Power stations with a connection for 230 V consumers and an integrated solar generator are the solution for the mobile power supply of a wide variety of small and large electrical devices. Depending on the performance offered, stronger consumers such as a hair dryer, electric car or hedge trimmers can also be used. This means you are well equipped for camping or a power outage.
This individual test comes from our Powerstation theme world. The MP500 is the first power station from EBL that we have tested. We received the device from the manufacturer. At Amazon, the power station costs 499 euros. Currently you can get the device with a coupon for 309 euros.
design and equipment
The EBL MP500 measures 29 × 20 × 19 cm and weighs 6.8 kg without accessories. In order to be able to carry the 519 Wh battery safely on the go, there is a foldable handle on the top. Weight and handle make it easier to transport the power station, but also only almost 7 kg are quite uncomfortable for longer distances. Overall, the design is reminiscent of a tool box.
The case consists of a mix of orange and black plastic parts. The processing is solid, but does not tear from the stool. We didn’t notice any gaps, but a somewhat unpleasant smell, which we already know from other inexpensive power stations.
The display of the MP500 is backlit and, in addition to the current charging or discharging speed in watts, also shows the activated AC, DC and USB channels. The battery status is displayed both as a bar and as a percentage and is easy to read even in sunlight – very nice.
EBL provides three DC connections on the front. In addition to a car plug (cigarette lighter), there are also two round plug sockets, each with 12 volts. There are also three USB-A 3.0 fast charging ports and a USB-C port with PD up to 60 watts. A round socket is used to charge the power station. This can also be found in this form in Bluetti devices. There is also an Anderson connector for photovoltaic panels.
The air vents of the fans can be seen on the side. These are shaped in such a way that they offer as little entry for foreign bodies as possible – but flaps to close the passages as with the Fossibot FS2400 (test report) are not integrated. But we miss much more protective caps for the connections, which prevent moisture and dirt from getting in, especially for the low-placed Schuko plug. At the low price, that’s bearable, but it’s a pity.
EBL includes a fanless power supply with the Powerstation, which is about the size of a laptop power supply. A 12 V car charger cable and a MC4-7909 connection cable for solar modules are also included.
practice test
For our practical test, we simulated various scenarios. A classic office day with power supply for the notebook and monitor, an overload to test the protective functions, and operation at full load. Using a household AC power meter, we recorded how much of the 519 Wh capacity we can actually use. As a rule, you can expect about 85 percent of the nominal capacity here, which the power station from EBL also fulfills: in several runs, we come to between 420 Wh and 450 Wh usable capacity – so right on target.
The power station is switched on by pressing the power switch. The individual outputs are then also activated by a button, whereby you first have to wake up the display if its lighting is switched off.
In the test with a full battery, a Far Cry benchmark session runs on a private gaming PC with an average output of 420 watts for around an hour – before the power station battery is empty. On the other hand, we supply our laptop and the 4K monitor in the office for almost a day and a half. Here the MP500 also remains nice and quiet. However, if we use higher power, the fans start up audibly. Right next to the power station, we measured between 50 dB and 60 dB using a smartphone app. Overall, the volume is reasonable and pleasantly quiet, especially in the lower performance range.
We tested the wireless charging area on the top with a Pixel 6 Pro (test report) and the Pixel Buds Pro (test report). If we put a device on, the power station whistles a little at a high frequency at the beginning, but this quickly subsides. We charge here with a maximum of 10 watts, which is now quite little for smartphones, but sufficient for small in-ear headphones. Whether you absolutely need a Qi charging surface for a power station is questionable. Putting the smartphone down there is rather inconvenient, especially when used outdoors (theme world), and the charging method is also not very effective.
As a test, we plugged in a Xiaomi hair dryer with a full 1800 watts, which according to EBL’s specifications shouldn’t actually work. However, after the hair dryer continued to stutter at a medium level for several seconds at almost 970 watts, we pulled the plug out of caution and consulted the manufacturer. He informed us that the power station can also deliver up to 1000 watts for just over ten seconds – but then deactivates itself. Which we can also confirm after another test. A higher starting current is therefore not a problem for the small power storage unit. This significantly expands the usability of the MP500.
We also tried the USB ports, whereby our Pixel 6 Pro (test report) only drew 11 watts from the 60 watt power delivery port instead of the maximum possible 30 watts. Other devices, such as our laptop, were able to draw significantly more power here. Even different charging cables were not able to remedy this abnormality.
We also tested charging the power station with the optional solar panel, which can deliver a maximum output of 200 watts. However, since the MP500 is capped at 105 watts of charging power – wired or solar, charging power remains correspondingly meager. In sunny March weather, we achieve a charging capacity of around 90 watts, which would charge the power station in around six to seven hours.
The MP500 also charges with the supplied power pack for that long. It’s not particularly fast, but it’s not exceptionally slow either. Here, too, the performance offered is bearable in view of the low price. If you want to charge your power station faster, you should take a look at the Ecoflow River 2 (test report). The power adapter gets pretty warm during use, and there is no fan that would cool but make noise.
The batteries of the MP500 are classic lithium cells – but we didn’t expect the much longer-lasting LiFePO4 batteries at 300 euros. EBL specifies their lifespan as more than 1000 charging cycles. This is a good value, because manufacturers usually only specify 500 to 1000 cycles for lithium batteries. LiFePO4 batteries can achieve between 3000 and 3500 charging cycles with up to 80 percent of the nominal capacity.
prices and variants
The tested EBL MP500 has a capacity of 519 Wh at a current price of 319 euros if you activate the coupon before purchasing. However, we cannot recommend the power station at the RRP price of 499 euros – there are cheaper alternatives with similar equipment here. At the time of testing on March 22, 2023, the price was 319 euros.
EBL also offers the MP500 as an MP330 with 330 Wh for currently 219 euros instead of 299 euros, and as an MP1000 with 999 Wh for 899 euros. Here it is worth spending 50 euros more and instead buying a significantly larger power station, such as the Bluetti EB240 (test report). Optionally, you can buy a solar panel, such as that from EBL with 100 watts for currently 149 euros with a coupon instead of 199 euros.
Conclusion
The EBL MP500 is a solid power station that offers a good overall package for 309 euros. However, the performance of only 500 watts is below average and just enough to run a high-end gaming PC. Other power stations now offer more power or more watts per euro. However, you can’t go wrong with the EBL, especially when we look at other power stations, such as the CTechi GT500 (test report), which are not as solid for similar money. But if you need more performance and capacity, you have to spend more money.