I don't know who needs a battery-powered refrigerator/freezer/ice maker combo that can be charged with a solar panel, but I like knowing that you're out there, wandering the planet with a cocktail in hand while beating the crap out of Mother Nature at your will.
The EcoFlow Glacier is aimed at RV and boat owners or anyone looking to bring modern luxuries to the outdoors. Your list price starts at $1,099 / €1,199but that's before adding extras like a 297 Wh battery for a day away from the grill, wheels, and a telescoping handle to make the 50.7-pound (23 kg) unit more portable when its 38-liter capacity ( 40 quarts) is maximized with food. and drinks, and up to 240W of solar panels to keep the beach party going as long as the sun shines.
I've been testing the Glacier for a few weeks now and am starting to understand its appeal. It helps that he's a budding vanlifer who also enjoys the occasional libation.
Importantly, the glacier cools rapidly. EcoFlow claims it will lower the temperature from 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) to 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius) in 15 minutes. In my at-home battery test in a room measuring 64 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius), the Glacier took 17 minutes to cool to the desired dual-zone temperature of 42.8 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius) for the refrigerator and 14 degrees Fahrenheit (negative 10 degrees Celsius) for the freezer. The temperature reported on the built-in display and EcoFlow app closely aligned with my own thermometer, which measured negative 6 degrees Celsius and negative 9 degrees Celsius on both sides. On the refrigerator side, I packed a jug of pre-chilled milk along with bottles of room temperature tonic water, and in the freezer I placed two bags of ice and half a loaf of bread.
The compressor makes noise when initially cooling the unit, measuring around 41 dB from a meter away in my tests. Then it becomes almost completely silent, minus the occasional gurgling and some strange scraping sounds, which I'm told is gas inside the refrigerator moving through a one-way valve. The sound is similar to that of a tired but determined little mouse trying to escape from a steel bucket loaded with thumbtacks. It is noted in a very quiet room but infrequent and subtle enough that it took me a few days to realize that my house did not, in fact, have an infestation problem.
In normal power mode (non-Eco), the compressor turns on approximately every 30 minutes and then runs for about three minutes to maintain desired temperatures. At 32 dB, the sound isn't too bad, but it's loud compared to any modern built-in kitchen refrigerator and something you'll definitely notice when sleeping near it.
A removable divider separates the refrigerator and freezer sections, and EcoFlow Glacier can automatically detect if it's inserted. When so, you are presented with temperature controls for the two separate zones. Otherwise, EcoFlow treats the internal capacity like a giant refrigerator or freezer with space under the lid to store the divider. The Glacier also remembers your previous temperature settings when the partition is added or removed. Elegant.
Making ice is quite interesting since you have to make it and then remove it. Let me explain.
You must first fill the reservoir with up to 1.4 liters (a little more than a third of a gallon) of water. That's enough to make about five batches of ice before a refill warning appears in the app and on the unit itself. Then you press the “make ice” button on the Glacier app or control panel, choose small or large cubes, and wait 11 to 17 minutes; the first round of ice takes longer. The ice forms around a field of 18 metal pins inside the reservoir and makes a lot of noise. In my tests, it reached around 51 dB from a distance of three feet throughout the ice-making process. The unit beeps when finished and continues to do so until you perform a separate de-icing operation. Fortunately, the beep can be disabled in the settings.
Press the “ice break” button to begin releasing the ice from the pins. In my tests, this process took between 30 seconds and three minutes. Once the countdown timer is complete, a little tug on the basket lifts the hollow ice ovals out of the reservoir, but not without water dripping everywhere if you forget to shake off the excess. The good thing is that Glacier has an IPX4 resistance to splashes of water and light rain. The ice produced is relatively robust and produces larger ice “cubes” with thicker walls than those produced by my own dedicated ice maker.
EcoFlow says the Glacier will run through until 40 hours with its 297 Wh battery, but my real-world tests returned only 22 hours. That actually seems reasonable since I was using it a lot in normal power mode, not Eco mode. I made ice four times (two batches of small cubes and two batches of large ones) for a total of 72 cubes during my test. of battery, all while the cooler was charged and keeping each compartment cooled to a constant temperature of 6 degrees Celsius/negative 10 degrees Celsius. as described above. Glacier's 120W DC compressor consumed between 12Wh and 15Wh of energy during each session, which is very good compared to typical ice machines that use inefficient AC compressors. It could extend battery life in Eco mode, which allows for a wider range of temperature fluctuations.
When plugged into an AC outlet, the Glacier used a total of 394 Wh over a 24-hour period. During that time, I made three batches of ice, while continuing to operate in a dual-zone setup (6 degrees Celsius/negative 10 degrees Celsius). The Eco mode in the same scenario consumed 354 Wh in one day.
As for portability, the removable telescopic handle and wheels are a must, in my opinion, for anyone who needs to even regularly move the 30.6 × 15.2 × 17.5-inch (776 × 385 × 445) unit. mm) from one place to another, especially when loaded with food and drink. The handle is a little short for my six-foot frame, which sometimes caused me to hit the refrigerator on the back of my legs. Additionally, the wheels are rigid, which causes the refrigerator (and the glass bottles inside) to vibrate a lot when driving on bumpy roads. But I'd rather suffer those indignities than have to carry this beast alone for more than a few yards at a time.
Some other notable considerations:
- The glacier cannot run on solar energy alone. The connected panels simply charge the removable battery through an XT60 port on the refrigerator.
- It also can't make ice when it's just powered off by a 12V cigarette outlet, another reason you'll want to pay more for an optional battery or two.
- The battery chemistry is Li-NMC, not LFP, in order to pack more capacity into a smaller space.
- The Glacier has a single XT60 input port for power/charging (wall and car adapters included in the box).
- EcoFlow says the battery charges in just 2.1 hours under perfect 240W (11–60V, 13A max) solar conditions (which don't exist), 2.2 hours on AC (180W) or about four hours (12 V) or 2.1 hours. (24V) when connected to a vehicle (192W, 8A max.).
- The removable battery has a 100W bi-directional USB-C PD port. That means you can charge your devices while powering the cooler or recharge using the same USB-C charger you use for your phone or laptop.
- Cleaning the ice maker's water reservoir is a challenge with all those pins sticking out. The water can be drained through a small hose hidden behind a panel door, something you'll want to do before attempting to roll it out. Otherwise, water will spill out.
- The integrated carrying handles on the top left and right side of the unit can also be removed for more permanent installations.
- When the lid is open, two lights help illuminate the interior.
- The Glacier can join your local network via 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, where it can then be monitored and controlled remotely via the excellent EcoFlow app. It also supports Bluetooth for direct connectivity.
- Interestingly, the Glacier doesn't offer a direct DC battery port to receive power directly (and efficiently) from one of the giant batteries in EcoFlow's own line.
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As a gadget fanatic and outdoor enthusiast, I have to say that I really like the EcoFlow Glacier. It does what it says on the box and performs every function well, which really says a lot for a three-in-one appliance. But let's face it: if you're going to buy this, you should almost certainly get it with a battery to $1,399 / €1,399 and probably also the combination of wheels and removable handles, which increases the price by another $99 / €119.
Is that price justified? It's hard to say, because if you're the type looking for an ice-making refrigerator/freezer combo for use in remote locations, then the usual value-for-money rules probably don't apply. It's really a question of how much you're willing to spend to bring modern conveniences to places where those luxuries aren't normally available.
Fortunately, EcoFlow devices go on sale regularly, especially during the year-end holidays, which could save you 20 percent or more off that list price.
Photography by Thomas Ricker / The Verge
