The Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 is the portable power station I've needed for years

Aug 12, 2026 — 7:00 AM ET

Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2

What we like

What we don't like

Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2

When I was a kid, summer holiday camping meant leaving all of my electronics at home. The world, and my connected life, have changed drastically since then. Today, I, like most of us, am very rarely more than arm’s reach from something with a battery and a display.

Powering my tech on the go has been a careful consideration of the power banks and chargers to pack. But now, thanks to the Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 ($999.99 at Amazon), those decisions are a thing of the past. With one portable power station, I can keep every piece of tech that I would reasonably pack for a road trip going… plus a fridge.

A portable powerhouse

The Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 is a high-capacity battery pack system. It holds 2kWh of power, has five 120V AC ports, three USB-C ports, a single USB-A port, a 12V car accessory port, solar input, and more. It can be charged via an AC wall plug, solar, a car charger, and the new Alternator Charger.

If that means nothing to you, let me say this: this power station, without any top-ups, drained from 100% to 53% while keeping three phones and two laptops fully charged for a five-day weekend trip.

At maximum capacity, the C2000 Gen 2 can power devices up to 2,400W, with a total peak of 4,000W across all ports. That’s enough to keep a typical fridge cold, run a TV, or even power appliances such as toasters, air fryers, or blenders.

In terms of portability, you will not be casually sliding the C2000 Gen 2 into your backpack, but it’s reasonable to carry it one or two-handed to a vehicle thanks to comfortable handles on each end. The pack weighs just under 42lbs, which Anker SOLIX says is 25% lighter than the industry average for this power capacity.

In terms of portability, what I like the most is the overall size. It’s about the size of a small duffel bag, at approximately 18 inches long, nine inches deep, and 10 inches tall. It fits easily in the trunk and slides onto the floor of a vehicle with ease.

Considering the versatility of the C2000 Gen 2, including the ability to charge from the wall, from the car, and from solar input, mixed with the ability to power appliances, small electronics, and even push power into your RV, this is a powerful travel or home power station for your essentials.

If I had to think of a single downside, it’s the lack of a camping light. Anker SOLIX has offered this on other outdoor-friendly power stations, so it’s a shame for it not to be included here.

What kind of power are we talking about?

Everything from temperatures to cable quality all makes a difference to any power station’s performance, and practically none of us have the exact same combination of phone, tablet, laptop, lights, and fridge.

What I can tell you from my own anecdotal testing is that in terms of pure capacity, you can expect to charge your phone about fifty times for each full charge of the C2000 Gen 2. For a luxury camping trip, a full charge should provide around one hour of power to an appliance like a toaster oven or space heater. Around the home, you should be able to power a refrigerator for about a day. Some examples I put this through include:

  • 2x 4,000mAh phones simultaneous charge from empty consumed ~3% of the C2000 Gen 2
  • Space heater that auto fluctuates between 500w and 800W, one hour consumed ~27% capacity
  • 150W light for two hours consumed ~18% capacity
  • 2x 4,000mAh phones topped up from ~50% each day, 1x 4,500mAh phone topped up from ~50% each day, 1x 60W laptop fully charged twice per day, and 1x 25W laptop fully charged once, consumed 47% in five days.

With outlets rated for 20A, up to 2,400W each, you’re getting wall-power levels of electricity here. If you’d plug it in at home, you can likely plug it into the C2000 Gen 2. With the TT-30R plug, you can connect the C2000 Gen 2 directly to an RV and power it with 20A at 2,400W. As described above, that is enough power to run a fridge for a day or more, and appliances like microwaves for a couple of hours, but if you keep it simple, that’s enough to power your lights for a weekend.

If that’s not enough, there is an optional booster pack called the SOLIX BP2000, which retails at $749.99 MSRP. The expansion gives you an extra 2,048Wh of charge, bringing the two to a rated ~4kWh and doubling your run-time for connected devices.

Keeping things charged is easy. The C2000 Gen 2 has multiple options:

  • Plug it into the wall to pull 1,800W
  • Plug in solar to gather up to 800W
  • Plug into a car 12-volt port for up to 100W
  • Plug into a gas generator for up to 1,800W
  • Use the new Alternator Charger to pull 800W from your car

Better yet, you can combine some of these inputs! For instance, you can plug into the wall and connect solar panels simultaneously to charge at 2,600W. At this maxed-out rate, you can expect a full charge of the C2000 Gen 2 in approximately one hour. The 1,800W options charge in about 88 minutes, the 800W options charge in about three hours, and the 100W option takes about 23 hours.

Given the wide range of uses for this power station, it’s safe to say it’s a powerful tool for most of us. It has enough power and ports to handle important, life-saving appliances in the home during a power outage; it can be charged in many ways; and it has enough juice to keep your smartphone charged for weeks.

Part of what makes all this possible is the C2000 Gen 2’s remarkably low idle power draw — just 9W when it’s switched on, but nothing is actively charging. Anker rates the unit to keep a dual-door fridge running for up to 32 hours on a single charge, and to sit in standby for roughly 230 hours before it runs itself dry just from being on. A lot of power stations quietly bleed capacity even when nothing’s plugged in, which eats into their real-world runtime, but The C2000 Gen 2 doesn’t have that problem. Smart.

How to control the Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2

The Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 is easy to use directly: just press the device’s physical buttons to turn it on and off, and navigate the settings to switch between modes. Most everything operates automatically just by plugging in. Taking things to the next level is managed through the Anker app.

The first and most important thing you need to decide is how you want your C2000 Gen 2 to operate. The options are Standard Mode (UPS) or Time of Use Mode. Don’t get me wrong, both of these modes take power from the available charging methods and store it for you to drain by plugging something in. The difference is that UPS mode always tries to keep the battery fully charged while powering your connected devices, and the Time of Use mode allows the C2000 Gen 2 battery to drain during specific times of the day.

The Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 lets you choose between clean, emergency power or cost-saving modes.

For critical systems that you require always-ready backup power, use the UPS mode. For less critical systems, you can save money by using the Time of Use mode. The whole idea here is that, for folks who live in an area with fluctuating power rates, you set the C2000 Gen 2 to charge when your power rate is low, then allow the C2000 Gen 2 to drain while power rates are high. UPS mode focuses on keeping the battery fully charged for emergency standby, while Time of Use mode helps reduce your power bill.

Storm Guard is an added bonus. Set your location and the Anker app will connect to a weather service, if it detects an incoming storm, it will trigger your C2000 Gen 2 to fully charge no matter what mode it’s in. This is automated disaster preparedness, and I like it!

The remaining settings let you control the device’s basics, such as the max AC recharge rate, screen brightness, min-max charge settings, and basic on/off switches for the systems. The precise combination of settings you select can change the way that the C2000 Gen 2 works for you, but there’s no secret menu here; just set what you want and enjoy.

Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 review verdict: Should you buy it?

As someone who is frequently on the road for days at a time, the SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 has been a game-changer. My old 3,000W inverter, hard-wired into my truck, provided ample power for my needs, but was not the cleanest power output, and only worked when the truck was running. The C2000 Gen 2 works anytime, provides more ports, delivers clean power for my delicate electronics, and I can easily move it to the field or into the house for localized work.

I’ve even used the C2000 Gen 2 to power a charger for my truck battery, just out of pure curiosity, and it handled it just fine.

The C2000 Gen 2 is a great upgrade pick over the already excellent Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 ($799.99 at Amazon). The C1000 Gen 2 has a lower capacity of 1,024Wh and the C2000 Gen 2 offers the RV TT-30R plug, but for keeping your phone charged on the go, the C1000 Gen 2 is smaller, lighter, and has the same USB capabilities.

Compared to the identically powered Jackery HomePower 2000 Plus V2, the C2000 Gen 2 is larger and heavier, but also offers one more AC port, one more USB port, and the RV port. The Jackery unit can be extended to 12kWh with five add-on battery packs. The C2000 Gen 2 is limited to just one booster.

Also worth considering is the DJI Power 2000 ($1299 at Amazon), which matches the C2000 Gen 2’s 2,048Wh capacity and actually edges it out on peak output (3,000W vs. 2,400W) and port count. That said, it’s notably heavier at 48.5lbs compared to the C2000 Gen 2’s 41.7lbs and lacks a handle for easier carrying.

The Anker SOLIX S2000 ($1199.99 at Amazon) is also an impressive essential home backup option, but the C2000 Gen 2 has far more going for it if you want to take it on the road with you.

Comparing it to the much larger , the F3800 Plus has less then double the capacity, is almost triple the weight, and is almost four times the size. There’s added functionality in the F3800 Plus for home backup solutions, but in terms of pure portability, the C2000 Gen 2 is the far better device for the power-to-weight ratio.

There are a lot of power options out there from the Anker SOLIX brand right now (check out the SOLIX F3800 Plus if you really want to go all out, for example), and I’m happy to report that almost all of them provide reliable power for your needs.

If you value portable versatility and a good power-to-weight ratio, the C2000 Gen 2 is about as good as it gets today.

One thing to note: Anker SOLIX’s pricing fluctuates massively over time, which is pretty common for all power stations you can buy. Case in point: the C2000 Gen 2 launched with a whopping $1,499 MSRP, but the official store now lists the max price at $999. I would take that latter figure as the baseline when you’re considering buying one, and at that price, it’s a fantastic deal.

If you value versatility, a good power-to-weight ratio, and are specifically looking for something to power your gear from your vehicle, the C2000 Gen 2 is about as good as it gets today.

  • Versatile and plentiful power input options
  • Equally versatile charging configurations
  • Great power-to-weight ratio
  • Expandable to 4kWh

  • Useful UPS, Time of Use, and Storm Guard features

  • Volatile pricing, wait until it's $999 or below

  • No camping light