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Solar and portable energy storage experts Growatt impress again with the release of the new and updated INFINITY 1300. This versatile and powerful energy storage system can provide uninterrupted power for 14 outlets, completely recharge in less than 2 hours, and accept a variety of solar input. Electrek gets hands on with this efficient portable power station. Check out the INFINITY 1300 Presale here, which lasts from April 17 to 30.

Growatt hasn’t been a stranger to Electrek, or the industry at large. After 11 years in the industry, Growatt touts recognition by authoritative organizations in Europe and America. With a fairly focused product lineup, Growatt claims millions of customers and counting. We’ve been able to test some of their products, including the new INFINITY 1300, and they perform at outstanding levels to back up the product hype.

Specs

  • Capacity: 1382Wh
  • Total Output: 1800w
  • Chemistry: LiFePO4 (LFP)
  • Lifetime: >3000 Cycles
  • Input: Regular Wall Outlet, Solar, Vehicle Charging
  • Output: 14 Total (Total Listed Below) Including 4x 120v Outlets and USB
  • Weight: 42.3lbs
  • Power Supply: UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply)
  • Additional Features: App/Wifi Support, Carry Handles, Cooling Fans, Fast Charge, Overload Protection
  • Total Outlets: 
  • AC Outlet 4 x 120V~, 50/60Hz, Pure Sine Wave Max 1800W, Surge Peak 3600W
  • Car Outlet 1 x 13.2V/10A, 132W Max
  • DC5521 Output 2 x 13.2V/3A, 36W Max
  • USB-A 2 x 5V/2.4A, 12W Max
  • USB-A Fast Charge 2 X 18W Max
  • USB-C 2 x 5V/9V/12V/20V, 5A, 100W Max
  • Wireless Charging 1 x 15W

Fun Story

The INFINITY 1300 is much more than a big battery with a handle on it. Believe me, I’ve tried to make one. When I worked at a bike shop we attended trade shows where we had to pay for electricity to our booth. Trying to save some money, I instead mickey-moused an eBike battery to power our music, TV, and lights for the booth. While it addressed our humble purposes, the DIY power supply was victim to overheating, inefficient drain, and a birds nest of crimped wires. We used it, once, after realizing that a barley operable system didn’t instill confidence in our shop.

Fast forward about 7 years, and testing the INFINITY 1300 I look back at those trade shows with a touch of lament. Whether on the job, or enjoying comfortable time in the great outdoors, having expertly crafted power supply makes a world of difference.

Super Easy Output

The INFINITY 1300 has 4 separate 120v home outlets on the side that can power a wealth of items all at once. The standout feature is the bidirectional inverter, built into the unit. Not only does this speed up charge time, but with no adapters needed the unit can switch from AC to DC power automatically. With the INFINITY 1300, it works how I would expect: I plugged in a heater and ran it for hours one crisp spring morning, and charged up my gamut of camera equipment at the same time. The cooling fans underneath the carry platform turned on automatically, and were quiet enough to let me continue with work indoors.

Having this ease of use and flexibility makes power a non-issue when preparing for a busy day out filming. Since I use a variety of small devices, the wireless phone charger, USB-C, USBC-A, and 110v outlets are a dream come true for me. Just this one device carries everything necessary to provide plug-and-play power and focus on the job. Having the power to bring extra light, cameras, and the computer with me brought my work to a whole new productivity level.

Input and App

One of the first thing I was impressed by was the fast recharge time. The INFINITY 1300 can recharge in 1.8 hours, from 0-100%. This is incredibly fast, as I’ve used many electric bike batteries with half the capacity that still take double or triple the charge time. Although we didn’t get a chance to test it, Growatt says the recharge time from solar is about 2.5 hours using high conversion 99% MPPT efficiency and a wide solar input range. The solar input can utilize a wide range of voltages, offiering compatibility with more panels. With this kind of flexibility, fast charging capacity, this makes the 1300 an incredible flexible unit for longer trips and multiple recharge uses over the course of a single day.

App Control remained one of the standout features for the brand itself. You wouldn’t think that a battery would need additional remote control through wifi connections, but the additional control can be quite compelling. Using the app I was able to check on the current and recent status of both input, output, as well as change settings such as sound, display and more.

INFINITY 1300 Home Backup

Unlike the Growatt Vita550 covered here, the INFINITY 1300 is capable of being a home backup for a handful of devices or even a workstation. With 1382wh worth of energy, important devices like a computer station, connectivity devices such as a modem and router could be set for days during an outage. Featuring an uninterruptible power supply, it can also support sensitive devices such as security and home medical care equipment. Switchover time is less than 20 milliseconds.

Industry Powerhouse

Growatt has built the INFINITY 1300 to last over 3000 cycles for 10 years. If I could get that kind of life out of my phone, I would be ecstatic. Growatt has a slogan of “Time Saved, but Life Extended, and with over 10 years in the business of energy storage, EV chargers, solar arrays, and energy management systems. 

During the limited pre-sale promotion from April 17th to 30th, you can buy the INFINITY 1300 Power supply for $300 off, before it jumps to the regular retail of $1,299. 

Get the INFINITY 1300 now with $300 off!

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Quick Charge | hydrogen hype falls flat amid very public failures

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Quick Charge | hydrogen hype falls flat amid very public failures

On today’s hyped up hydrogen episode of Quick Charge, we look at some of the fuel’s recent failures and billion dollar bungles as the fuel cell crowd continues to lose the credibility race against a rapidly evolving battery electric market.

We’re taking a look at some of the recent hydrogen failures of 2025 – including nine-figure product cancellations in the US and Korea, a series of simultaneous bus failures in Poland, and European executives, experts, and economists calling for EU governments to ditch hydrogen and focus on the deployment of a more widespread electric trucking infrastructure.

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple PodcastsSpotifyTuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.

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Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.

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Looking for an EV lease under $200 a month? Here’s what’s available in April

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Looking for an EV lease under 0 a month? Here's what's available in April

Believe it or not, you can lease an EV for under $200 a month. New deals on models like the 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Kia EV6 are hard to pass up this month.

Electric vehicles have been all over the news lately, with the Trump administration threatening to end federal incentives and introducing new tariffs that are expected to lead to higher prices.

On the positive side, new EV models are arriving, giving buyers more options and driving prices down. Many automakers reported record US electric car sales in the first three months of 2024.

GM remained the number two seller of EVs behind Tesla after sales doubled in Q1 2025. With the new Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado EVs rolling out, Chevy is now the fastest-growing EV brand in the US. Ford’s Mustang Mach-E is off to its best sales start since launching, with over 11,600 models sold in the first quarter.

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With the 2025 models rolling out and about 15 new EVs arriving this year, many automakers are introducing steep discounts to move vehicles off the lot.

EVs-lease-$200-April
2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 Limited (Source: Hyundai)

EVs for lease for under $200 a month in April

Although the decade-old Nissan LEAF remains one of the most affordable this April at just $149 per month, there are a few EVs under $200 right now that are worth taking a look at.

The new 2025 Hyundai IONIQ might be the best EV deal this month, with leases as low as $199. Hyundai is currently promoting a 24-month lease deal with $3,999 due at signing.

EVs-lease-$200-April
Hyundai’s new 2025 IONIQ 5 Limited with a Tesla NACS port (Source: Hyundai)

Hyundai upgraded the electric SUV with a bigger battery for more range (now up to 318 miles), a sleek new look inside and out, and it now comes with an NACS port so you can charge it at Tesla Superchargers.

The offer is for the IONIQ 5 SE RWD Standard Range, which has a driving range of up to 245 miles. For just $229 a month, you can snag the SE RWD model, which has a range of up to 318 miles and a more powerful (225 horsepower) electric motor. It’s also a 24-month lease with $3,999 due at signing.

Hyundai-2025-IONIQ-5-interior
2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 Limited interior (Source: Hyundai)

To sweeten the deal, Hyundai is offering a free ChargePoint Home Flex Level 2 EV charger with the purchase or lease of any 2024 or 2025 IONIQ 5. If you already have one, you can opt for a $400 public charging credit.

After slashing lease prices this month, the 2025 Nissan Ariya is actually cheaper than the LEAF in some regions. In Southern California, the 2025 Nissan Ariya Evolve AWD is listed at just $129 per month. The AWD model has a range of up to 272 miles.

EVs-lease-$200-April
2025 Nissan Ariya Platinum+ e-4ORCE (Source: Nissan)

The deal is for 36 months, with $4,409 due at signing. In April, Nissan cut Ariya lease prices to around $239 in most other parts of the country.

Kia has a few EVs available to lease for under $200 a month in April. The 2025 Kia Niro EV Wind is listed at just $129 for 24 months, with $3,999 due at signing. Kia’s crossover SUV has EPA-estimated range of 253 miles.

EVs-lease-$200-April
2024 Kia EV6 (Source: Kia)

The 2024 EV6 may be worth considering at just $179 for 24 months ($3,999 due at signing). In California, the EV6 Light Long Range RWD is only slightly more than the Niro Wind.

In most other parts of the country, you can still find the EV6 for under $200 a month. The Light Long Range RWD trim offers up to 310 miles of EPA-estimated range.

Lease Price Term
(months)
Amount Due at Signing Driving Range
2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 SE RWD Standard Range $199 24 $3,999 245 miles
2024 Kia EV6 Light Long Rang RWD $179 24 $3,999 310 miles
2024 Kia Niro EV Wind $129 24 $3,999 253 miles
2025 Nissan Ariya Evolve AWD $129 36 $4,409 272 miles
2025 Nissan LEAF S FWD $149 36 $2,629 149 miles
2024 Fiat 500 INSPI(RED) $199 24 $2,999 149 miles
EVs for lease for under $200 a month in April 2025

And don’t forget the 2024 Fiat 500e, which is now listed at just $199 for 24 months with $2,999 due at signing. The electric hatchback offers a range of up to 149 miles.

If you are looking to spend a little more, check out our list of EVs you can lease for under $300 a month.

Ready to snag the savings while they are still here? At under $200 a month, some of these EV lease deals are hard to pass up right now. Check out our links below to find deals in your area.

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The US’s first solar panels over canals pilot is now online [video]

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The US’s first solar panels over canals pilot is now online [video]

Project Nexus, the first solar panel canopies over irrigation canals in the US, is now online in California, and there are plans to expand the project to other areas.

Project Nexus is a $20 million pilot in central California’s Turlock Irrigation District launched in October 2022. The project team is exploring solar over canal design, deployment, and co-benefits using canal infrastructure and the electrical grid.

India already has solar panels over canals, but Project Nexus is the first of its kind in the US.

The Turlock Irrigation District was the first irrigation district formed in California in 1887. It provides irrigation water to 4,700 growers who farm around 150,000 acres in the San Joaquin Valley.

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Project Nexus will explore whether the solar panels reduce water evaporation as a result of midday shade and wind mitigation, create improvements to water quality through reduced vegetative growth, reduce canal maintenance as a result of reduced vegetative growth, and, of course, generate renewable electricity.

The California Department of Water Resources, utility company Turlock Irrigation District, Marin County, California-based water and energy project developer Solar AquaGrid, and The University of California, Merced, are partnering on the pilot. Project Nexus originated from a 2021 research project led by UC Merced alumna and project scientist Brandi McKuin.

Solar panels were installed at two sites over both wide- and narrow-span sections of Turlock Irrigation District canals in Stanislaus County, in various orientations. The sections range from 20 feet wide to 100 feet wide. University of California, Merced has positioned research equipment at both sites to collect baseline data so the researchers can decide where solar will work and where it won’t.

In February 2023, Project Nexus announced it would also deploy long-term iron flow battery storage in the form of two ESS 75kW turnkey “Energy Warehouse” batteries.

You can learn more about Project Nexus here:

Read more: In a US first, California will pilot solar-panel canopies over canals


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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*

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