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I tried the Rallye 600 portable power station with swappable batteries: It's a winner
Maybe the most versatile power station...ever? Spring for the bundle with spare batteries and solar panels, and you may never run out of juice.
No power? No bueno. Whether you're camping, road-tripping or waiting for power to be restored after a big storm, you need juice for your gear. That explains why portable power stations are so popular these days. But most of them suffer from one key problem: When the power runs dry, you have to wait for it to recharge — if you even have the means to do so. Runhood has taken a modular approach to this problem with the Rallye 600, a power station with swappable batteries. It's an interesting and effective solution, though not an inexpensive one. Worth it? Here's my Rallye 600 review.
I tested the standard Rallye 600, which includes two batteries. For around $400 more, the 600 Max comes with four batteries and two adapters for using them outside the main unit (which Runhood calls the Host Engine). That's an upgrade worth considering given that individual batteries sell for $289 each and the two adapters would add nearly $200 more.
You can also opt for the 600 Plus or 600 Pro ($1,199 and $1,299, respectively), which match the 600 and 600 Max configurations but add solar panels to the mix. Which one to pick? Honestly, the Pro makes the most sense, since it's by far the most versatile setup. If you're into this whole modularity thing, you'll save money buying everything in one bundle rather than piecemeal down the road.
Is the Rallye 600 hard to use?
Whatever you decide, the Rallye 600 isn't complicated to operate — no thanks to the included quick-start guide, which has tiny print and doesn't explain much about specific functions, instead focusing primarily on recharging methods. There's an online manual that's a bit more detailed and definitely worth studying, but it's pretty straightforward: turn on the machine, plug your stuff in, done.
The unit resembles an oversize orange lunchbox, with a carrying handle built into the top and an LED flashlight facing front, just above the control panel. That light has three modes — bright, dim and flash — but the Host Engine must be powered on in order to use it.
With both batteries installed, the power station weighs about 16 pounds. It has a pair of AC outlets capable of up to 600 watts, enough to power an appliance as large as a TV or refrigerator (though for how long depends on different variables). Runhood estimates you could run a CPAP machine for anywhere from 24 to 36 hours.
On the DC front, you get four high-powered USB ports (two QuickCharge Type-A, two PD Type-C), a 12-volt car port, and two 12-volt, 5-amp ports. It's a somewhat modest selection overall but on par with other power stations of this size. Other power stations of this size typically deliver only half the wattage, if that.
How do you charge the Rallye 600?
Interestingly, you can use the Rallye 600 with just one of its two batteries installed, and you can hot-swap fresh ones as needed. Batteries slide into separated compartments inside the Host Engine and slide out again with ease by pushing a release button and pulling its handle. An included AC adapter will charge those batteries while they're inside, as will the included car-port charging cable.
To recharge a battery outside the Host Engine, you'll need the UE256 adapter, which comes with the Max and Pro bundles. It's basically a USB port replicator that snaps onto the battery, effectively turning it into a smaller, more portable power bank — but also allowing for external recharging via USB-C. Runhood's solar panels can also recharge a battery outside the Host Engine.
In something like a camping or power-outage situation, you could enjoy virtually unlimited energy by always keeping two batteries connected to the solar panels, swapping them into the Host Engine as needed.
Just for reference, it takes about four hours to fully charge both batteries by way of an AC wall outlet. If you also plug in a USB-C charging cable that's connected to a 100-watt adapter (not included), you can shave that charge time down to about three hours. The solar panel, under full summer sun, would take more like eight hours. (I wasn't provided a panel for testing.)
How does the Rallye 600 perform?
Spring has yet to bloom in Michigan, so I wasn't able to put the Rallye 600 to any camping tests. That said, I used it for a variety of tasks, including charging phones and laptops, running fans, cleaning my car with a portable vacuum and so on. Even after hours of use, it showed plenty of juice remaining. This is by no means a scientific measurement of its capabilities, just a real-world sampling.
There are tons of portable power stations out there, with a dizzying array of power capabilities and price points. But few, if any, have removable batteries, which for certain users could be a huge asset. The Rallye 600 isn't cheap, but if you're one of those users, it's definitely worth a look.
