We take the time to explain: technologies, myths and the big questions of portable energy.
Some topics deserve a closer look. In our insights, we take the time to dig in: the real differences between Li-ion and LiFePO4, how charge cycles work, the memory-effect myth, the future of portable solar and sodium-ion. These deeper features are not there to sell you something right now, but to give you the keys to understand what is really behind your devices. This is also where, article after article, we build the expertise that makes all the difference when it is time to choose. · 15 articles
We choose a lithium battery or a power station mostly for its capacity, its power output or its price, rarely for what it actually cost the planet before it was ever charged. Extraction, manufacturing, transport: here is what a battery really weighs, chemistry by chemistry, and how to cut that impact without giving up on electrification.
Published on October 13, 2026 by Julien
A battery that no longer has enough punch for your electric vehicle or power station is not waste, it is often the start of a second career. Here is what actually happens between a battery's retirement and its final recycling.
Published on September 28, 2026 by Julien
A bug out bag rides on your back, not in a car trunk. Here is how to build its power kit without excess: a realistic watt-hour budget for 72 hours, the real hierarchy between a power bank and a solar panel, and why a power station almost never belongs in one.
Published on September 20, 2026 by Guillaume
Commercial Faraday bags, homemade metal boxes, the foil-wrapped-trash-can myth: here is what actually blocks electromagnetic fields, what does nothing at all, and how to test it yourself without a lab.
Published on September 20, 2026 by Julien
A power bank that suddenly shows empty on a winter hike, a car that struggles to start on a frosty morning: cold affects every lithium battery. Here is what actually happens inside the cells, and what is reversible.
Published on September 12, 2026 by Julien
A power station never gives back every watt-hour it advertises. What is far less widely known is that the missing figure is not fixed: the same unit can return 860 Wh or 937 Wh depending on the socket you pick, and 1,573 Wh or 1,725 Wh depending on the load you ask of it. We went back through the 46 measurements published in our reviews to show what that changes in practice, and why an efficiency percentage quoted on its own tells you almost nothing.
Published on August 28, 2026 by Julien
EcoFlow, Anker, Bluetti, Jackery, Ugreen or DJI Power: their companion apps control our batteries over Bluetooth, WiFi and sometimes the cloud. Here is what data they actually collect, what EU data protection law says, and the settings that let you take back control.
Published on August 28, 2026 by Hanne
1000 Wh on the spec sheet, but never 1000 Wh you can actually use once the station is plugged in: normal, or misleading spec? This deep dive explains where the energy goes and how to read a spec sheet without getting fooled.
Published on July 28, 2026 by Julien
Extended power cuts, natural disasters, solar storms or long supply disruptions: whatever scenario worries you, electricity is usually the first thing to go and the last thing to come back. Here is a serious, scenario-by-scenario guide to never depending on a single power source.
Published on July 27, 2026 by Guillaume
An off-grid homestead or bug-out location only works if the energy supply is properly designed. Lighting, communications, food preservation, gear recharging: here is how to plan your electrical setup from technology choices to system sizing, no shortcuts.
Published on July 27, 2026 by Guillaume
They are often confused, yet they do not share the same lifespan, weight or safety. Conventional lithium-ion or lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4): this feature breaks down, jargon-free, what really sets them apart, and helps you know which one powers (or should power) your devices.
Published on July 10, 2026 by Julien
20,000 mAh on the label, but barely two smartphone charges: normal, or a scam? The capacity advertised on a power bank and the energy you actually get back are two different things. This feature explains why, how to read the real figures, and above all how to spot inflated capacities.
Published on July 4, 2026 by Yoni
It is the advice everyone repeats: never charge your battery to 100 %, stay between 20 and 80 %. Sensible reflex or urban legend that complicates your life for nothing? We dug into the chemistry behind the rule to sort what really matters from what is just overkill.
Published on July 16, 2026 by Yoni
A phone that swells, a scooter that bursts into flames, a plane that bans power banks from the hold: behind these images lies one and the same phenomenon, thermal runaway. We explain simply what happens inside a lithium cell that ignites, what triggers it, and above all how to avoid it day to day.
Published on July 16, 2026 by Julien
Recharging your devices, or even a whole power station, from the sun: the dream of self-sufficiency is appealing. But between the power printed on a panel and what it actually produces, the gap can be surprising. As a solar engineer, I will tell you straight what solar charging allows, and what you should not expect from it.
Published on July 6, 2026 by Julien
