As an avid van-leffer, I have to carefully curate what I carry to extract every square inch of storage to support living off the grid for weeks at a time. That’s why I jumped at the chance to review DJI’s latest Power Station.
gave DJI Power 1000 Mini It’s about half the size of the original DJI Power 1000 released two years ago with the same 1kWh battery capacity. And by my reckoning, it’s also the smallest 1kWh power station from the big brands that money can currently buy.
DJI’s tiny Power Station also has a few tricks up its sleeve, including a built-in retractable USB-C cable, a light that can be controlled remotely, an integrated MPPT controller that turns it into a solar generator, and the option to quickly charge my van’s alternator when wired up to a starter battery. The domain!
In my two months of testing I found myself using the small DJI Power Station much more than expected, despite traveling with a large 8kWh battery system. The Power 1000 Mini is small enough that I don’t hesitate to grab it whenever I need to power a projector for an outdoor movie night, run my Starlink Mini Internet in a field, or power an air compressor to inflate my tires after leaving a sandy beach.
The €579 / £449 Power 1000 Mini’s small size comes with some trade-offs — dongles, Oh! – but I think DJI has struck a perfect balance between portability, versatility and power.
Right now, it’s unclear if it will be approved for sale in the U.S. because “the application for authorization is still pending,” according to DJI spokeswoman Daisy Kang.
$607
The Good
- The smallest 1kWh power station available.
- Can charge a car alternator faster.
- Built-in solar MPPT controller
- Built-in retractable USB cable
bad
- Relatively weak AC output
- USB-C maxes out at 100W.
- Dongles
- It is unclear whether it will be approved for the US.
Most people still think of DJI as a drone company, but the Chinese tech giant has branched out into several product categories, where it has introduced real innovation. For example, the incredibly small and powerful Avinox e-bike drive system it developed has radically changed what mountain bikers expect in terms of performance.
Likewise, the DJI Power 1000 Mini resets expectations of how big a 1kWh power station should be. Just see how it stacks up to the competition.
Despite shrinking the footprint, DJI couldn’t do much with weight, but much of that can be attributed to the industry settling on long-lasting LFP batteries.
Power station | Ability | The weight | Dimensions (L x W x H) | Estimated volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DJI Power 1000 Mini | 1008 Wh | 11.5 kg (25.3 lb) | 314 × 212 × 216 mm | ~14.3 liters |
| Jacky Explorer 1000 v2 | 1070 Wh | 10.8 kg (23.8 lb) | 327 × 224 × 247 mm | ~18.0 liters |
| Anchor Solux C1000 | 1056 Wh | 12.9 kg (28.4 lb) | 376 × 205 × 265 mm | ~20.4 liters |
| Ecoflow Delta 2 | 1024 Wh | 12.0 kg (27.0 lb) | 400 × 211 × 281 mm | ~23.7 liters |
| Bluetooth AC180 | 1152 | 16.0 kg (35.2 lb) | 340 × 247 × 317 mm | ~26.6 liters |
Some of DJI’s space savings are a result of using a less powerful inverter. On paper, DJI says the Power 1000 Mini can produce a continuous 800W AC output (with 1000W peak). That’s enough to power appliances like a small microwave or Instant Pot, but not a hair dryer set on a workplace maximum or power tools. For comparison, EcoFlow’s 1kWh Delta 2 and Anker’s Solix C1000 both offer 1800W continuous output.
In my testing, the Power 1000 Mini could power my 800W water boiler and, surprisingly, my Nespresso coffee machine, which can briefly pull up to 1200W. But it cannot power them simultaneously unless the power station is plugged into an AC wall jack. Then its bypass mode kicks in to provide an output of up to 2200W for my 240V European model, which drops to 1440W for the 120V US models.
Whenever I exceed its maximum limit, the Power 1000 Mini shuts down gracefully with an “overload” message on the display, and a more detailed error report in the DJI Home app. This cleared up with a simple on/off toggle of the power station.
DJI’s Power Station also saves space by relying on the SDC (Smart DC) connector to add I/O to the unit. By installing a variety of dongles, the SDC port can be converted to a 12V barrel jack output or MC4 connector for up to 400W solar panel input.
Uniquely, DJI also sells an SDC PowerCar battery charging cable that you can connect to your car’s starter battery to charge the Power 1000 Mini up to 400W while driving. That’s three times faster than charging your car’s 12V cigarette lighter socket, meaning you can take the Power 1000 Mini from empty to full in just over two hours of driving. I haven’t had a chance to test this.
Naturally, this DJI battery also offers several proprietary SDC adapters that will charge DJI’s drones faster than any other power station on the market. If you’re already big into DJI gear then getting one of their power stations is pretty much a no-brainer.
One of the best features of the Power 1000 Mini is the integrated 100W USB-C cable that retracts with a tug and magnetically folds into place. I like that the power station is long enough to reach the tabletop when it’s on the ground. I dislike that, and the unit’s integrated USB-C jack doesn’t support 140W like DJI’s original Power 1000. Fortunately, both USB-C jacks are bi-directional, so they can also be used to charge a mini DJI battery.
Power stations always have integrated lights, and can be very useful at the end of a full day’s shooting when you’re trying to pack up. I love that I can trigger it remotely from the app while I’m still in bed. That way I can light up the van enough for my wife to sleep.
1/12
I have to say, I wasn’t expecting a 1kWh battery to be so useful while traveling around southern Europe over the past several weeks. I’ve used many similar dedicated power stations before, but their size never made it a grab-and-go device, leading me to carry some smaller, but very capable, power banks instead. DJI’s Power 1000 Mini changes the equation for me, and anyone else who values portability and adaptability over raw power.
Specifications: DJI Power 1000 Mini
- Capacity: 1008 Wh (~1 kWh).
- Chemistry: Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4).
- Cycle life: Rated to retain at least 80% of its original capacity after 4,000 full charge cycles.
- Output power: Delivers 800W continuous power with a maximum rating of 1000W (and up to 1200W in enhanced output modes).
- AC Output: 2 AC sockets in regions like the EU, UK, and Australia, or 4 AC sockets in the US and Japan.
- Retractable USB-C Cable: Features a built-in, magnetically protected, and bi-directional USB-C cable that supports fast charging up to 100W.
- Standard USB-C: A standard 100W USB-C port.
- USB-A: Two standard 12W USB-A ports.
- SDC Port: A proprietary DJI SDC port that supports up to 400W input (9-28V) and 300W output.
- Smart Tech: Includes Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi for monitoring and control via the DJI app.
- Speed: Able to recharge from 0% to 80% in about 58 minutes and fully charged in about 75 minutes.
- Methods: Can be recharged via AC wall outlets, USB-C, solar panels (up to 400W using the built-in MPPT module) or car alternators (up to 400W via the SDC port).
- Weight: About 11.5 kg (25.4 lb).
- Dimensions: 314 mm x 212 mm x 216 mm (12.4 x 8.3 x 8.5 in).
- Additional features: Includes built-in LED light with SOS flashing mode, UPS mode for seamless backup power during outages, and an integrated carrying handle.
Photography by Thomas Ricker/The Verge.