Transparency note: the power station was provided to me free of charge by LePower for this test. The manufacturer had no influence on the test; the only condition was the publication of a review with included links.
Important notice: Here is only the EU version with 230 V output tested.
You can buy this via following links:
Technical data
(EU version only)
- Model: T-500
- Battery capacity: 22.2 V / 23.4 Ah / 519.48 Wh
- DC input: 12-26 V (max. 8.5 A / max. 105 W)
- PV input: 12-26 V (max. 8.5 A / max. 105 W)
- DC5525 output: 2x 12 V 5 A, max. 10 A total
- Car socket/cigarette lighter socket: 12 V 10 A
- USB-A output: 3x 5 V 3.0 A / 3x 9 V 2 A / 3x 12 V 1.5 A
- USB-C output: 5/9/12/12/15/20 V 3 A, max. 60 W
- Wireless charger: 9 V 1.1 A, max. 10 W
- AC output: 2x pure sine wave, 230 V 50 Hz, total 500 W max.
- Manufacturer: Huizhou Intelligent Energy Co. Ltd.
Packaging
The power station comes in an orange and white, fully printed cardboard box.
Following accessories are included: instructions, charger (in the form of a classic power brick) with power cord and 12 V connection for the car. A connector for solar panels is also included.
The German and English translation of the instructions is fine, there are no major errors.
Design
The housing appears very robust and has orange rubber shock absorbers on each corner. The material thickness seems to be quite substantial, it is not possible to bent the case without applying way too much force. The rubber corners ensure a non-slip stand even on smooth surfaces. Visually, the power station resembles a small toolbox.
A simpler, more elegant design with fewer prints would have been nicer, but this is just a matter of taste.
The technical data is printed on the bottom, which is very practical in case of uncertainty about the inputs and outputs without looking into the manual.
The power station measures 295 x 202 x 203 mm (including rubber corners) and weighs 6.1 kilograms.
It is easy to transport thanks to the easy-to-fold-out and very sturdy carrying handle. The handle is not ergonomically shaped, so fatigue may set in after carrying it for a long time.
Dirt could get into the uncovered ports in certain environments (especially outdoors). This is particularly relevant for the USB ports, as they are quite sensitive to foreign objects.
The display is very difficult to read when viewed from above at an angle. This can be a problem when the power station is standing on the floor and you want to look at it from above. The light blue backlight switches off automatically after 20 seconds if no button is pressed. Connecting a device to an activated output does not turn on the display. To quickly check the display in the dark, the built-in âflashlightâ can be turned on with the corresponding button. PWM does not have backlighting, but there is also no adjustable background brightness.
The buttons are quite loud and have a very distinct pressure point. They do not have backlighting. The on/off button is difficult to feel in the dark as it is no different from the other buttons. A raised edge around the button would be helpful here, especially as this also makes it more difficult to switch on accidentally.
LED light
The built-in LED lamp provides cool white light with low color rendering in only two modes (full power and SOS, which can be reached with two clicks). The light can also be activated when the power station is turned off.
It delivers 116 lumens @ 1150 lx (1 m)
Based on the luminous flux, the power should be around 1 W, which means that the runtime with a full battery should be around 450-500 hours.
The light flux is not as high and therefore only really suitable for emergencies. The LED type cannot be determined from the outside clearly, but it is likely an LED with an old SMD gull-wing package (round with integrated plastic lens and two connection fins on the side).
A more flood-like light pattern would be advantageous here in order to illuminate a larger area directly around the power station. The advantage is the lateral arrangement of the light, so that it shines directly forward when carried normally.
Batteries used
As far I can tell from the prints on the cells seen from the outside, DMEGC INR18650-26E 2600 mAh batteries are used.
The configuration is 6S 9P.
They are specified with a minimum capacity of 2500 mAh. The maximum discharge current for this cell is 7.8 A.
Other than that, there is hardly any further information about these cells and I also never heard of this company before. It remains to be seen how they perform in terms of longevity (especially cycle stability). LiFePo4 cells would be advantageous here, but with the downside of lower density and therefore increased costs and higher weight to keep the stated capacity.
I would have preferred well-known brand cells (LG, Samsung, Eve). This also raises the question of why DMEGC 3200 mAh cells were not used here, as they have both a higher discharge current and higher capacity and are only slightly more expensive (compared to the retail price of the power station). This was probably not implemented because the T-1000 is a variant with significantly greater capacity in an otherwise identical housing, which uses cells with higher capacity.
It seems that the cells are relatively easy to access, which makes it possible to replace them with the appropriate tools.
Power supply and charging
The included power supply delivers a voltage of 25 V at 4 Amps.
It weighs 424 g including the included power cord.
Outputs, voltages, and currents
The USB-A outputs do NOT support PD, but only QC. Since there is only one USB output that supports this standard, only one USB-PD device can be charged at the power station. At least two independent PD outputs (instead of three with QC3.0) would be useful here, especially considering the size and energy content, and PD is likely to become more and more common in the long term, and most notebooks and gaming handhelds only support PD in general.
Also 100 W output for PD USB-C would be nice in the future.
USB-A QC3.0 output.
Open circuit voltage: 5.13 V (display 0 W)
- 4.72 V @ 1.88 A
- 4.87 V @ 0.5 A (DCP 0.5 A)
- 11.91 V @ 1.43 A (QC 12 V, display 17 W)
Supported standards:
- QC2.0 5/9/12 V
- QC3.0 12 V
USB-C PD3.0 output
Open circuit voltage: 5.12 V (display 0 W)
- 4.86 V @ 1.95 A (DCP, display 10 W)
- 4.92 V @ 1.51 A (DCP, display 8 W)
- 4.95 V @ 1.25 A (DCP, display 7 W)
- 5.22 V @ 2.70 A (DC, display 14 W)
- 19.88 V @ 1.45 A (PD2.0, display 30 W
Supported standards:
- PD 20V 3A 60W, PPS 63 W
- Fixed: 5/9/12/15/20 V
- PPS: 3.3-21V 3A
- QC2.0 5/9/12/20 V
- QC3.0 20 V
At 2.7 A (measured during USB-C charging of a Fitorch P50), the possible DC output of the USB ports is very high.
The USB ports operate independently of each other, so more than one device can be charged using the fast charging function (QC or PD).
The power displayed on the screens seems to be quite accurate while using the USB ports and inductive charging.
Inductive charging
The button for the USB outputs also turns the inductive charging on the top of the device on or off. The smartphone (Apple iPhone 15 Pro in the test) must be placed exactly in the center for charging to take place.
Slight changes in position interrupt charging, so inductive charging is not recommended while driving in vehicles.
AC output
No-load voltage: 229.3 V 50.0 Hz
The EU âSchukoâ sockets are equipped with a built-in child safety lock.
When a device is plugged in, the voltage jumps to 231 V+ for a very short time before leveling at around 229 V. Dangerous overvoltage or undervoltage was never reached during the test. The voltage is also kept stable at 229 V ± 1 V even at over 200 W. The same goes for the frequency which stays at 50.0 Hz.
The power shown on the display varies significantly depending on the devices connected, in some cases by more than +140 W (compared to a calibrated Easymeter EasyM60 three-phase AC meter MID M23 in single-phase connection), which is particularly the case when many switching power supplies (computers, monitors, lab power supplies) are connected. The power display is therefore only useful for very rough information.
The fan switches on at around 170 W of displayed power, which, depending on the connected device and the resulting deviation in the power display, can be as low as actual 50 W. This fan is extremely loud, which makes it difficult to use in living spaces. There is no fan control, only âonâ or âoff.â The air flowing out is not even really warm (at 400 W for several minutes). A temperature-dependent fan control should definitely be retrofitted here, or the internal airflow should be reconsidered!
There is a symbol on the screen if the fan is running (no need for that, since it is very loud).
At over 560 W (actual 540 W), the power station shut down. After a few seconds, it could be switched on again without any problems.
Sometimes the T-500 is advertised with 1000 W peak. I donât know what that exactly means or how this was measured by the manufacturer, but I was not able to get more than actual 540 W from it. Above that it simply shuts off. This was also the case with a simple space heater on low setting (around 900 W), it just shuts off at around actual 540-550 Watts.
The output is sinusoidal, with no abnormalities. Laptops, computers, and switching power supplies can be operated with it without hesitation; there were no problems whatsoever in tests with a modern desktop PC, even under load (3D gaming).
12 V output (SAE J563)
Due to the lack of an adapter plug, I cannot check the voltage regulation of the 12 V outputs. The open-circuit voltage is 13.0 V, which is slightly less than the voltage of the vehicle electrical system with the alternator running (typically 13.8 V). There were no problems when operating a 12 V cooler and several FM transmitters with a connected dashcam.
The inner diameter of the socket is 22 mm. Plugs are held in place solely by the friction of the side contact springs, which can be quite wobbly depending on the plug connected, but there was no loss of contact during normal driving on paved roads (duration about 20 minutes).
There are also two DC 5525 outputs available, which are connected in parallel to the SAE J563 output and have the same voltage (13 Volts). It is important not to exceed 10 Amps from these 3 output ports in total!
Conclusion
A solid power station that does absolutely nothing wrong in its main task (supplying power) and can be recommended without hesitation. One of the advantages is the PV input, which is ideal for use in remote areas (van life, camping, etc.). Also two 230 V outlets are nice to have.
The overload protection works just fine, there were no safety flaws discovered.
A few changes to the outputs and display would improve usability. The design in the form of a small toolbox is not very elegant, but it is simple and functional, and it seems to be durable to some extent. There should be at least two USB-PD ports available.
The durability of the built-in cells (DMEGC) remains to be seen.
The only real nuisance is the fan, which can make it difficult to use in quiet environments such as living rooms or RVs, at least when higher power is drawn from the 230 V outputs.
Thanks for reading the review. 
