With the Blackbee 2000, Alphaess launches its second battery box in Europe. This box was also advertised with a kickstart campaign, but certainly not financed. Alphaess is not a start-up and certainly does not have to collect money from users to finance the production of the first boxes. The company is one of the global giants for battery solutions. A giant who is now also entering the business with mobile electricity dispensers. This would also have been one of the reasons that speak for a Blackbee. Here you can be sure that the device comes from a renowned manufacturer. With some newcomers, it’s quite possible that the company may no longer exist before the warranty expires. That won’t happen to you with a Blackbee.
Unsurprisingly, the black bee with the addition “2000” ranks in the 2000 class of power boxes. That means it offers around 2000 watt hours of storage capacity (exactly: 2203) and you can connect devices to the four sockets for 230 volt alternating current that consume 1600 watts in continuous operation. In the short term it is 3000 watts.
A 2000 is a perfect all-rounder. With smaller boxes in the 1000 class, you always have to keep an eye on which devices you want to connect and many just don’t work. And for those who are just walking, the power doesn’t last long. 2000 watt output and 2000 watt capacity maintain a harmonious balance of both parameters. In addition, a box like the Blackbee 2000 is still mobile. Emphasis on “yet”. With a weight of 22.3 kilograms, you don’t want to go hiking with it, but you can still transport it. With larger systems that weigh almost 50 kilograms, mobility is then very limited.
Visually, the box is kept in the bee colors yellow and black. It is conspicuous and sends signals like “construction site” and “work”. For comparison: The systems from Jackery shine in a leisure orange, Ecoflow prefers a noble anthracite so that the boxes fit into the environment of a doctor’s office or an apartment. The Blackbee 2000, on the other hand, is more similar to the professional tradesmen’s tools from Dewalt, not just in terms of looks, but also in terms of appearance. The box makes a solid, stable impression – as if it would withstand rough everyday use. This can also be seen in details such as the fact that the back has a rubber stopper and two distinctive bulges on the front protect the sensitive sockets and switches. But be careful: the Blackbee also has ventilation slots because of the heat development. You can’t leave a box like this out in the rain. The box is easy to carry on the integrated side brackets, and the weight of 23.3 kilograms is of course noticeable. The cube has the dimensions of 43.8 x 34 x 28.3 centimeters.
The system stores 2203 watt-hours – as with all boxes, less is actually usable because the black bee itself consumes electricity during operation. 1600 watts can be tapped from the four 230 volt sockets in continuous operation, 3000 watts are also possible for short periods. What does that mean? The box delivers this value for a few minutes. There is enough time for many tools. This covers the majority of all electrical devices with plugs – whether drills, TVs or hobby table saws. Such a box only has to fit with very heavy loads such as an electric hob with four heating zones. The charging is also suitable for the tradesman. In 1.5 hours, the box fills up 80 percent of its capacity at the socket. The power supply is integrated – so you don’t have to carry an extra device with you. The box has a small compartment on the back in which a charging cable can be stowed.
A solar panel can be plugged in parallel to the socket if you want to go even faster. Alphaess offers its own 300 watt solar bag. The SP300 comes in a handy protective case and also includes the bee color code. It meets IP67 and is therefore waterproof. The solar bag is easy to set up anywhere. It should be noted, however, that a folding panel with 300 watts of power is not exactly small. The SP300 weighs 12 kilograms. The panel itself measures 90 x 65 x 3 centimeters when folded, the protective bag then adds a little more. At Alphaess, the current flows in a cable with standard plugs (Anderson) and not in a special format of its own. Basically, foldable bags are more expensive than a rigid solar panel, but they are mobile. It should therefore also be used on mobile devices. In the test, solar charging worked as expected – with the caveat that the yield is of course low in winter. In addition to the four 230 volt sockets, the box offers four USB 3 and two USB C sockets for inputs and outputs. In the 12 volt range, there is the vehicle plug (10 amps or 120 watts) and two jack sockets, each with 5 amps and 3 amps.
Power boxes are often mentioned in connection with camping and van life. It is true that more campers than craftsmen present their boxes online. Most boxes, including the Blackbee 2000, are designed for 230 volt alternating current. If you do have a great need for 12 volt direct current, the following picture emerges: All three 12 volt connections deliver 210 watts together, but not for one consumer. If that’s not enough, you could also bring the two USB-C outputs to 12 volts with a converter, which would be another 120 watts (60 watts each). The simple way of converting the 230 volt alternating current into direct current is not recommended because of the double losses.
As a special feature of the Blackbee, you can charge two smartphones on the top using wireless charging. The Blackbee 2000 comes without an app. We wouldn’t see that as a disadvantage. An app is particularly important for complex systems with multiple modules. The proportion of users who want and are able to optimize cell management themselves is very small. Most customers are better off with a “turn on and run” device. The Blackbee 2000 guarantees about 1600 charging cycles – after that the box is not over, its capacity then drops to 80 percent. Converted this means: Assuming that the box is fully discharged every other day, this corresponds to a use of 10 years. Such a use is only realistic in the commercial sector, in the leisure or hobby segment one can assume 20 years.
There are now countless providers on the market – from global companies to no-names. The manufacturer Alphaess clearly speaks for the Blackbee 2000. The industry standard is delivered here. Alphaess promises to comply with the same standards as for e-cars (automotive grade). Newcomers can make a lot of promises, and a company like Alphaess is judged on the ability to keep those promises. The basic data of the different boxes of a class hardly differ in the big trains, but they specialize in a niche. The Blackbee series is a robust system for rough use that works reliably as a stand-alone. Incidentally, the market is also fairly homogeneous in terms of price, so you can practically convert the capacity into euros. The regular price for the Blackbee is 2199 euros. You could order the box much cheaper on Kickstarter. The chance is gone, but a note: Ordering products from a start-up via a Kickstarter campaign always carries a risk. It’s different with companies like Alphaess, they don’t do a campaign like this for the money, but to attract attention.
For the market launch, the box is again available with a respectable discount. With the code “Stern123” the price shrinks to 1539 euros – that’s 30 percent. Hence the “super cheap” in the headline. The same applies to the SP300 solar panel. Here the regular price drops from 799 euros to 559 euros with the code “Stern111”.
The promotion ends on March 20th.
Because of the high demand, power boxes are usually sold at the official price. In the last few months, all EU stocks of individual boxes have been sold at once because of the war in Ukraine. All manufacturers start discount campaigns from time to time. It is not possible for the customer to predict which devices will be recorded and when. In any case, a 30 percent discount is huge. If you are looking for a 2000-class box, you should take a close look at the Blackbee 2000.
Bait offers without VAT are appearing more and more, but they are dubious, since these boxes clearly do not fall under the regulations on the tax exemption for solar systems. Buyers will have to pay sales tax afterwards.
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