Dakota Lithium PS2400 power station review – Power to go

REVIEW – This winter, we had two unexplained power outages two days in a row, each lasting about half a day. It wasn’t raining, windy, or any of the usual things. With the Dakota Lithium PS2400 portable power station I now have enough juice to operate all my gadgetery and much more in a handsome package.

What is it?

The Dakota Lithium PS2400 is a portable power bank with an advertised capacity of 2060 watt hours and a high output power of 2400 watts. At the heart of the PS2400 are Dakota Lithium LifePO4 batteries.

What’s in the box?

The box was pretty big and cumbersome. No mistaking what’s inside.

• AC charging cable
• DC “cigarette” car charging plug
• Solar panel charging cable (panels not included)
• Instructions

Hardware specs

• 11 year warranty
• Rated capacity: 51.2V/40Ah, 2060Wh
• 1 – High power 30A AC outlet, 110V/60Hz (1 – 30A NEMA L5-30R Locking Receptacle)
• 3 – 20A AC wall outlets, 110V/60Hz
• Rated AC power output: 2400W (4800W peak)
• Storage temp: -20° to 45°C / -4° to 114°F
• Operating temp: 0° to 40°C / 32° to 104°F
• Charging temp: 0° to 40°C / 32° to 104°F
• AC charge input voltage: AC 100-130V
• AC charge input power: AC 1500 Watts
• Solar charge rated voltage: 12-75V, 800W Max.
• Car charger DC rated voltage: 12V/24V, 192W Max.
• Can connect a 2nd power unit in parallel
• UPS switching time: 10ms
• Car cigarette lighter socket output: 12V at 10A
• 2 – DC output: Barrel connector, 12V at 5A
• 2 – USB-A output: 5V/3A,9V/2A,12V/1.5A, 18W Max
• 2- USB-C output: 5V/9V/12V/15V,3A; 20V/5A, 100W Max
• Wireless charger: 10W
• LED light: Three brightness levels and SOS, 5W
• Weight: 55 lbs (26kg)
• Size: 16.9″L x 11.8″W x 11″H (430mm x 300mm x 280mm)
• Certification: UL 2743, UN 38.3, FCC, CE Certified

Estimated things you can charge:

– Laptops (41.4Wh) – Around 44 Recharges

– 32″ TV (60W) – Around 30 Hours

– CPAP without Heated Humidifier (15W) – Around 123 Hours

– GoPro (5.9Wh) – Around 314 Recharges

– Floodlight (5W) – Around 370 Hours

– Powertools – Around 20 Recharges

– Mini Fridge (40W) – Around 46 Hours

– Deep Freezer – Around 6 Hours

– Household Refrigerator – Around 15 Hours

– DJI Drone (89.2Wh) – Around 20 Recharges

– Smartphone (10Wh) – Around 185 Recharges

– Nintendo Switch (16Wh) – Around 115 Recharges

Design and features

The first thing I noticed about the Dakota Lithium PS2400 power station was the very clear, easy to read LCD screen. All the ports on the front are covered with flaps.

Here’s a picture of the LCD display on startup. The screen is backlit (goes dark after a while to save energy). Here you can see all the segments.

On the back is a reset switch, AC input, grounding lug, AC parallel socket, and light panel.

Beneath the built-in handles are vents. The fans turn on under higher load. I did not find the noise too objectionable, but it is not completely silent. It sounds like a PC with the fans blowing.

On the top of the Dakota Lithium PS2400 power station is a wireless charging pad. The outline practically invites you to place your phone down for charging. It’s rated for 10W max.

On the left are the DC outputs, 12V at 10A max. On the right are two USB-A (18W) and two USB-C (100W) type plugs. Both flaps are made of a rubbery, flexible material.

Under this flap on the front is a DC input to charge the PS2400. With the included cables, you can charge up the power bank from your vehicle’s cigarette port, or from a solar panel (not included). The plugs appear to resemble Anderson Power Pole-style connectors.

Each of the AC outlets are neatly tucked under a rigid, spring-loaded flap. These are rated for 20A each.

This was unexpected: The fourth plug is a NEMA L5-30R plug, a locking style receptacle that can handle up to 30A.

Here’s a close up of the rear: The reset button, AC input under a flexible flap, and a ground lug.

The Dakota Lithium PS2400 power station has an optional parallel connection port where you can connect a second PS2400 power bank to double your capacity.

Setup

There are no apps to download, no wifi, and no Bluetooth. Just plug in to charge up!

The Dakota Lithium PS2400 power station has two charging speeds. The slower mode (as indicated by the leaf icon) charges at a rate of 375 watts. From empty, the display estimates about 5 hours to full charge. Fast mode sucks up 1500W. At empty, the PS2400’s front display estimates 70 minutes to full charge. Note the “plug” icon in the upper left, which tells you it’s plugged in an AC supply. The input frequency is shown at the bottom (60 Hz).

Performance

I grabbed a few gadgets near me and let the Dakota Lithium PS2400 power station charge them up: An iPhone resting on the wireless charger, a work flashlight charging up via USB-A, and an iPad Pro via USB-C. The front panel indicates how many watts are being drawn (23W here). Too easy for the PS2400.

I topped off the PS2400 to 100% and plugged in a small heater to see how long it would run as a kind of “worst case scenario” test. I can’t imagine plugging in an electric heater into one of these, but it does draw a lot of power, and consistently.

The heater drew 1460W. At the start of the test, the screen showed an estimated 66 minutes of runtime. One hour later, the display showed 7% battery remaining, and 4 minutes of runtime left. The Dakota Lithium PS2400 power station finally gave up at 1 hour, 12 minutes (or 72 minutes).

At 1460W x 72 minutes works out to 1752 watt-hours. This is less than the listed 2060 watt-hours, but this is only one test with a purely resistive load. I have yet to see a power bank that matched it’s listed capacity.

Here’s a photo of the LED light on the back. It’s not blinding, but will give you some emergency lighting if you need it.

I knew it wouldn’t work, but I had to try anyway! No, the Dakota Lithium PS2400 power station will not charge a EV. The Tesla portable charger blinked red, indicating the lack of a ground connection.

I found out that there are some devices that won’t work with power banks or generators due to the lack of a ground. There are “plugs” you can purchase that bridge the ground to neutral, but I decided not to bother since (1) it’s not mentioned in the manual and probably voids the warranty, and (2) I’d only get a few miles of charge anyway.

What I like

• Easy to understand front LCD panel
• All ports are covered
• High power NEMA L5-30R locking outlet
• Convenient wireless charging pad
• Expandable (second battery)

What I’d change

• It’s luggable, but I wish it had wheels.

Final thoughts

In the event of a power outage lasting a few hours, I’d likely need to keep some gadgets charged up (phones, laptops, tablets). The Dakota Lithium PS2400 power station has way, way more power for that and more. This power station would make a great companion for a short RV/camping trip or tailgate party.

Price: $2099
Where to buy: Dakota Lithium
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Dakota Lithium.