Jackery Explorer 500 V2 review: Portable power in its simplest form

Welcome to T3’s review of the Jackery Explorer 500 V2, an easy-to-carry 500W portable power station for outdoor activities as well as a home emergency backup for low-draw appliances and devices.

Having recently given five glowing stars to the excellent Bluetti Elite 30 V2, Jackery now enters the fray with a similarly specced unit aimed at users who prioritise increased battery capacity and longer running times over app connectivity and the ability to run higher-draw appliances above its 500W rating.

Let’s take a closer look at the Explorer 500 V2.

Jackery Explorer 500 V2 portable power station review

Price and availability

In the UK, the Jackery Explorer 500 V2’s official retail price was a whopping £449 but it’s now available for a more reasonable £269 from Jackery and Amazon.

In the USA, the Explorer 500 V2 is available direct from Jackery ($449) or $359 from Amazon and Walmart.

Specifications

• Power output: 500W
• Battery capacity: 512Wh
• Max surge power: 1,000W
• Battery cell chemistry: LiFePO (Lithium Iron Phosphate)
• Battery cycle life: 6,000
• AC outputs: 2 x 230V, 16.7A
• UPS auto switch: <10ms
• USB outputs: 2 x USB-C 100W + 30W; 2 x USB-A 18W
• DC outputs: 1 x 12v 10A
• AC input: 230V, 10A
• DC/Solar input: 16-60V,10.5A, 200W
• Charging time: Around 1.3 hours
• Dimensions: 31.1×20.5×15.7cm
• Weight: 5.7kg (12.57lbs)
• Storage Temperature: -20℃ to 45℃ (-4℉ to 113℉)
• Warranty: 5 years

Design and features

As small-form portable power stations go, the Jackery Explorer 500 v2 makes a persuasive first impression with its clean toolbox design, fold-down carry handle, twin AC outlets, gaggle of USB ports, obligatory 12v 10amp DC output and bright LED lamp.

At 31.1×20.5×15.7cm and a reasonable 5.7kg in weight, the new 500 is significantly smaller (by 30%) and lighter than its popular predecessor, making it easy to lift and carry with one hand, fit into a car boot or stow along with your camping accoutrements without it swallowing precious space.

For the front panel, you get a straightforward layout of ports and a rectangular two-inch LCD screen, which is pretty small by today’s standards.

This display doesn’t overwhelm the user with fancy graphics, but in many ways I wish it did, because the interface doesn’t give the user any info on the hours remaining when using the device, and I think that’s a major oversight.

Also, when I powered my MacBook Air M3 during a four-hour power outage, the screen showed zero output, as if it was too low a wattage to register. Odd.

Another thing this model lacks is both WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, so you can’t view or operate it via the Jackery app, change any settings or initiate firmware updates, which often improve a product’s functionality.

But perhaps that was Jackery’s thinking all along – to build a simplified and extremely intuitive battery power unit for users who don’t want to wade through app menus, voltage options and other complex technical parameters.

On the connectivity front, you get two 230V AC outlets, two USB-C ports (100W and 30W), a standard 18W USB-A port and a 12V 10-amp car socket for powering up a myriad of lower-wattage camping devices and, on the side, Jackery’s unique DC8020 input for attaching solar panels up to 200W output.

I say unique because Jackery is the only power station manufacturer to use DC8020 connectors for solar panel connection, when almost every other PS manufacturer uses an XT60 connector with an MC4 adapter from the solar panel.

Granted, Jackery’s portable SolarSaga range of foldable solar panels is a perfect match for its power stations (their 200W panel will charge the Explorer 500 V2 in about 2.8 hours), but if you wanted to use a different brand of solar panel, you’d need to buy a hard-to-find MC4 to DC8020 adaptor.

You can obviously also charge this model via the mains in about 75 minutes or a car’s 12-volt cigarette lighter port in six hours.

The Explorer 500 V2 has a power rating of 500W, a good battery capacity of 512Wh and an unadvertised surge peak feature of up to 1,000W.

While it’s a great option for camping and UPS emergency internet, TV and lighting backup use (it switches over in the obligatory 10ms), it can’t match the Bluetti Elite 30 V2 for sheer power and versatility.

Unlike the excellent Bluetti, which lowers the current of power-ravenous devices of up to 1.5kW in output so they can run continuously, this model’s surge peak feature is just for kick-starting devices that draw extra power when starting up before they settle down to more modest power consumption.

Since some power tools typically consume two to three times the power their continuous operating wattage suggests, this model may not be the best solution for outdoor DIY projects.

On the plus side, the Explorer 500 V2’s LiFePO4 battery boasts an impressive 6,000-cycle life, and the whole shebang comes with a generous 5-year warranty.

However, it only comes with an orange AC cable and an operating manual, but no DC cigarette charger for boosting the battery while driving.

Performance

I love the size, shape, styling and low-ish weight of the Explorer 500 V2. However, while it sports better battery capacity than one of its closest competitors, the Bluetti Elite 30 V2, it can’t match the Bluetti for outright power-to-weight and app connectivity. It also costs £90 more than the Bluetti.

I’ve written this entire review using the Explorer V2 because we have had no power for the past four hours while our village’s main transformer is being changed.

Admittedly, I’ve only been using my MacBook Air M3 wth it, but so far it says there’s still a healthy 80% of battery capacity remaining, and that's pretty decent in my book.

However, I wish I could tell how much use I’d get in hours and minutes, but, as mentioned above, Jackery opted to omit that kind of info on the unit’s interface.

I have, however, tested it using my 800W Meaco blow heater in low mode. Sadly, unlike the 600W Bluetti Elite 30 V2, which ran the heater without issue when switched to low-power mode, the Explorer 500 V2’s inverter cut out after just 41 seconds.

I also noticed that the AC output light didn’t switch off immediately to let the user know the AC was no longer functioning, which meant anything else plugged into the power station – like a phone, tablet, or an important CPAP machine – would also stop receiving electricity.

The upshot is that you would need to keep a lid on pushing this model much beyond its stated 500W output, and, in an ideal world, only use devices you know are well below 500W; otherwise, you may be disappointed with its performance.

Nevertheless, as a no-frills outdoor workhorse for most camping gear like air tent pumps, small camping kettles, and other light-duty tasks like phone, laptop, drone, and tablet charging, the Jackery Explorer 500 V2 is still worth some investigation. No, it’s not as versatile as the Bluetti Elite 30 V2, but its battery will last longer between charges.

What devices will the Bluetti Elite 30 V2 handle?

The Explorer 500 V2 has a power output of 500W and a power surge rate of around 1,000W that will power a decent tranche of smaller devices and appliances around the home and outdoors. Here’s a list of some examples:

HOME BACKUP:

WiFi router (around 10W) = 30 hrs

TV system with Sky Q box and sound bar (around 127W) = up to 3 hrs

LED table lamp (27W) = 19 hrs

Apple iMac M4 = up to 3 hours depending on usage

Apple MacBook Pro M4 laptop computer 4 times

NAS storage (20W) =1.137 BTUs/min 5 hrs

CPAP machine for sleep-related breathing disorders (around 15W) = 16.8 hrs

500W Fan heater = 0.8 hrs

Small electric kettle (500W) = 0.8 hrs

CAMPING & OUTDOORS:

Diesel heater (around 30W) = 10.5 hrs

Ecoflow Glacier 35L fridge freezer (55W) = approx 6.5 hrs

Starlink satellite internet (30W) = 10.5 hrs

Bluetooth speaker (10W) = 28 hrs

Charge a smartphone 17 times

Charge an action camera 64 times

Charge an e-bike 0.8 times

Verdict

If you go car camping or need a simple power station for emergency backup use in the home, the Jackery Explorer 500 V2 will do the trick. However, its lack of app connectivity and, perhaps more crucially, its inability to run higher-draw appliances for more than about 40 seconds at a time throttle its overall appeal.