REVIEW – It seems like two or three times a year we lose power. Thunderstorms, hurricanes, or high winds knock down trees and power lines, and suddenly everything in the house is off. When these sorts of events happen, it would be nice to have some way to keep the computers, refrigerators, and other important gadgets and appliances running, at least for a while. To that end, I am testing a power station and solar panel combo from OUPES.
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $
Where to buy: Amazon
What is it?
The OUPES Exodus 1500 is a portable power station that offers 1500 watts of rated power. It can be charged by AC outlet, DC car charger, or solar panel, and it provides power via three AC outlets, three DC outlets, and four USB ports.
What’s included?
The following items are included:
- Power station
- User manual
- Car charger to Anderson charging cable
- MC4 to Anderson charging cable
- AC charging cable
OUPES also included a 240-watt solar panel that has both MC4 and DC outputs on its built-in cable.
Tech Specs
- Rated Power Output (AC): 1500 watts
- Peak Power Output (AC): 3600 watts
- Rated Voltage Output (DC): 12 volts
- Rated Current Output (DC): 10 amps
- Max Output (USB-A): 18 watts
- Max Output (USB-C): 140 watts
- Battery Capacity: 1488 Wh
- Battery Type: LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate)
- Size: 14.1 x 10.7 x 10.9 inches
- Weight: 30.5 pounds
‼️ This product uses a high-voltage lithium battery and poses a fire risk. Never leave the battery unattended while charging, and always disconnect the charger once the battery is full. Learn more about lithium battery safety here.
Design and Features
The design of the Exodus 1500 is both concise and effective. All of the outputs and the LCD display are on the front, and the inputs are on the right side. There’s a handle along the back and four rubbery feet on the bottom. The all-matte black plastic with an occasional highlight is a reserved look that fits this product well.
Assembly, Installation, and Setup
The Exodus 1500 arrived carefully packaged in custom foam inserts. I removed everything from its packaging and then read through the manual, where I learned a few important details:
- To turn it on, press and hold the power button for three seconds.
- To then use an AC output, press the AC button and to use a DC or USB output, press the DC button.
- To turn off the display while keeping the power station on, tap the power button.
- If the main power is turned on but the AC and DC outputs are not, the power station will turn off after five minutes.
- If the main power and the AC or DC output are turned on but not connected to a load, the power station will turn off after six hours.
- It takes two hours to charge from 0 to 80% and one more hour to charge to 100%.
You can see a short overview of the Exodus 1500 in this video:
Performance
When the Exodus 1500 first arrived, it already charged to 64%. I connected it to a fan in order to fully discharge it. I then connected it to the AC charging cable and found that it took 3 hours and 15 minutes to charge to 80% and 4 hours and 10 minutes to 100%, quite a bit longer than the stated specs.
The LCD display is larger, crisp, and clear. It shows the current battery life, the outputs that are enabled, and amount of power coming in and/or going out. This is an effective display that provides all the info that I need in an easy-to-read manner.
My first test was to connect my work setup to the power station and see if it could power it for an entire day. I have 2021 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 chip and a 43-inch Dell monitor. I connected a USB hub (with an Apple keyboard and a HyperX mouse) and a card reader to the laptop. I read online that this computer can take up to 96 watts and the monitor 250 watts. I found that the Exodus 1500 could power my laptop and monitor for a pair of 9-hour days and still had about 5% left over. That is time enough to get a lot of work done! If I had been willing to drop the monitor, it certainly could have powered the laptop much longer.
My second test was to see how long it could power my Samsung Bespoke refrigerator; this is a newer, efficient fridge that only draws 3.5 A. The Exodus 1500 was able to power it for 20.5 hours. This is more than enough to get through shorter power outages, those that occur during non-catastrophic events.
My third test was to see how long it took for the sun to recharge the power station using the included solar panel. I have a south-facing house, so I began charging in my backyard for the morning. The panel does not have a mechanism to enable it to stand on its own, so I propped it up against my back deck.
I then moved it to my front yard for the afternoon. I found that the panel provided anywhere from 138 to 180 W, depending upon how strong the sun was. I charged it all day, and it managed to restore it to 76% of its max capacity. That’s not too bad.
I love the extra-long cable on it; it’s an astounding 18.5 ft long. This allows me to locate the panels wherever there’s a lot of sun while keeping the power station back on my porch, protected from the elements.
This is a large set of panels, and it comes with five built-in straps with snaps. Four are used to keep the panels closed, and one is used to secure the cable (along with two Velcro ties). I really appreciate this attention to detail.
My fourth and final test was to see how long I could keep my fridge running using both the Exodus 1500 and the Exodus 1200, which I reviewed previously. I am hoping that a strategy of using one while powering the other will allow me to keep it running for several days. This is an optimal test for the following reasons:
- One, I started at 5pm. The first panel will be used all night and then charged the next day, while the second panel runs during the day. I will then rinse and repeat.
- Two, I selected a start day when my weather app predicted that there would be five sunny days in a row.
- Three, only my wife and I live here; there are no kids opening and closing the fridge all day.
- Four, this is an energy-efficient appliance, only drawing half the current that my older fridge draws.
In other words, these results should let me know the best possible results that I could expect in the event of a sustained power outage. I started testing Sunday night at 5pm, and by Thursday morning at 7am, both power stations were empty. This means my setup was able to keep power running to my fridge for three and a half days, which is outstanding. We’ve had several power outages over the last few years, but none longer than three days. I am very pleased with these results; this setup provides some of mind as I know an errant storm won’t completely wipe out the food we have in our fridge.
If I want this to last even longer, I would need to acquire additional solar panels. The included panel did a great job recharging the stations, and I highly recommend getting a 240W panel over a 100W one, but even so it can only power them so quickly. Daisy-chaining additional panels or connecting one panel to each power station would allow for faster charging.
It turns out that in a pinch, the OUPES Exodus 1500 also makes a good chair for a grandson.
Final Thoughts
The OUPES Exodus 1500 power station provides 1500 watts for use on AC and DC outlets as well as USB ports. At 30 pounds, it’s reasonably portable using the large (albeit off-centered) handle on the back. It had no problems powering computers, monitors, and my Samsung refrigerator. The Exodus has an optional 240-watt solar panel that can almost charge the power station back to full in a single day during the winter and no doubt completely full during the summer. Although the panel adds nearly $400 to the cost, I think it’s completely worth it; the ability to recharge when the power is out is just too good. If you’re looking for a way to power your gadgets the next time a storm knocks you off the grid, I recommend taking a look at the OUPES Exodus 1500.
What I like about the OUPES Exodus 1500 power station
- Lots of power
- Clear, crisp display
- Extra-large solar panel for faster charging
- Really long cable on the solar panel
What needs to be improved?
- Nothing
Price: $449 ($719 with panel) at OUPES; $799 at Amazon
Where to buy: OUPES or Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided free of charge by OUPES. OUPES did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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