EGO Nexus Solar Panel Charger

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Ego Nexus Solar Panel Charger

“When EGO hit the market, they changed the way consumers looked at battery-powered OPE. They designed quality products that worked great and designed them around a great battery platform.” That quote sums up why we loved EGO when they first hit the market, and why we continue to appreciate how EGO continues to be an innovative industry leader in the battery-powered OPE market. So we were very interested and not too surprised when EGO introduced the EGO Nexus Solar Panel Charger for their EGO Nexus Power Station.

Since I already own the EGO Nexus Power Station and being an EGO fan I wanted to know if this solar charger lives up to my expectations of EGO products and most importantly, how well does it work?

EGO Nexus Solar Panel Charger – Information

The solar panel is sold separately.  Here are the details of the recommended solar panel we used.

  • Name – Renogy 100 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Panel
  • Model – RNG-100D-SS-US
  • Price – $98
  • Where to BuyAmazon

EGO Nexus Solar Panel Charger Features

Ego Nexus Solar Panel Charger

The EGO Nexus Solar Panel Charger is the only solar charger approved for use with the EGO Nexus Power Station.

Ego Nexus Solar Panel Charger

The charger comes with a 48″ MC4 cord to connect to the solar panel (sold separately).

To use the solar charger, first you remove the power brick and then strap in the solar charger. The solar charger will connect to the power station at one end with the same cord used for the power brick, and then to the solar panel with the MC4 connector cable at the other end of the charger.

EGO Nexus Solar Panel Charger fits in the space of the power brick converter. If charging multiple batteries, the batteries charge in sequence, not simultaneously. In other words, batteries are charged one at a time. As each battery reaches full charge, the next battery will begin charging. This allows you to “hot swap” batteries if needed.

The EGO Solar Panel charger connects to the solar panels with the provided MC4 connector cable. A 100W solar panel will usually produce around 75W max, well under the 180W max input allowed for the charger. So if you want to connect two solar panels for quicker charging, you’ll need to purchase Y Branch Connectors like these on Amazon.

We used Renogy 100 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline solar panel. The other recommended solar panel we found was Grapesolar GS-Star-100 solar panel. While charging your batteries you’ll want to try to keep the power station and charger in the shade as much as possible. So you’ll want to give some thought to placement. You’ll want your solar panels in the best direct sunlight available, but your charger and power station should be shaded. Some users have gone as far as making shade boxes to protect their power stations during the charging process.

The input from the EGO Nexus Solar Panel Charger can be monitored on the power station display.

Impressions

I think the variety of situations where I could want or need a power source like the EGO Nexus Power Station is endless. I talk about this in my review (see link above). And now to be able to recharge the batteries using solar just makes this power station that much more versatile. However, there are a few disappointing features that I have to mention. I would have liked a max power input higher than the 180W allowed. Some solar panels on the market produce output that can well exceed that, and at that rate, recharging four batteries takes several hours. And pass-through power while charging is not an option. In other words, you can not use the power station while it is charging. That being said, I still think this is a great accessory for the EGO Nexus Power Station user.

Final Thoughts

Battery-powered inverters offer virtually unlimited opportunities to have power where you need it and when you need it. You can power your much-needed devices when you don’t have an AC power source and prefer not to use gasoline. But batteries don’t run forever, so having the additional option to charge your batteries with solar just makes a lot more things possible. So for those of you that have invested in the EGO Nexus Power Station, this is a great additional accessory. And for those of you thinking about purchasing a battery-powered power source, with the option for solar recharging, the EGO Nexus Solar Panel Charger just made the EGO Nexus Portable Power Station one you should definitely consider.

6 COMMENTS

    • Good question. Ego doesn’t make them, it’s a third-party company so I guess if you could find one, you could contact Ego and see if it’s compatible. Would be nice to have a foldable solution.

  1. What are the top solar panels you would recommend, there are just to many out there I want to get the correct one that works best.

  2. Would a RENOGY 175-WATT 12 VOLT MONOCRYSTALLINE panel work it seems closer to the 180 watt specs for the Nexus than the 100-watt Renogy? Thanks

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