Let’s go back to 2017: Donald Trump had just entered the White House (for the first time), TikTok hadn’t yet ruined a generation’s collective attention span, and four friends in Shenzhen, China, had just started laying the foundation for a company that would redefine portable power.
Today we’re doing something a little bit different: instead of reviewing a product or explaining how solar technology works, we’re taking a deep-dive into the background of a brand.
This is the story of EcoFlow—a brand that started as an ambitious idea and has since grown into one of the biggest names in the portable power industry. Let’s dive in.
EcoFlow was founded in 2017 by Eli Harris, Hannah Sieber, Fan Zheng, and Dr. Bruce Wang Lei. Two of the founders were American, and two were Chinese, making EcoFlow somewhat of a cross-border company from its very outset.
All four founders are fluent in both English and Mandarin and claim that their company bridges cultural and political divides. In reality, it just seems that the company’s focus is purely on creating innovative products that can help people access off-grid power, no matter where they are in the world.
Interestingly, all four founders previously worked at DJI, the well-known drone manufacturer that has recently started taking its first steps into the portable power industry. While there is no official connection between the two companies, their products certainly share some similarities from a design and quality perspective.
Now back to Shenzhen—the city where EcoFlow got its start and is still headquartered. The city is often referred to as "China's Silicon Valley," which partially explains why it is home to so many of China’s tech innovators and start-up companies. Given the city’s reputation, it’s not exactly surprising that a tech company with a global vision, like EcoFlow, would be founded there.
It’s also interesting to note that the founders were all in their 20s at the time, as they were able to land a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2018. This was just a year after they got their company off the ground, which is a testament to the impact their earliest product would have.
EcoFlow’s founding mission was straightforward, but had some of the youthful ambition you’d expect from a group of 20-somethings: create eco-friendly power stations that could replace noisy, smelly gas generators. Their vision also extended to creating portable solutions that creatives and adventurers could use to access power on the go.
Like many start-ups, EcoFlow turned to crowdfunding to bring their ideas to life. Their first product, the EcoFlow RIVER Smart Solar Charging Station, launched on Indiegogo, raising over $1 million in a relatively short amount of time. The RIVER featured 11 ports, a 412Wh battery, and a 500W output, which may not be impressive today, but was definitely head-turning for 2017.
After the successful crowdfunding campaign and being put into production, the RIVER quickly positioned EcoFlow as a leader in the portable power space.
Building on the success of the RIVER, EcoFlow introduced the DELTA Series in 2019. The original DELTA Power Station featured a 1,260Wh battery and a 1,000W inverter—three times the battery capacity of the RIVER. This marked EcoFlow’s first attempt at making a legitimate backup power station.
With that said, their initial marketing exaggerated the DELTA’s capabilities, claiming it could power an entire house or charge a Tesla. Despite overstating what it could do in some of their promo materials, the DELTA was still a game-changer and set new standards in the industry.
EcoFlow’s crowdfunding campaign for the DELTA was another hit, raising over $3 million in just 44 days. This success helped the company establish itself and land its products in big-box stores like Home Depot, and Best Buy, which further cemented the brand’s reputation.
By 2021, EcoFlow was ready to broaden its offerings. On the same day, they launched the DELTA Max and the DELTA Mini, catering to different needs and price points. The DELTA Max was designed for home backup power, while the DELTA Mini targeted campers and outdoor enthusiasts.
2021 also marked EcoFlow’s push towards global expansion. The company invested in more widespread advertising and established distribution channels in Europe, Australia, and North America. During this time, EcoFlow also began integrating solar into its lineup, offering its own branded solar panels and bundling them with power stations to create off-grid power solutions.
This all sounds great, but this year wasn’t without challenges. Supply chain disruptions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact on the launches of the DELTA Max and DELTA Mini, delaying deliveries, causing stock issues, and frustrating their new customers.
After the supply chain issues disrupted the launch of their Max and Mini power stations, EcoFlow had to return to the drawing board. So, later in 2021, EcoFlow returned to Kickstarter for the launch of its most ambitious product yet: the EcoFlow DELTA Pro.
This thing was a beast, featuring a massive battery, an option for a 240V output, a suitcase-style handle with wheels, and compatibility with expansion batteries and other accessories. The DELTA Pro also smashed it on Kickstarter, raising over $12 million in a matter of weeks, which means it is still in the platform’s top 10 most successful campaigns of all time.
The DELTA Pro wasn’t just powerful; it was polished. Its sleek design and seamless functionality meant it almost felt like an Apple product. This was enhanced by the DELTA Pro’s focus on simplicity and a "plug-and-play" design philosophy.
EcoFlow also introduced the Smart Home Panel alongside their massive power station, allowing users to integrate the DELTA Pro into their home electrical systems for whole-home backup power.
Not only was it extremely popular at the time of its launch, it is still one of the top-selling power stations on the market today. We recently put out a video to see if the original DELTA Pro still stands up today—spoiler alert: it does.
The DELTA Pro paved the way for a series of other innovative products, including:
EcoFlow has also since expanded the DELTA Pro lineup with the DELTA Pro Ultra and the DELTA Pro 3 acting as the original’s successors. In addition to expanding the lineup, these launches have also allowed EcoFlow to cater to users with even greater power needs than the fully expanded original DELTA Pro is capable of meeting.
While EcoFlow’s products are undeniably impressive, they usually come with a hefty price tag. Critics often point out that the brand’s high-end products are underpowered compared to DIY solar setups, as well as some of the high-capacity power stations you can pick up from other brands.
Outside of the fairly high prices, we also think they could deliver better customer service. However, it’s worth mentioning that it’s pretty easy to work around this issue if you order your EcoFlow products from a trustworthy third-party retailer, like Shop Solar.
Despite the affordability and customer service issues, EcoFlow’s emphasis on design, usability, and compatibility with other products has made it a favorite for those seeking convenience and reliability. For those on a budget, EcoFlow also continues to offer entry-level solutions like the RIVER series, which includes the budget-friendly EcoFlow River 3 that was launched towards the end of 2024.
But for whole-home power solutions, customers should be prepared to really shell out if they want to go with a fully expanded EcoFlow setup.
EcoFlow’s journey from a start-up to an industry leader is impressive and remains a testament to the company’s commitment to innovation. From their first crowdfunding campaign to their global expansion and the creation of an interconnected “EcoSystem” of products, EcoFlow has consistently pushed the boundaries of portable power.
We believe EcoFlow products have a lot to offer—as long as you’re willing to pay the price. Sure, they have a few misses, like their Smart Generators and some of the goofier products, like the Solar Hat (it’s what you think, a hat with solar panels), but overall, the brand puts out some high-quality stuff.
If they can continue to innovate and stay true to their user-friendly design philosophy, it seems fairly obvious they’re going to remain one of the big boys in the portable and backup power industries.
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