Power stations are mobile power storage devices with a socket that provide power for 12-volt and 230-volt consumers as well as USB gadgets while on the move. The batteries can be charged using a home socket or mobile using a solar panel. With a battery capacity of 1069 Wh, a continuous output of 1800 watts and a weight of around 15 kg, the Litheli BS1000 is a model suitable for everyday use for around 1000 euros.
The unique selling point of this power station are the two charging slots for the U20 power banks included in delivery. These handy power storage units with 4 Ah each supply USB consumers with up to 45 watts as well as the Litheli tool series. The BS1000 also serves as a mobile charging station for drills, chainsaws, lawn mowers, edge trimmers, leaf blowers and snow blowers. In addition to tools for the workshop and garden, Litheli also offers a really strange gadget, the E-Wagon – an electrically powered handcart. This also gets its power from one of the power banks included with the power station.
Highlights from the test:
In addition to the reliably functioning basic and safety functions, we noticed other positive points when testing the BS1000:
The concept, one battery for everything. The two power banks make the electricity usable anywhere. Long-lasting LiFePO4 batteries are used. The power station is charged in under an hour. USB devices are powered with up to 100 watts via USB-C PD. A UPS function is also integrated.
What do you get for your money?
The scope of delivery of the Powerstation BS1000 includes instructions, power cable, 12-volt charging cable (cigarette lighter) and two U20 power banks including USB charging cables. The small power storage units have a capacity of 20,000 mAh and deliver up to 45 watts. In addition to USB gadgets, the U20 memories also power Lithium tools. This and the electrically powered handcart, the E-Wagon, are available to purchase as options.
The appearance of the bright BS1000 is harmonious and modern, but the design with black piano lacquer elements also reminds us of a microwave. The black plastic parts are also sensitive to scratches. When it comes to the quality of workmanship, there’s nothing to complain about; everything here seems high-quality and stable. The side carrying handles don’t creak and the power station leaves a positive impression. The display shows the active inputs and outputs, input and output power, remaining capacity in percent and the calculated remaining running time with continuous power.
If you don’t want to switch on the ports directly on the device and would like to find out about the operating status and performance data from a distance, you can also do this conveniently using the app. The software is clear, but offers little added value in practice.
With dimensions of 28 x 22 x 45 cm and a weight of around 15 kg, the BS1000 is not a lightweight, but still sufficiently mobile. To connect consumers, there are four Schuko sockets with an output of up to 1800 watts, six USB ports (2x USB-A 18 watts, 2x USB-C 20 watts, 2x USB-C 100 watts) and three 12-volts -Cans with up to 126 watts. In addition to a general on/off button, there are switches for the AC and DC ports. Otherwise, the power station has two inputs for power cables and solar panels as well as two charging slots for U20 batteries.
There is also a wireless charging system on the top. However, there currently seem to be no products available on the German market. As we learned at last year’s photovoltaic trade fair, Litheli wants to continue to expand the portfolio – for example, a wireless charger will then be available for two additional U20 power banks.
Another extra of the BS1000 is the integrated UPS function. Here the power station is connected between the power grid and the consumer and then serves as an emergency power supply in the event of a power failure. The power station works here regularly in pass-through mode. Once the battery is charged, the current is only passed through it to protect it. If the power goes out, the power station switches to the internal memory in a fraction of a second. The consumers connected to the power station do not notice anything and continue to work without any problems. In the test, the gaming PC and 3D printer simply continued working after we flipped the fuse thanks to the short switching time.
How do you charge the Litheli BS1000?
This power station can be charged either from a socket, the cigarette lighter in the car or via a solar panel. Because of the long charging time, we only recommend charging in a car in exceptional cases – charging at a home socket, however, can be done in record time. In the test, the BS1000 needed between 56 and 59 minutes until the batteries were fully charged. This makes the BS1000 even faster than the previous champion, the DJI Power 1000 (test report).
We have not yet been able to test the optionally available 200-watt solar panel from Litheli in detail due to poor weather conditions, but we will do so soon. The maximum solar output is 400 watts and so the power station with two panels can be charged in around two and a half hours – provided the weather is good.
What does the Litheli BS1000 do?
With a permanent output of up to 1800 watts and a short-term peak of 2700 watts, this power station is suitable for 90 percent of all electrical consumers, according to the manufacturer. And we actually only have a handful of devices in our household that require more power.
In practical tests with electric chainsaws, hand-held circular saws, table saws and toasters, the BS1000 did not cause any problems. Only our kettle, the induction hotplate and our heavy cross-cut saw push the power station to its limits. When these consumers are used, the internal protection mechanism is triggered immediately and reliably, which leads to the corresponding outputs being switched off and an alarm signal.
How long the devices connected to the power station can be operated depends on their performance. Powerful devices, such as the kettle with up to 1800 watts, would only work for about half an hour before the BS1000 batteries would be empty. A camping cooler, on the other hand, could be powered for almost 10 hours.
However, high efficiency is not always achieved. The losses are only low with strong 230-volt consumers and when using the direct current outputs. The inverter’s losses are significantly more significant over a long period of time. If you need little power, you should work with 12 volts instead of 230 volts; experience has shown that losses are lower here. However, this is the case with all power stations and is not a specific problem with the BS1000.
In our three capacity tests we therefore use different consumers with different levels of performance. At high load while charging another power station with a permanent 900 watts, we can get just over 90 percent or around 966 Wh of the nominal capacity of 1069 Wh. This is above average – we generally assume 80 to 85 percent usable energy. In the second test run on a PC workstation with an average power consumption of 400 watts, we got around 82 percent or 880 Wh from the BS100, which is average. In the third capacity test with a power consumption of only around 200 watts, the efficiency decreases further, but the almost 80 percent (852 Wh) is not bad.
How loud is the power station?
Unfortunately, the Litheli power station doesn’t work as quietly as the inexpensive Tallpower V2400 (test report) or the Oukitel P2001 (test report), but it isn’t really loud even under high load. The fans just whisper quietly and are reminiscent of an electric cool box. The main problem: even without load, the fans can be heard constantly. The volume and tone are tolerable, but we don’t want to sleep right next to it. Other power stations are better suited for tents or camping cars. That’s a shame, but we hope that this can be fixed soon with a firmware update.
Which devices for the U20 batteries are available?
As already mentioned, the Powerstation BS1000 is only part of a whole product series around the Powerbank U20, which is available with 2 Ah and 4 Ah. Although only some of Litheli’s devices are currently available in Germany, the product range is expected to continue to grow in the future. At least one U20 battery is included with each model.
The following products from the U20 series are currently available at Obi and online:
· E-Wagon – the electric handcart for 300 euros
Price and alternatives
The Litheli BS1000 currently costs 1000 euros, which is not exactly cheap considering the competitors. If you can do without the two U20 charging ports, you get significantly cheaper alternatives.
With regard to the two charging slots for the U20 batteries, the BS1000 has no alternative. If you like the concept of one battery for all devices, you don’t necessarily have to buy the power station. After all, the U20 batteries are also power banks and can also be charged with classic USB power supplies. If you are still looking here, you will find the best models from our individual tests in the top 10: USB-C chargers from 65 watts.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a power station suitable for everyday use, the BS1000 from Litheli is generally a good choice. The model is particularly interesting for anyone who plans to convert their tools to cordless devices and use the one-battery-for-everything concept. If it’s just about the performance data and not the product world around the U20 batteries, there are cheaper alternatives.