I’ve relied on energy stations for outside shoots and placement work over the previous yr as a result of they remove battery anxiousness and bridge the hole between studio and placement setups. With the Energy 2000, DJI elevates the facility station with a high-capacity unit that includes user-friendly design and tight integration with their ecosystem. Is it value including to your gear?
DJI is synonymous with drones and gimbals, however for some time now, they’ve been lively within the transportable energy house, with the Energy 1000 and Energy 500. Shifting into this area of interest looks like a simple enterprise case examine: DJI has expertise with designing batteries and battery administration methods to be used in difficult situations like drones, plus they’ve turn into properly regarded for his or her capacity to make advanced electronics accessible to a large viewers.
With the brand new DJI Energy 2000, the corporate is constructing on these strengths. This unit sits on the prime of their Energy lineup, boasting an immense capability of two,048 Wh and options that really feel properly fitted to everybody from a nature documentary videographer to a vogue photographer seeking to arrange lights on a NYC nook. In the identical means the Phantom sequence of drones made superior drone know-how accessible to everybody, the DJI Energy line feels poised to do the identical for high-end transportable energy. After spending a while with it within the area and within the studio, I can say it is one of the well-thought-out energy stations I’ve used, particularly for these already invested within the DJI ecosystem.
First Impressions
Proper out of the field, the DJI Energy 2000 brings the clear and high-tech design language customers have come to anticipate from DJI. It’s a dense, strong unit, weighing about 50 lbs, however the built-in handles and well-balanced weight make it manageable to maneuver round a location or elevate right into a automotive.
What stands out is the sheer number of ports on the entrance panel. DJI has outfitted the Energy 2000 to deal with nearly any gadget a creator may use. You get 4 normal AC retailers, 4 USB-A ports (24 W every), and 4 highly effective USB-C ports (two at 140 W and two at 65 W), making them able to fast-charging a MacBook Professional, gaming laptop computer, or drone with ease. For extra specialised wants, there’s even a 30 A NEMA plug, good for powering an RV’s home equipment. General, this collection of normal ports may be very helpful and feels extra tailor-made to content material creators than a number of the normal energy station merchandise I’ve reviewed, with the additional high-wattage USB-C ports being
The actually distinctive ports on the entrance are the 2 proprietary SDC ports, which I’ll discuss extra about in a second. Collectively, this collection of ports ensures you may simply energy a medium-sized manufacturing (drawing as much as 3 kW) from a single field or simply by no means have to fret about swapping round cords in your RV or on the campsite.
Energy and Efficiency
On the core of the Energy 2000 is a large 2,048 Wh LiFePO4 battery. This battery chemistry trades a little bit of power density for considerably enhanced security and longevity. DJI charges the battery for 4,000 cycles whereas retaining 80% capability, which interprets to roughly 10 years of every day use. That 4,000 cycles will get even crazier whenever you bear in mind it’s referring to 2 kWh of capability, that means informal customers drawing a pair hundred watts a day will see many, a few years go by earlier than an considerable drop in battery life.
For context, 2 kWh is sufficient to energy a demanding load for an prolonged interval. It’s sufficient to recharge your laptop computer about 20 instances, energy 300 W of video lights for a complete shoot day, or preserve a transportable fridge working for practically two days. In the meantime, with a steady output of three,000 W, the Energy 2000 can sustain with heavy hundreds on all of the out there retailers, providing successfully two North American residential circuit breakers’ value of present.
Each in use and when recharging, the Energy 2000 may be very quiet. Whereas recharging from a wall outlet at 1,800 W (going from 0–80% in underneath an hour), the followers are rated at underneath 30 dB. In observe, it’s far quieter than a family fridge—a large benefit over a loud fuel generator on set or in a distant pure panorama.
The Ecosystem
Whereas the Energy 2000 is a superb energy station for any person, its integration into the DJI ecosystem through the SDC ports is what makes it particular for drone pilots. Utilizing a devoted SDC-to-drone charging cable, you possibly can rapid-charge DJI drone batteries at unprecedented speeds. For a Mavic 3, this implies you may cost a battery from 10% to 95% in simply 32 minutes.
You’ll be able to primarily recharge a battery as quick as you possibly can fly by one. As a substitute of bringing a number of batteries for a timelapse session or a heavy day of taking pictures, you possibly can cycle by just some, holding your package lighter and even saving on drone batteries. Bear in mind, although, the drone batteries nonetheless want to chill appropriately after each use and charging to finest preserve their well being!
This function alone helps the Energy 2000 stand out from competing merchandise on this more and more crowded house. And whereas I’m not a fan of proprietary ports or requirements, there’s simply no means across the want for a self-started normal right here. Happily, DJI has proven they’re persevering with to help the usual by launching new SDC cables at cheap costs, with the adapters sitting round $20, even for brand new cables for the Mavic 4 and enterprise-grade drones.
At Residence
The Energy 2000’s utility extends properly past location shoots. Within the studio or simply at dwelling, it features as a high-quality uninterruptible energy provide (UPS). With a switchover time of simply 10 ms, properly inside the 16 ms ATX specification for computer systems, it may possibly preserve your modifying rig, NAS, or different {hardware} working seamlessly by an influence flicker or full outage. Given its big capability and output functionality, you may run a number of high-power workstations for an hour or extra, in comparison with simply quarter-hour on a conventional lead-acid UPS.
The interior elements are additionally constructed for reliability. Whereas I didn’t tear down my unit, I’ve seen breakdowns from others that reveal in depth protections like protecting potting on the weather, with DJI themselves claiming a nano-coating on the circuit boards to withstand moisture and condensation. That’s only one a part of DJI’s “eightfold security,” which pairs a sensible BMS with 26 temperature sensors, 21 built-in fuses, flame-retardant supplies, and inherently safer LFP cell chemistry.
The companion app is equally properly thought out. It’s clear, easy, and gives clear perception into cost ranges, enter/output wattage per port, and remaining runtime. Whereas it might not have the granular, power-user options of some rivals (like time-of-use charging), it’s nonetheless a robust device. I’m assured I may hand the app to a nontechnical member of the family and they’d instantly perceive the way to use it. I even have plenty of confidence in DJI’s software program improvement and deployment procedures, given their prolonged historical past of growing extra advanced apps for cell platforms.
No product is ideal, nevertheless, and the Energy 2000 has one small quirk. Whereas it helps photo voltaic charging, this requires a separate Photo voltaic Panel Adapter Module. This module works properly, nevertheless it’s a further buy that screws into the aspect of the unit with an inelegant dangling wire. In an in any other case glossy and built-in design, it seems like a little bit of a compromise in comparison with rivals who construct the photo voltaic enter controller straight into the chassis. I get photo voltaic won’t be a core focus, significantly for a 2 kWh battery pack (which’ll take hours to cost from even a giant financial institution of photo voltaic panels), however nonetheless, it’s a bit cumbersome.
Remaining Ideas
The DJI Energy 2000 is a really succesful flagship for DJI’s transportable energy line. It’s a top-tier unit with wonderful capability, output, and charging speeds—all wrapped in a user-friendly bundle. For any content material creator, it’s a unbelievable device that ought to utterly remove energy anxiousness on location or out in nature, even when off-grid for a number of days.
In case you’re already invested in DJI drones, the Energy 2000 turns into much more compelling, particularly in comparison with competing stations. The SDC fast-charging port places it above different models with a function they simply can’t match.
The DJI Energy 2000 is on the market for buy now from B&H, together with the Energy 1000 and Energy 500.
What I Favored
Large 2,048 Wh capability and three,000 W steady output.
Wonderful collection of ports, together with 4 USB-C ports.
Distinctive SDC port for fast charging of DJI drone batteries.
Extremely-fast and quiet AC recharging.
UPS mode with a quick 10 ms switchover.
Clear, intuitive app and person interface.
What May Be Improved
Photo voltaic charging requires a separate, considerably clunky adapter module that’s offered individually.
