Portable power station questions, answered

Yes — that is what the 240 V pure sine wave output is for.

Zeliox systems deliver 1,000 W continuous (ECO SLIM), 2,000 W (ECO II) or 4,000 W (NEO 4000). That covers chargers, lighting and small tools at the bottom end, and circular saws, grinders, mitre saws and mobile workshop gear at the top. Check the rating plate on your heaviest tool against the system’s continuous output.

Yes, within the system's surge rating. ECO II peaks at 4,000 W and NEO 4000 at 8,000 W — roughly double their continuous output.

That headroom is exactly what covers the momentary spike when an induction motor spins up, which is usually several times the tool’s running draw. Peak power vs continuous power explains how to read the two numbers.

Continuous power is what the system will supply all day. Peak — or surge — is a much larger figure it can deliver for a few seconds while a motor starts.

Size the system on continuous output for the load you actually run, then check the peak figure covers your biggest start-up. A system chosen on its peak number will disappoint you by mid-morning.

Yes. Zeliox inverters produce a pure sine wave — the same waveform as mains power.

That matters for insulation testers, multimeters, thermal cameras, PLCs, laptops and modern tool chargers, all of which can misbehave on the modified square wave that cheap inverters produce. What is a pure sine wave inverter?

Several, alongside site lighting and a radio, depending on total load and the capacity you configure.

Chargers are a light load individually, so the practical method is simple: add up the rated watts printed on each charger and keep the total under the system’s continuous output.

It depends on the machine, and this is one to check rather than assume.

A small inverter welder at low amperage can run from a 4,000 W system, but welding is a heavy sustained draw and plenty of machines exceed what any battery system supplies comfortably. Send us the rating plate and we will tell you straight whether it will work — talk to the team.

Yes, for the portable compressors used for tyre inflation and light air tools.

Larger workshop compressors draw a heavy start-up current, so check the rating plate against the system’s surge figure before committing.

Anything whose sustained draw exceeds the system’s continuous output, and anything heavy that runs for hours.

Rooftop air conditioning on a small system, large workshop compressors, big welders and resistive heating gear are the usual limits. With those loads the constraint is often capacity rather than output — the system can supply the watts, but not for as long as you need them.

About 2 hours in a prepared vehicle, against roughly 9 hours for an equivalent system built from separate components.

Most of that difference is cable routing, mounting several devices and troubleshooting compatibility between them — work an integrated unit does not create. Cut installation time.

No. Zeliox is designed for installation by an auto electrician or a qualified installer.

The system connects to the vehicle’s charging circuit and carries enough energy to matter if it is wired badly. That is not DIY work, and doing it yourself is a good way to find the edge of a warranty.

Utes, vans, service bodies, trucks and 4WD canopies, on both 12 V and 24 V electrical systems — including HiAce, Transit, Sprinter and equivalent platforms.

Space and weight are the practical constraints: an ECO II is 450 × 225 × 392 mm and 35 kg, and a NEO 4000 is 43 kg. Your installer will confirm the mounting position for your body type.

No. The system runs independently of the vehicle’s primary electrical system.

It mounts as a standalone unit and charges from the alternator without sitting in the path of anything the vehicle needs to run, which is why it is used in emergency service vehicles where that is a hard requirement.

Yes. Zeliox systems are designed to charge from both conventional and smart, variable-voltage alternators — the kind fitted to current Euro 5, Euro 6 and equivalent vehicles.

This is worth checking on any auxiliary system: a smart alternator drops its output voltage to save fuel, and a charger that expects a fixed 14 V will barely charge behind one.

Yes. Unlike a hardwired dual battery build, Zeliox is designed to transfer between compatible vehicles.

That matters more than it sounds: it means replacing a ute or reassigning a van does not write off the power system with it.

In the canopy, the tub, van racking or the cab, depending on the vehicle and what else is in there. On trucks it can go in the cab or on the chassis.

Your installer will advise on the position — access for cabling, weight distribution and keeping it out of the weather are the three things that decide it.

Lithium iron phosphate is the cell chemistry Zeliox uses. It holds capacity across far more charge cycles than lead-acid, delivers steady voltage under load, and weighs considerably less.

It is also markedly more thermally stable than the lithium-ion chemistry in laptops and phones, which is the reason it is the chemistry of choice for something bolted into a work vehicle. What is a LiFePO4 battery?

LiFePO4 cells are rated for thousands of charge cycles — typically several years of daily use before meaningful capacity loss.

That is substantially longer than lead-acid, and longer than the lithium-ion cells in most consumer portable power stations.

The BMS is the electronics that protect the pack. It balances the cells and cuts off on over-charge, over-discharge, over-current and out-of-range temperature.

It is the reason a lithium system can be treated as a piece of equipment rather than something that needs nursing. What is a battery management system?

Yes. ECO II is rated from −20 °C to +55 °C, and NEO 4000 from −20 °C to +55 °C.

ECO II uses dual forced-air fans for cooling. Both are specified for Australian summers, including cabin and canopy temperatures well above ambient.

Lithium cells will not accept charge below freezing without help, which is why NEO 4000 carries a 240 W integrated heater that brings the pack to operating temperature in about 43 minutes from −20 °C.

For alpine work, cold storage and southern winters, that heater is the difference between a system that charges on a frosty morning and one that sits there.

ECO II is rated IP20, which means it is designed to be mounted in a protected space — a canopy, a van interior, a service body — rather than exposed to direct weather.

For outdoor infrastructure sites, talk to your installer about the enclosure and mounting rather than assuming the unit will take rain.

Start with your heaviest single load, then how long you are away from a charge.

ECO SLIM (1,000 W, 0.6 kWh) suits chargers, lighting and light tools. ECO II (2,000 W, 1.3 kWh, expandable to 2.6 kWh) covers most trade vehicles. NEO 4000 (4,000 W, 2.4 kWh, expandable to 9.6 kWh) is for heavy tools, long days and fleets that need remote visibility. Compare the range.

Yes, and it is the normal way to buy. ECO II doubles from 1.3 kWh to 2.6 kWh with an expansion pack; NEO 4000 scales from 2.4 kWh to 9.6 kWh with up to three auxiliary batteries.

The core system is not replaced when you expand it, so starting with what you need now is not a decision you pay for later. Expandable power.

Yes. MPPT solar control is built in from day one, so adding panels later needs no change to the system and no extra controller.

That is worth knowing at purchase: you are not paying twice to add solar in a year.

On NEO 4000, yes — a 4.3″ HD touchscreen on the unit, plus Bluetooth and a 4G extension feeding the iOS and Android app.

That gives state of charge, consumption, charging schedules and alerts from anywhere, not just from the driver’s seat. Remote monitoring.

Yes, on telemetry-equipped units. The app shows multiple systems, which makes checking readiness before dispatch a two-minute job rather than a walk around the yard.

Standardising on one system across the fleet is what makes that worth doing. Standardise fleet power.

Cabling and mounting hardware are specified as part of the install. Beyond that, the common additions are solar panels, expansion packs and the ZCM6 control module, which manages and monitors the whole system from one interface.

See accessories for the full list.