EcoFlow solar-tracking robot review: beep, blop, stop!

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Consumers now have the option of converting up to 25% of the sunlight hitting cells into electricity with S olar Solar panels. The efficiency rates assume that the panels are pointed directly at the sun.

The EcoFlow Solar Tracker uses a robotic arm to keep your solar panels at a perfect 90-degree angle to the sun. The two-axis machine is able to lift and turn your solar panels in perfect harmony thanks to its sensor. It results in 30 percent more energy being produced by your panels.

The robot cost $3,399. It was confused by clouds and reflections during my week of testing and isn't nearly as portable as the company claims.

The Solar Robot can be Collapsed, folded up and transported with ease, according to Eco Flow. It backs up the claim with a poorly photoshopped image on its product page of someone casually carrying the entire assembly. The picture is not real.

Without the panels installed, the solar tracker is 55 pounds. It's a two person job moving the robot. Even though the panel arms are folded down, it is still much larger than the image would have you believe.

It took me 2.5 hours to assemble the Solar tracker and adjust the arms to hold the panels. To get the tracker up and down stairs or inside a car, you will need to partially disassemble it. It is possible to separate the frame that holds the solar panels from the robot arm in a few minutes. The Ecoflow Solar Tracker is portable, but not something you will want to do a lot.

The definition of portable was already being pushed to the extreme. I folded a 400W folding solar panel from EcoFlow into a carrying case that was 10 inches wide and 10 inches high. EcoFlow's top-of-the-line power station is fitted with a luggage-like handle and wheels for easier transport and is powered by a 100 pound Delta Pro portable battery. There is a solar panel and battery that can be used for a power generator. The Solar Tracker makes the whole thing more permanent and efficient.

The robot works well when it's sunny. This enabled the 400W panel I was using to produce between 310–330W of continuous power to the Delta Pro battery all day long without having to manually position portable panels every few hours. The robot was powered by an internal battery and a solar panel.

The Delta Pro was charging at a rate of 10 percent per hour on cloudy days. The Solar Tracker with the 400W panels can easily power a laptop, phone, portable fridge, fan, and Starlink internet with enough residual energy left over to keep the battery top up for a long time.

The tracking isn't as good as it could be. It's far from it.

My test robot grappled with the sun reflecting off an aluminum strip that frames the building next door. It wasn't until I shaded the sensor from the reflection with my shirt that it locked onto the large ball of burningplasma in the sky.

The timelapse below shows clouds as an issue. The solar tracker lost its lock on the sun a few hours later after the clouds rolled in, causing the robot to make a loud noise to let me know it was in search mode. This was done repeatedly throughout the day. The robot doesn't fall back to an estimated path when it loses track of the sun. It acts like the sun fell from the sky and needs to search the entire hemisphere for it again.

One hunt I witnessed resulted in the tracker going off for at least five minutes at a time. Two neighbors rang my doorbell to complain about the nuisance caused by the beeping. Air conditioning is rare and open windows are the norm. I had to take a break from testing before the skies came back.

When powered on, powered off, or returned to the starting position, the robot is programmed to make a continuous noise. I am aware that it is for safety. This isn't a five-ton delivery van backing up blindly and you can already hear the motor. There is no way to turn off the beeping via the Eco Flow app. It's too bad because it makes the solar tracker useless on my rooftop terrace, a place that could really benefit from a solar tracker and battery combo after I renovated it.

It is possible to add an option to control the audible alert. If noise is a dealbreaker for you, I wouldn't bet on it.

Mentions of other worthwhile things.

• EcoFlow says the robot can withstand wind speeds up to 30mph (50kph).
• It has an IP54 rating, meaning it’ll resist rain and dust, but you shouldn’t hose it down.
• EcoFlow says the Solar Tracker can also be fitted with flexible or rigid solar panels from a variety of third-party producers, so long as the panel weighs under 55 pounds (25kg) and measures less than 43 inches (1.1 meters) in width.

• The robot has a two-axis arm that rotates and lifts the panel.
• My test setup consisted of the Ecoflow battery, tracker, and folding solar panel.
• Works with folding and rigid solar panels.
• Can remove the frame that holds the solar panel to make it easier to transport.
• These finger-friendly bolts make it fast to tear things down and assemble.
• The light sensor can get confused on cloudy days and when the sun reflects off surfaces.
• A kill switch and compass are fitted to the main module.

I am sold on the ability of the Solar Tracker to maximize the conversion of sunlight into power. It is best suited for a semi-permanent installation at a busy job site or remote cabin because of its weight and unwieldy size. Your neighbors won't be annoyed by those chronic beeps.

The range anxiety felt by EV owners is similar to solar charging anxiety for anyone going off- grid for a weekend or longer. It is tiresome to have to constantly position portable panels towards the sun to maximize charging. The portable tracking robot that maximizes the efficiency of the portable panels used by space-starved van-lifers would be most welcome. Despite EcoFlow's claims, the Solar tracker isn't that.

Every smart device has a set of terms and conditions that you have to agree to before you can use it. It is not possible for us to read and analyze all of them. Since these are agreements most people don't read and can't negotiate, we're going to start counting how many times you have to agree to use the device.

Without the app, you can use the EcoFlow Solar tracker. If you want to use the EcoFlow app for basic functions, you need to pair it with an Apple device. The phone's terms of service, privacy policy, and any other permission you give are included.

You agree to install the EcoFlow app and connect it to the solar tracker.

Privacy and legal policies are available in the Eco Flow app. You must grant certain phone privileges to the EcoFlow app in order to use it.

Three mandatory EcoFlow policies are included in the final tally.

Thomas Ricker is a photographer.