The Jackery Explorer 240 is a portable power station that can be charged with solar panels, your car, or from a wall outlet. You are going to get a full review of the Jackery 240 and an overview of the Jackery 50W solar panel.
Initial look – Jackery Explorer 240
The portable solar charger is small and compact, measuring out at 9.0in Length x 7.8in Width x 5.2in Depth (23 x 20 x 13 cm). In addition to the small size, it weighs a very lean 6.6 pounds. This is mainly due to the lithium-ion battery it uses.
On the outside, you will find two vents on each side of the generator, which are used to cool it down with ease. This generator is exceptional at cooling and I have yet to find someone on YouTube who has one and says it overheats.
Next, we have an LCD display that shows you multiple important numbers when using electronics with this solar charger.
First, you get the input wattage coming in from your choice of power sources (car, wall, solar). You also have the output wattage as well when using it for your devices and electronics. Also, you get to see how much power the inverter uses after turning on the buttons for each output slot.
On the outside, you can see that each section of the generator is sectioned off into a car charger output port at 12V / 10A, a standard AC 110V outlet, (2) 5V, 2.4 amp USB outlets, and one input connection.
Each section of outputs has a button you press to turn on that specific port. Once you press the button, an LED light comes on, turning on the inverter and showing you that it is active and ready to charge something up.
The inverter inside the Jackery is pure sine wave as well, which is very important to charge devices and electronics efficiently and steadily.
For easy portability, Jackery installed a carrying handle on the top of the charger and also includes a carrying pouch for the cords it comes with, so you can set up shop easier wherever you deide to use it.
Jackery Charging And Power Options
There are three charging options with this generator.
1) Solar
There is an optional 60 watt solar panel that you can use to charge up the generator. It is a great investment because you can go off the grid right away when you get the panel and charger together. Or, if you have a solar panel already ready to go, you came prepared!
The Jackery solar panel has magnetic ends and is foldable, so it is easily portable.
One of the most efficient ways to use the solar panel is when you are not using the generator during the day. This gives you the ability to charge it up with the panel during the day when the sun is out, and then at night when you’re done with your hike and are going back to base camp, you can use the generator however you’d like.
The panel also comes with four holes on each corner, so you can attach it to many different areas that are most useful to you, like an RV, tent, house, and much more.
When the panel is on and running, a blue LED light lights up on the side of it, where the USB attachment is located.
The connections on the panel include a USB-A and USB-C connection to charge electronics directly from the solar panel.
For more power, Jackery has the Solarsaga 100W panel that’s essentially the same construction as the 60W panel but is simply larger.
2) Car Charger
The car charger is included in the generator kit. When using it, it takes seven to eight hours to fully charge the generator.
This method works great while driving during the day. Then you can use the power you get from charging it in the car towards power at night. Or, you can use it in the car on a road trip and people could use it while it’s charging.
3) Wall Charger
Similar to the car charger, the wall charger is included in the Jackery package. It charges the generator in seven to eight hours.
What Can You Use With The Jackery Solar Charger?
- Laptop: 4+ Times
- Smartphones: 17+ times
- Tablets 14+ times
- Cameras: 30+ times
- Mini Fridges: 3+ hours
- Mavic Pro Drone: 4+ times
- USB Small Fan: 40+ hours
- TV: 3+ hours
Battery Performance
The Jackery solar charger has a 240Wh lithium ion battery and pure sine wave inverter within it. They’re lightweight and top of the line for generators of this size.
- The AC 110V outlet’s max output is 200 watts. Anything more than that will override the generator and it won’t work
- The generator cools easily and remains consistently cool while in use
- The inverter makes very little noise
- The battery capacity is really good at a higher load, which is rare for most generators like it
- Can use the battery while it is charging (the battery wont charge as fast, though)
- Charges at a very low amp rate (2-3 amps)
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Portable, light, and powerful
- Lithium-ion battery
- LCD Screen
- Stays cool when using consistently
- Carrying handle – easy portability
- 30-day money back guarantee, 2 year warranty
Cons
- Slow to charge up
- Not ideal for long trips
- The system shuts off without warning when it’s out of battery
Frequently Asked Questions
How many amps is the ac outlet output?
The Explorer 240 portable power station AC outlet output is 200W, 110V, so the amperage is 1.8Amps.
Is this waterproof? If so, for how long?
The Jackery Explorer 240 Portable Power Station is not rated as waterproof.
Can you use this indoors during a power outage?
Yes, you can use it indoors during a power outage to charge your phone, laptop, LED light, and other devices.
Can I fly with it?
No. The Jackery Explorer 240 portable power station has 240Wh power, the commercial airliners have a maximum allowance of 100Wh.
Conclusion
The Jackery solar charger is ideal for camping, RV use, boating, home backup for small electronics, natural disaster relief, and many other areas.
Along with a solar panel, this generator has off-grid capabilities and is small and compact, making it easily portable, too!
For a great power back up system that doesn’t cost you a fortune, find the Jackery portable power bank here on Amazon.
For a slightly bigger power station from Jackery, read my review of the Jackery 300 here: Jackery Explorer 300 Review & Test (Plus Comparisons).