibility with such a large solar array, this is a realistic unit to have as a home power backup solution for intermittent power outages.
Zero Breeze does sell their own solar panels, which I haven’t yet used. You can check these out here.
Finally, it’s possible to charge the ElecHive through a cigarette socket while driving. This does so at a rate of 240W, so would require a lot of driving to keep topped up. Which may or may not be super convenient.
But this is no different to other power stations. Just the only thing to be aware of you will need to buy an adapter for this, as it doesn’t come as standard when ordering.
You can find the ElecHive car charger here.
The ElecHive has 10 outlets in total. Which is tonnes and pretty standard for a unit of this size and power. For the UK model at least, these outputs include:
I must admit, the whole Anderson connector inputs and outputs is very new to me, and not something I have seen on any of the power stations I have yet reviewed.
In terms of cross-compatibility, it does mean you need more specific adaptors if you wish to use your new ElecHive with other solar panels.
This is one of the switches on the back of the unit. It simply means that if the device is left running but the draw from the AC or DC outputs is less than 100mA, then the unit will automatically turn itself off.
It essentially helps prevent the ElecHive from slowly draining itself down over time if you’ve forgotten to switch it off.
One of the many pieces of tech inside of the ElecHive is an advanced BMS (battery management system). You need one of these to help properly charge, discharge and protect the lithium cells that make up the battery.
A cool feature of this unit is the little switch on the back which allows you to either select the unit to be fully discharged or just 90%.
In the long run, having it set to 90% means the unit will never fully drain down and this can help extend the life of the batteries.
The ElecHive has a fairly substantial temperature tolerance range, where it can operate in as low as -20 degrees Celsius or as high as 40 degrees Celsius.
Agin, one job of the advanced BMS inside is to look for safer batteries in extreme climates such as these to ensure they are being safely charged and discharged and can limit this ability if the temperature goes outside of these ranges.
But what it does mean is you have a piece of mind taking and using the power station in more extreme conditions; without fear of damaging it.
One of the amazing things about the ElecHive, as discussed above, is just how much power has been squeezed into such a comparatively small space.
This is one of the ElecHive’s biggest strengths. But I did just want to make note of the fact that it is extremely heavy for its comparative size and this can affect its portability.
The Anker 767 is designed much larger but with wheels and a fold out handle, so getting it from A to B can often be much more convenient, despite its larger size. Whereas the ElecHive doesn’t have this.
It’s just something to bear in mind, if you plan on venturing out into the wilderness a bit, you will want to consider a way to help carry your ElecHive for that final stretch as it may be quite heavy to carry for extended distances.
If, like me, you have used a lot of other big name power stations, you will find that the charging ports in the ElecHive are very different.
Perhaps it’s just me, but I haven’t yet seen Anderson connectors being used. It’s no drawback as such, but just something to be aware of.
It is also worth realizing that beyond a standard charger, you don’t get any of the faster chargers included with the price, so will need to factor this into the overall cost if using things like fast charging is important to you.
Short answer?
YES!
Long answer?
As I have said in all the other power stations I have reviewed now (which seems to be a lot!) you really need to first think about exactly what uses you will have for your power station before you go and buy one.
Of course, you want to buy from a well known and trusted brand with great support.
But you also want to buy a unit that matches the use cases that you need it for.
In this case, I genuinely think the Zero Breeze ElecHive is an incredible piece of kit. The closest comparison case I have for such a beasty and powerful unit is the Anker 767. Comparable in price; but other than some potential portability concerns, the ElecHive comes out on top.
In fact, you could even argue that the ElecHive wins even here, because the unit is simply so small compared to the massive amounts of power it packs inside.
It’s certainly not perfect of course. I’m not a huge fan of the Anderson adaptors, and there is less cross-use because other brands don’t use them.
But this isn’t really a concern if you only plan on owning one station (rather than becoming a serial-obsessed power station owner like me).
Based on my back and forth with the Zero Breeze team regarding both the AC unit and now the ElecHive, they really are a lovely group and very helpful.
So if you are looking to purchase a high-end power station that packs a serious amount of power, then yes this unit should be a top contender for your money.
Just be aware that you will need to pay extra for a few pieces of equipment that I have found come as standard in other units, including here:
The best place to buy anything from ZeroBreeze is directly through their website.
They don’t seem to have a big presence anywhere else (i.e. Amazon) so your best bet is simply to go direct.
You can check out the products listed in the guide through the following links:
I suppose the only person who can answer this question is …
Well …
You!
Let me know in the comments below. And do the same if you have any other questions not addressed above.
I tried to be as in-depth and useful as possible here.
Opting to purchase a power station can be an expensive and important decision so all views expressed above are truthful and my own.
In the meantime, here are some other guides you might find useful:
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