Hands-On With the New Ampace Andes 1500 Portable Power Station

I live in the Deep South, which means that several times a year, we lose power due to storms or hurricanes coming in off the Gulf of Mexico, so when I was offered the chance to test the Ampace Andes 1500 Portable Power Station, I decided to give it a try.

The Ampace Andes 1500 Portable Power Station was first unveiled at CES 2024. It's notable for several reasons, not the least of which is that you can charge the device using solar panels. This makes it super convenient for extended power outages or when you're away from civilization long enough to use all the power this beast stores.

Now, you can probably see the appeal. If a hurricane hits my area, we can be without power for days to weeks at a time. Having a backup battery that can be charged using solar power (something we have an abundance of) could mean the difference between semi-comfort and outright misery.

Setting Up the Ampace Andes 1500

The first thing I noticed when I received the Andes 1500 is that it's heavy. I mean that relatively, of course. It weighs a little more than 36 pounds, so you won't be carting this along on any hiking adventures you might take, but it's also not meant to be used that way. That said, you could absolutely throw it in a camper or a boat and take it anywhere you might be headed.

There's a reason this thing is heavy, though. It packs a lithium-ion battery that provides enough power (2400W AC with a surge power of about 3600W) to charge multiple devices, run most of the gadgets you have in your home (lamps, computers, hair dryers, etc.), or even operate some appliances.

After you get it out of the box, a quick charge is a good idea. And I do mean quick. You can fully power the Andes 1500 in under an hour (55 minutes with AC power, but that does increase to 3-5 hours if you're using 600W solar power). There's also an app to download that gives you some control over the device, but I didn't download that right away.

Once charged, it's straightforward to use. Turn it on, plug your stuff in, and forget about it. The Andes 1500 has 13 total charging ports: 4 AC ports, 2 100W USB-C ports, 4 18W USB-A ports, 2 120W DC ports, and a 120W car outlet. There wasn't a time that I used it that it didn't have enough ports for all the things that I wanted to connect.

There are a couple of interesting features you'll find on this unit that you may not find on other portable power stations. One is the ambient lighting. It has color-changing lights on the top of the case that you can control with the Ampace app. They're cool, but they don't really have a function, so you can turn them off completely to conserve battery power. The other is a light below the display. This one is a bit more useful, as it can be used like a lantern to light the area around the battery. It has several modes, too, including Strobe and SOS that can help draw attention to your location if necessary.

Using the Andes 1500 Battery

So, there's nothing really sexy about a backup battery, but that doesn't mean it can't be useful. I've been fortunate and haven't encountered a storm (yet) this year that put my power out for more than a few minutes, but I did test how effective this battery would be if I needed to use it in that situation. I was able to connect my phone, laptop, and a lamp to the battery for several hours. There was still plenty of power left in the system when I gave up and disconnected everything.

I haven't tried running an appliance larger than a blender or a blower dryer with the battery, but the small appliances that I did use worked perfectly. It did take a few seconds after I turned the Andes 1500 on for power to start flowing, and you do need to press a button to turn the AC outlets on, but once powered on, it works just like you would expect it.

The Andes 1500 has a display on the front that shows the amount of power you're using, the amount of power left in the battery, and several additional metrics, and you can see all that in the app. This also lets you control some of the more custom settings, turn the Andes 1500 on or off, and monitor the remaining battery life and power output for the devices that are connected.

One thing to note here is that when it comes time to recharge the battery. If you're doing it with AC input and you want to access the fast charging, you will need the app to turn on the A-Boost feature. With A-Boost on, you can charge the battery from 0-100 percent in about 55 minutes, according to documentation. It's unclear how long it will take with the A-Boost off, and I haven't completely drained the battery on this one yet, so I wasn't able to get an accurate time, but it felt like it charged pretty quickly when I plugged it in.

Is the Ampaces Andes 1500 Worth It?

The MSRP for the Andes 1500 is about $1400, which isn't cheap, but there is a $400 off coupon available on it until July 31 (if you don't see it on Amazon, check Ampace's official website), and it's a useful backup battery to have around for when you have no access to electricity.

I spoke with a friend who is a vendor at outdoor shows who said these kinds of backup batteries are a lifesaver for running lights and fans. Then there's the fact that it also doubles as an Emergency Power Solution (EPS) that can be used in an office setting. Those are cases where something like this would be extremely useful, and I think completely worth investing in. After all, there's peace of mind in knowing that you can "keep the lights on" even when grid power isn't an option.

Update 07/24/2024: Correct the power output in paragraph 5.