Jackery Solar Generator 1000

AREAS OF APPLICATION FOR THE POWER STATION JACKERY EXPLORER 1000 EU

Backup for onboard batteries: If you want to take another step towards a self-sufficient energy supply, you need reliable backups. The mobile lithium-ion battery with 1002 watt hours takes up comparatively little space in the camper and, together with the foldable SolarSaga 100 solar module, is a solid backup system.

Compact camper without inverter: Smaller vehicles are limited in space. The 1000 W inverter installed in the Jackery Explorer 1000 is therefore interesting for campers who do not have a permanently installed inverter in their vehicle.

Freestanding with the camper: The Jackery Explorer 1000 is ideal for supplying coffee machines, laptops, drones or a cool box with power – even away from campsites. Solar charging with the SolarSaga 100 is particularly interesting. If you are detached with your camper in the south, you usually have enough hours of sunshine per day.

Advantages and disadvantages Jackery Explorer 1000 Power Station

• Robust housing
• Specified capacity is even exceeded
• Powerful 2,000 Watt maximum output
• USB-C with Power Delivery
• Charging with 12 to 30 volts possible
• Y-parallel cable for two solar modules included
• The display is easy to read even in direct sunlight
• Lithium-ion batteries with long service life
• Integrated MPPT controller
• No fan speed regulation
• The housing of the Jackery Explorer 1000EU

The Jackery Explorer 1000 is comparable in size to a 6-bottle beverage crate. It measures 33.3 x 23.3 x 28.3 cm and thus takes up less space in the motorhome or caravan than an electric cooler.

Nevertheless, it remains the largest Jackery Power Station we have tested so far – while the Explorer 240 and 500 models were still noticeably more compact, the Explorer 1000’s increased space requirement noticeable.

Dimensions Weight

• PowerOak Bluetti EB240 52 x 17 x 32 cm 22 kg
• PowerOak AC50S 20 x 19.6 x 26 cm 7.5 kg
• PowerOak AC200P 42 x 28 x 38.5 cm 27.5 kg
• Jackery Explorer 240 23 x 14.2 x 20 cm 3 kg
• Jackery Explorer 500 30 x 19.3 x 23.4 cm 6.4 kg
• Jackery Explorer 1000 33.3 x 23.3 x 28.3 cm 10 kg

In addition, the powerful Explorer 1000 solar generator is more than three times heavier than the Explorer 240. If you are a festival camper with a small vehicle and want to save on payload and weight, you should go for the Explorer 240 or the Explorer 500.

Nevertheless, we were pleasantly surprised by the weight of the mobile battery.

Why?

If you calculate what the power stations can do per kilogram of weight, the Jackery Explorer 1000 is the lightest power station we have tested so far!

As with the Explorer 500, we find a spot LED on the left side that we can use as a torch at night. The manufacturer has even thought of an SOS function – this is activated by holding down the LED button for a few seconds. Then the lamp flashes in the SOS pattern and lets our surroundings know that it is an emergency.

As with the Explorer 240 and 500, all the connections are otherwise on the front of the Explorer 1000. 

At the top left, we find a DC round plug and an Anderson input, which serve as charging sockets. These two connections can be used to recharge the battery of the Explorer 1000. 

The DC input on the left is for an 8 mm round plug. This input accepts 12-30 V (maximum 163 W) and is used for charging via car cable or mains adapter. The car charging cable is 1.5 metres long, which is a good length.

We use the Anderson input for charging by solar module. A corresponding Y-parallel cable is included in the scope of delivery, with which we can charge with two solar modules at the same time.

If we want to draw a direct current, we first have to press the DC button below the input area. A green shining LED informs about the activated DC section. 

We can use the car output (12 V at 10 A) or the four USB ports to the right. Two of them are USB Quick Charge ports, and the other two USB-C outputs with Power Delivery function. Laptops or drones can be charged here, for example.

At the bottom right, we find two 230 V earthed sockets that deliver 1000 W continuous power and up to 2000 W starting current. We first activate this area by pressing the AC button above the sockets. 

The integrated inverter provides a pure sine wave, which can deliver clean power like the socket at home. This means that our sensitive electronic devices do not break when we want to operate them on the Power Station (for example, laptops, TV, and music system).

The display of the Jackery Explorer 1000 in the middle is simple and clearly laid out.

We switch on display via the button labelled “Display”, which we find to the left of the display. The button activates the backlight – so we can easily use the Power Station after dark. The lighting switches off again automatically after 15 seconds to save power.

The display also switches off automatically as soon as there is no input or output current for at least 15 seconds. 

The percentage figure on the right of the display informs us precisely about the remaining capacity of the lithium-ion cells. By the way, we like this much better than a coarser division into bars, as we observed, for example, when testing the display of the AC50S from Power Oak. 

After we had already praised the good readability of the LC display of the Explorer 240 and 500, the Explorer 1000 did not disappoint us in this respect either: especially in direct sunlight, the display is still easily recognisable, and it is also relatively viewing angle resistant. 

We proved that this feature is not a matter of course in our test of the AC200P at the latest: Here, the display was clearly more challenging to read in direct sunlight.

In addition to this essential function, the display provides two other values: Both input and output power are shown in watts. 

“Input” shows us how many watts we are currently charging with. This value is aggregated, so if you are charging with several solar modules, you can read the total sum in watts here. A light blue LED to the left of the display button indicates that the Power Station is actually charging.

The “Output” value is displayed as a total. It includes all consumers that are currently consuming power from the battery. 

In addition, the “Output” value already includes the consumption of internal electronics. This means that we can calculate more precisely how long the Jackery Explorer 1000 will last for certain consumers until it is empty.

CHARGING THE JACKERY EXPLORER 1000

Three different methods can charge the Jackery Explorer 1000 Power Station:

1. Via the solar system (DC input or Anderson input).
2. With the car charging cable included in the scope of delivery
3. Via the power supply unit with DC hollow plug included in the scope of delivery

The light blue LED to the left of the display lights up as soon as the Jackery Explorer 1000 is charging. In addition, we can see in the display under “Input” how many watts are currently being charged.

However, if you charge the Power Station Jackery Explorer 1000 in your motorhome at night, you should cover this relatively strong LED so as not to disturb your sleep. During the day, this is an advantage: even in strong sunlight, the LED is still visible. 

In our test, the charging process with the mains adapter from 0 to 100 percent capacity took 7 hours 45 minutes.

Using the cigarette lighter, the charging process takes about 14 hours.

The charging power of the connected solar module can be maximised via the integrated MPPT charge controller. 

Charging with a solar panel SolarSaga from Jackery with 100 watts takes about 13 hours in the sunshine. 

With two SolarSaga connected, the charging time drops to about 7:30 hours in the sunshine. The Y-cable needed for the parallel connection of two panels is already included with this Power Station and does not have to be purchased separately.

We tested charging with our SolarSaga 100 in mid-July on a sunny day at 1 pm. With a cloudless sky and an ideal set-up angle, the input power fluctuated between 90 and 95 watts, according to the Explorer 1000.

Two connected SolarSaga already deliver so much power that the charging electronics of the Explorer Powerstation regulate the charging current down to 160 watts.

As soon as the charging process is finished, the display shows 0 watts under “Input”. The charge level indicator is then at 100 per cent – this means the lithium-ion cells are fully charged.

We always notice the well-thought-out construction of the Power Station in the small details. The car plug has a non-slip rubber coating – that’s practical if you have sunscreen on your hands (like we did during the test).

The charging process via the mains adapter is also completely silent – the fan does not start. So you are not unnecessarily disturbed in your well-earned sleep when the Explorer 1000 is charging in the camper.

By the way, simultaneous charging and discharging of the Jackery Explorer 1000 is possible without any problems.

The 18650 lithium-ion battery cells installed in this Power Station are not only lighter but also much more durable than conventional AGM batteries. This is why the Power Station lasts for several years, even with daily use before the battery becomes too weak.

The manufacturer specifies a maximum capacity of 1002 watt-hours at 46.4 Ah and 21.6 V for the Power Station Explorer 1000.

This puts the mobile power station in the upper midfield of the Power Stations available on the German market.

We took our old halogen construction site floodlight out of the cellar and checked the manufacturer’s specifications: Our tests on the capacity of the Jackery Explorer 1000EU showed that about 905-watt hours can actually be drawn from the battery via the 230-volt sockets.

That is a pleasingly good result! We have observed a loss of more than 20 % of the maximum capacity with other power stations.

Indicated capacity 1002 watt-hours

Removable capacity (230 V) 905 watt-hours

Since (good) modern batteries always retain part of their capacity when discharging as an “emergency reserve” to protect against deep discharge, and since, in our experience, the power loss of an inverter is about 10 %, the battery cells of the Jackery Explorer 1000 probably even have a little more than 1002 Wh capacity. 

So Jackery was pleasantly honest when stating the maximum capacity!

One more hint: notebooks, televisions and many other appliances do not always have exactly the indicated power. This is because, for example, you can turn down the brightness of the TV set in the evening hours.

We carried out performance tests on each socket and were surprised. Jackery states a continuous power of 1,000 watts for the Explorer 1000 – this is incorrect. The Power Station delivers considerably more!

Integrated battery management system

Inside the Explorer 1000 is a battery management system or BMS for short. It protects the battery from being handled too roughly by the user.

The BMS protects against overheating, short-circuiting, overloading, overcharging and total discharge.

This means that when you plug in your 2.2 kilowatts Weber electric grill, the Powerstation will switch off after a short time to prevent it from overheating. 

This prolongs the life of the battery and protects against accidents (keyword: fire hazard from batteries).

By the way, the permissible operating temperature is between -10 and 40 degrees Celsius. 

If the Explorer is running in a camper with a temperature of 55 degrees Celsius and your shirt from the day before is hanging over the ventilation slots, the BMS will also switch off the power station after some time.

In our tests, this shutdown always worked without any problems – however, as with the Jackery Explorer 240, without any warnings on display.

Power tests at the 230-volt output

Of particular interest to campers is the performance of the 230-volt Schuko. With our test unit, we measured a voltage deviation of less than 2 % at the AC output. This extremely good value should satisfy even the most sensitive electrical device.

The internal inverter also still delivers a stable sine wave even at high load.

According to Jackery, we can connect one or more consumers to the AC output whose consumption does not permanently exceed 1000 watts in total.

For exceptionally high starting currents, the Jackery Explorer 1000 can supply a 2000 watts peak for a short time.

So much for the theory.

In fact, in the test, we were able to make a cup of coffee on our 1,400-watt espresso machine without any problems. The heating process takes about 2 minutes.

A whole pot of coffee with the 1,000-watt coffee maker was no problem. We could even run our 1,160-watt raclette grill continuously – we ended the experiment after 15 minutes, and the Powerstation would have lasted even longer.

The mobile power station always remained pleasantly cool, and the casing did not even get warm to the touch. So the fan works well.

By the way, the inverter’s own consumption is comparatively low. When it is switched on via the AC button, the display shows consumption of 8 watts. 

An efficient inverter is vital if you operate devices with low consumption for many hours. For example, your notebook or a refrigerator.

Power tests at the 12-volt output

The cigarette lighter provides 12 volts and 10 A, i.e. 120 watts.

Thanks to the relatively high voltage of the internal battery of 21.6 V, the 12-volt output is very stable even under maximum load.

Operating a cool box at the 12-volt output was possible without any problems in our test.

Performance tests on the USB ports

At the first USB-A output, we get 2.4 amps at 5 volts (12 watts). The second USB-A port is capable of Quick Charge 3.0 and therefore delivers up to 18 watts.

Mobile devices can recharge even more power at the two USB-C ports: Thanks to PD capability, they provide up to 12 V and 3 A (36 W).

So you can charge your mobile phones and notebooks really quickly with this Power Station.

The power loss due to idling was so low in the test that we could not measure it. This is important, for example, if you want to protect your motorhome with an alarm system. The Bosch spexor alarm device we tested remains active for many months with a Power Station behind it.

Powerful Power Stations need fans to keep a cool head during operation.

In our Jackery Explorer 1000, the fans cool the device well even at maximum continuous load and work comparatively quietly: We measured 49 dB(A) at a distance of 50 centimetres from the device.

In a quiet environment, this is audible for about 10 metres; on a busy campsite, the fan can be heard within a radius of 3 metres around the unit.

We have heard much louder fans in other Power Stations.

Great: The fan remains completely silent when charging the mobile battery and using the DC and USB connections.

If there is a permanent load on the 230V socket, the fan starts up at about 80 watts. 

Here you will find important tips to make using the Jackery Explorer 1000 Power Station easier.

• Can I charge my e-bike with the Explorer 1000?

Yes, this should be possible without any problems – as long as the bike’s charger has a maximum power of 1000 watts.

Electric bike batteries often have a high capacity, typically around 400 Wh. The Jackery Explorer 1000 is therefore sufficient for this.

• How do I properly care for the Power Station when camping?

At the campsite, some particular challenges await the Power Station:

Pay attention to the air temperature. The ideal operating temperature for the Jackery Explorer 1000EU is 0 – 40 degrees. It quickly gets very hot in tents and closed vehicles. On sunny days, open a window so the battery doesn’t get too warm.

Is the unit wet? If the Power Station has to spend the night in a cold awning, a large amount of condensation can form on the unit at night. If this is the case, the Explorer 1000 should be dried in the morning sun before you switch it on.

After we were already convinced by the Explorer 240 and 500, the powerhouse Explorer 1000 from Jackery has now also shown what it can do in the test. And that’s not all – Jackery has even improved the connections!

While we criticised the lack of a USB-C port with Power Delivery on the smaller two Power Stations, we can now charge our drone or Macbook via USB-C with Power Delivery on the Explorer 1000 without any problems.

It remains a trade-off between the Explorer 500 and 1000. If you need more power and don’t want to miss the coffee maker with 800 watts for the morning energy boost, you have to plan for around three kilograms more weight. 

But this should only be a problem in rare cases – after all, the Jackery Explorer 1000 is the power station with the lowest weight per watt-hour capacity we have had in the test so far.