EcoFlow Wave Portable Air Conditioner + Add-On Battery Review: A Surprisingly Versatile Off-Grid Cooling Solution

We’ve reviewed several power products from EcoFlow, including batteries, solar panels, and a Smart Generator. The company has branched out and added a new device that takes advantage of this portable power to keep you cool. The EcoFlow Wave is a 4,000 BTU portable air conditioner sold with or without an add-on battery; with the battery, it is perfect for keeping a smaller space cool, even when the power is out.

Meant to cool a space of around 6 m² (or 64.6 ft²), which is about the size of a medium-sized tent or slightly larger than what passes as an apartment in New York, the Wave may seem like a frivolous glamping accessory, and sure, you could use it for that. But more importantly, owning this little AC and its add-on battery could mean the difference between a loved one staying comfortable or overheating in a summer power outage.

The Wave can be powered by AC or with the EcoFlow add-on battery sold in this bundle (the Wave is also available without the add-on battery), and there are also other power options I’ll tell you about shortly.

The Wave comes with two expandable hoses for intake/outtake, an AC power cable, a drain hose, and snap-on ducting for both the rear and front of the unit.

The EcoFlow Wave weighs in at 38.58 pounds, and it’s 20.39 tall by 12.2″ wide by 16.38″ deep, or about the size of the DELTA Max portable power station.

The tubes provide two options for using the EcoFlow Wave.

You can connect both hoses to the back of the AC when using the unit inside the area it will be cooling; this allows fresh air to be brought in and the exhaust to be sent out, which is important to keep your space cool.

I’ve used it to supplement my RV’s AC on super hot days when it couldn’t keep up, and it worked so well that I’m building a cover for my RV’s window to connect the hoses so I can use the Wave with it sitting on the kitchen counter.

With this configuration, the EcoFlow Wave portable air conditioner can be placed and used indoors.

If you intend to run the EcoFlow Wave with it sitting outside of the space you want to cool, you’ll connect the front adapter and run the hose into the area. This works well and saves room when tent camping or in smaller areas; only the cool air comes in, and there’s no running-AC sound. Just be aware that the EcoFlow Wave is not dust or water-resistant if you use it outside.

The controls on the EcoFlow Wave are intuitive, with the dial containing a large, clear display. You simply use the mode button to switch functions and then turn the knob to the desired setting.

The Wave’s modes include:

• Cooling Mode  – Powerful 4000BTU cooling using the inverter compressor.
• Eco Mode – Choose between low, medium, and high settings. Eco Mode intelligently switches between fan and cooling settings to extend run times beyond what would usually be possible. The app will give you an estimated run time, so you’ve got peace of mind and stay cool.
• Timer Mode – Set EcoFlow Wave to run for a predetermined time. The unit will automatically turn off after your timer ends.
• Fan Mode – Use EcoFlow Wave in fan mode to keep air circulation high without using as much energy.

The EcoFlow app quickly connects to the Wave and allows for control from a distance. This is a fantastic feature if you’re camping and don’t want to leave your tent, or maybe you don’t feel like getting up to adjust the temperature or the runtime.

The EcoFlow Wave can be used with or without the add-on battery, which provides 1008Wh of power and weighs 17.4 pounds on its own. The Wave add-on battery conveniently locks into place at the base of the AC.

Using the extra battery cable on the Max or the smart generator adapter on the Pro, you can also power the Wave with a DELTA Max/Pro or either of their extra batteries. I love how EcoFlow thoughtfully designs its products to complement and work well with each other!

The only negative of the Wave add-on battery’s design is that the battery has to be disconnected if you’re using another portable battery option to power the Wave. I’d prefer that the add-on battery stay connected to the Wave and possibly even be charged when the Wave is connected to my EcoFlow Delta Max, for instance.

You can plug the EcoFlow Wave into a standard AC outlet with the add-on battery installed to charge the battery and run the AC simultaneously. When using the Wave with an EcoFlow DELTA Max/Pro or Max/Pro extra batteries, they can be charged via AC (500W charging rate), solar, or car at a 200W charging rate. It’s not advised that you run the AC while charging the power packs via car or solar.

Depending upon the EcoFlow battery you use with the Wave, you can expect anywhere from three to twelve hours of cooling.

Using the assumption that the average power consumption will be 330W per hour for Wave under 26°C (78.8ºF) with the lowest volume of air, EcoFlow says you can expect 3 hours of solid use from the Wave add-on battery.

A smarter option if you need cooling to last more than just a few hours would be to operate the Wave in Eco mode, which alternates between cooling and fan modes to keep you comfortable for up to 8 hours.

Alternately, you can expect 5-6 hours of solid from the DELTA Max and up to 12 hours of solid use from the DELTA Pro. Imagine how much longer the Wave could run when powered by those batteries in Eco Mode!

The EcoFlow Wave can cool a 6m² space by 6 degrees in 8 minutes. This time of year, all of us on the Gulf Coast have our eyes on the tropics. With days still hitting the mid-90ºs where I live, I can see the Wave bringing cooling relief if we get a storm and the power is out for a few days. If you’re in the market for a portable air conditioner that can run on AC or battery power with a solar recharge option for the batteries, you can’t go wrong with the EcoFlow Wave.

The EcoFlow Wave Portable Air Conditioner + Add-On Battery retails for $1799; it is available directly from the manufacturer.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What I Like: You can run the EcoFlow Wave when the power is out or when you’re off-grid; The Wave add-on battery can tun the Wave for up to 3 hours of solid use or up to 8 hours in Eco Mode; The Wave add-on battery locks into place on the bottom of the device; You can also power the Wave with a DELTA Max/Pro or either of their extra batteries for longer runtimes

What Needs Improvement: The Wave add-on battery has to be disconnected if you’re using another portable battery option to power the device