Why You Can Trust CNET Look at This Adorable Little Power Station I Saw at CES
Jackery's Explorer 100 Plus is either a tiny power station or a huge power bank, Either way, it can recharge from solar panels. I took a closer look at CES 2024.
The Jackery Explorer 100 portable power station is supposedly small enough to go on an airplane, so you can watch movies on your laptop for even longer.
There are so many power stations here at CES 2024. Some are so big that they push the limits of the term portable power station. Some are bigger than I am. And then there's Jackery's Explorer 100, which I wanted to put in my pocket and take home with me. And it only costs $149.
The Explorer 100 weighs a little over 2 pounds and is really easy to carry in one hand. As the name implies, it packs a hair under 100 watt-hours of storage capacity. In terms of ports, you've got one USB-A output port and two USB-C input/output ports. Jackery says the lithium iron phosphate battery will last 2,000 cycles.
The question is: What is it good for?
Jackery said you should be able to take this power station on a plane as it's just barely under the 100Wh restriction, although I'd imagine you might draw a little attention from TSA. That could give you an extra charge or so on your laptop as you watch movies on a long flight.
This little power station could be great if you're going camping and just need to charge up your phone and other portable gadgets, although without an outlet more powerful than a USB port you likely won't be able to run bigger appliances.
The Explorer 100 can also be charged using portable solar panels, creating a full-on mini solar generator. The company plans to start selling it in combination with 40-watt solar panels soon. With a 40-watt panel, it'll charge in about five and a half hours, the company said. With a 100-watt panel, it'll take about two hours.
There are bigger portable power stations, of course. And there are power banks that take up less space but still pack enough power to charge your phone a couple of times.
Looking for more energy tech from CES 2024? Check out this power station with hot-swappable battery packs.