On a long trip the number that counts is not how big the battery is. It is how much of it you put back in while you are driving.
That is one of the things 4X4 Australia set out to measure in its 2026 Portable Power Test. Thirteen units went through a temperature-controlled lab in Canberra and then out into the Blue Mountains, split into three capacity classes with a winner named in each. The PS2000 took out High Capacity, the 2,000Wh+ class, on the strength of how fast it charges from the alternator and how it held up in the field.
High Capacity Winner
2000Wh+ Class
4X4 Australia Portable Power Test 2026. Thirteen units, three capacity classes, one winner named in each. Judged on lab data and time in the field.
Judged Twice, in a Lab and in the Bush
Every unit went through the same test room in Canberra, run by a retired Australian National University engineer. The room holds 25°C to within half a degree, because battery capacity moves with temperature and a figure taken in a hot shed cannot fairly be compared with one taken on a cold morning. Every electrical reading was referenced back to professional-grade 6.5-digit multimeters.
Then the units went bush. On 21 August they were loaded into a ute and taken into the Blue Mountains for the things a lab cannot measure. How each one ties down. Whether the screen reads in full sun. How loud the fans get at camp, and whether it ships with a cable you can actually charge it with out there. The class result came from both halves together.
Alternator Charging Is What Separated the Class
This is the part most buyers miss. Run a big power station off a cigarette socket and you are drawing roughly 8A, because the port is protecting the socket. On a 2,000Wh unit that works out at 10 to 20 hours of driving for a full charge, which is close to useless when you are moving camp every day.
The PS2000 takes an optional fast charging module rated to the 500W ceiling of its DC input. The testers put a number on what that changes.
“Bringing recharge time from the alternator down to around four hours.”
Four hours is one decent leg between camps. You arrive with the fridge cold and the battery full, instead of parked up waiting on it.
“The difference between arriving at camp with a full unit or still waiting.”
A 12V Output That Runs More Than a Fridge
Most units in this class give you a 10A cigarette socket and nothing more on the 12V side, because the battery inside sits at a much higher voltage and stepping it down at real current costs money. The PS2000 carries a dedicated high-current 12V output alongside the standard socket, which the lab measured at 13.6V and 25A. That is enough for a 12V compressor or a pie oven, not just a fridge. On the 240V side the testers also noted 15A sockets where 10A is the usual fitment.
It Started Every Tool They Threw at It
The inverter was put up against a mitre saw, an angle grinder, a metal cut-off saw, a drill and a cement mixer loaded with sand and gravel. Starting current is where inverters usually fall over, not running load.
“Able to start and run every large power tool we threw at it.”
Still Leaves Room for the Rest of the Gear
At 22kg the PS2000 is a one-person lift, and at 392 x 279 x 323mm the footprint matters as much as the weight once the tub is already loaded.
“A compact form factor that actually fits in the back of a 4x4.”
What It Came Back With on the Bench
Measured by 4X4 Australia from the PS2000's 2,048Wh (170Ah @ 12V) LiFePO4 pack. Fridge runtime calculated from a 0.8A draw at 13V.
Twenty Years of Building for Exactly This
iTechworld has been Australian owned and operated since 2006, powering Aussies for twenty years. Two showrooms in Perth, a service centre behind them, and a phone line answered by the team here.
A result like this one is worth something because of how it was reached. Measured in a controlled lab, then loaded into a ute and taken somewhere corrugated. That is the same order we build in.
Quick FAQs
What does the High Capacity class cover?
The test split thirteen units into three capacity classes and named a winner in each. High Capacity is the 2,000Wh+ group, the largest of the three, and the PS2000 took that class.
Why does alternator charging matter more than the 240V charger?
The 240V charger only helps where there is mains power. Once you are off the bitumen for a few days, the alternator and your solar are the only things putting energy back in, so the rate they charge at decides whether the unit keeps up with you.
How much solar can the PS2000 take?
Up to 500W. The test measured 20A or around 360W from a single 18V panel, and the full 500W from two panels wired in series.
The unit also turned up in this reel from the test, if you would rather see it than read about it.
Quotes trimmed for length, wording unchanged. Test results, quotes and measured figures from the 4X4 Australia Portable Power Test 2026, published 21 September 2026. Testing by Colin Dedman (lab) and Dex Fulton (field). Read the full test at 4x4australia.com.au.
