Real-World Runtime Simulator
Spec-sheet math says a battery lasts capacity ÷ watts. This simulator also charges it for the power the inverter burns just by being on. It is a simulation, not a test, and the assumptions are on the page.
1Power station and device
What the simulation does
It steps the battery down every 2 minutes until the protection cuts off, 200 times, each time drawing the uncertain inputs from a range. The battery supplies the load, the inverter's idle draw, 4–8% of the load as conversion loss, and a loss that grows with the square of the load. Usable capacity is 92–98% of the rating. A fridge cycles on and off, and the inverter keeps drawing its idle power while the compressor rests.
Where spec-sheet math misleads most
Take a Wi-Fi router and modem at 15 W. The fixed idle draw is a small share of a small station's budget and a large share of a big one's. Across 54 models, the simulation puts the spec-sheet figure 177% to 318% above its result for this load. Because the idle draw is an assumption, treat this as an estimate of the size of the effect, not a verdict on any one product.
| Model | Spec-sheet math | Simulated | Spec sheet overshoots by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus | 11.9 days | 2.8 days | 318% |
| Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus | 9.1 days | 2.4 days | 272% |
| Anker SOLIX F3800 | 9.1 days | 2.5 days | 270% |
| EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 | 9.7 days | 3.3 days | 196% |
| EcoFlow DELTA Pro | 8.5 days | 3 days | 180% |
| Anker SOLIX F3000 | 7.3 days | 2.6 days | 177% |
| Jackery Explorer 240 | 14 hours | 9 hours | 51% |
| BLUETTI Elite 200 V2 | 4.9 days | 3.2 days | 54% |
| BLUETTI Elite 100 V2 | 2.4 days | 38 hours | 54% |
| EcoFlow RIVER 3 | 14 hours | 9 hours | 55% |
Six worst-affected models first, then the four least affected. The full dataset is in the model pages; the method is in How we calculate.
Help replace the guess with a measurement
The biggest assumption here is idle draw. If you own one of these units and have a plug-in watt meter, the reading with the AC output on and nothing connected is the number that matters. Send it with the model and your meter's make and we'll show it as a reported measurement, labeled as such.
Questions
Is this a test of the power station?
Why is the simulated runtime shorter than capacity ÷ watts?
Where does the idle draw come from?
How do I measure my own idle draw?
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