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Can a power station run an electric cooler (12V)?

Updated
Short answer

Yes, for days. A 12V compressor cooler averages about 13 W once it is cold, so a 288 Wh power station runs it for about 19 hours and a 1,000 Wh unit for close to 3 days.

Calculate your runtime
Running
52 W
12–98 W range
Start-up
98 W
Runs
25%
of the time, about 13 W average

Compressor coolers are built to sip power. The compressor runs only in short spells once the box is cold, with a brief start-up peak of about 98 W. We plan on 52 W while it runs, about a quarter of the time, which averages about 13 W.

Every station in our table can start one. A full day at about 13 W average uses about 312 Wh, or roughly 370 Wh of battery after inverter losses. A 288 Wh unit lasts about 19 hours, a 500 Wh unit about 33, a 1,000 Wh unit about 65 to 70 hours, and a 2,000 Wh unit more than 5 days. That makes a cooler and a small station a good pair for camping or for keeping food cold through a short outage.

These coolers run on 12V DC, so plug them into the station's car port rather than an AC outlet. That skips the inverter, which loses about 10 to 15% of the battery, so you may get a bit more than our table shows. Check that your station has a car port: the DJI Power 1000 V2, DJI Power 2000, BLUETTI Apex 300 and EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 do not. This page is about compressor coolers. Thermoelectric coolers work differently, and these numbers do not apply to them.

How long does each power station run an electric cooler (12V)?

At about 13 W on average, an electric cooler (12V) runs for about 19 hrs on the 286 Wh EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus, about 3 days on a 1,000 Wh-class unit (998–1,070 Wh) and about 11 days on the 4,096 Wh EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3.

Swipe sideways for battery size, output and price →

Hours an electric cooler (12V) runs on each power station, from a full charge with nothing else plugged in (15% inverter loss). Sorted by battery size.
Power stationRuntimeBatteryOutput / surgePrice range
EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus19 hrs286 Wh600 / 1,200 W$180–$300
BLUETTI Elite 30 V219 hrs288 Wh600 / 1,500 W$180–$280
Jackery Explorer 300 v219 hrs288 Wh300 / 600 W$200–$280
Goal Zero Yeti 50033 hrs499 Wh500 / 1,000 W$340–$500
Goal Zero Yeti 1000 (6th Gen)3 days998 Wh2,000 / 3,600 Wlist price about $1,200
Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 23 days1,024 Wh2,000 / 3,000 W$400–$600
BLUETTI Elite 100 V23 days1,024 Wh1,800 / 3,600 W$380–$500
DJI Power 1000 V23 days1,024 Wh2,600 / 2,600 W$340–$450
EcoFlow DELTA 33 days1,024 Wh1,800 / 3,600 W$500–$700
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus3 days1,024 Wh1,800 / 3,600 W$550–$800
Jackery Explorer 1000 v23 days1,070 Wh1,500 / 3,000 W$430–$560
BLUETTI AC1803 days1,152 Wh1,800 / 2,700 W$400–$500
Jackery Explorer 2000 v26 days2,042 Wh2,200 / 4,400 W$700–$1,000
Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 26 days2,048 Wh2,400 / 4,000 W$700–$900
DJI Power 20006 days2,048 Wh3,000 / 3,600 W$700–$1,300
BLUETTI Elite 200 V26 days2,074 Wh2,600 / 3,900 W$700–$900
BLUETTI Apex 3008 days2,765 Wh3,840 / 7,680 W$1,200–$1,600
Jackery HomePower 30008 days3,072 Wh3,600 / 7,200 W$900–$1,500
Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus10 days3,840 Wh6,000 / 9,000 W$2,090–$2,700
EcoFlow DELTA Pro 311 days4,096 Wh4,000 / 8,000 W$2,400–$3,700

Estimate: battery Wh × 0.85 ÷ 13 W average (52 W × 0.25 duty). Your model may draw more or less; check its label. Prices are typical ranges we checked by hand on October 9, 2026, not live prices.

Where these numbers come from

Dometic rates the CFX3 45 at 52 W input, but once it is cold it averages only about 12 W because the compressor cycles. That works out to roughly 300 Wh a day, so a 1,000 Wh station keeps food cold for close to three days.

Sources

  1. Dometic CFX3 45 product page (9600025318) · dometic.com
  2. Dometic CFX3 45 product page (225771) · dometic.com

We do not test units ourselves. Picks come from the official spec sheets and manuals, the watt-hour math on this site, and prices we check by hand. How we pick

Good fits for an electric cooler (12V)

#1
Goal Zero Yeti 500 portable power station, front view

Goal Zero Yeti 500

$340–$500 · price checked

Capacity
499 Wh
Output
500 W (1,000 W surge)
Battery
LiFePO4, 4,000 cycles
Weight
16.1 lb
Wall charge
1 h 30 min
Solar input
200 W

Why it won: Runs an electric cooler (12V) for about 33 hrs on one charge.

  • Light enough to carry one-handed at 16.1 lb
  • Long-life LiFePO4 battery rated for 4,000 cycles
  • Full wall recharge in about 90 minutes in High input mode
  • Water-resistant (IPX4) and works down to -4°F
  • 500 W of AC output, so no microwaves or space heaters
  • Solar input tops out at 200 W
  • Cannot add extra batteries, and has no rated UPS switch-over time
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Full specs and runtimes for the Goal Zero Yeti 500
#2
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus portable power station, front view

EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus

$550–$800 · price checked

Capacity
1,024 Wh
Output
1,800 W (3,600 W surge)
Battery
LiFePO4, 4,000 cycles
Weight
27.6 lb
Wall charge
56 min
Solar input
1,000 W

Why it won: Runs an electric cooler (12V) for about 3 days on one charge.

  • Two solar inputs take up to 1,000 W total (500 W each) for fast off-grid refills
  • 140 W USB-C ports charge big laptops at full speed
  • 10 ms UPS switch-over suits NAS drives, routers and medical devices
  • Full recharge from a wall outlet in 56 minutes
  • Same 1,024 Wh capacity as the cheaper DELTA 3
  • 27.6 lb and roughly the size of a carry-on bag
  • The extra cost over the DELTA 3 buys ports and solar, not capacity
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Full specs and runtimes for the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus
#3
BLUETTI Elite 30 V2 portable power station, front view

BLUETTI Elite 30 V2

$180–$280 · price checked

Capacity
288 Wh
Output
600 W (1,500 W surge)
Battery
LiFePO4, 3,000 cycles
Weight
9.5 lb
Wall charge
1 h 10 min
Solar input
200 W

Why it won: Runs an electric cooler (12V) for about 19 hrs on one charge.

  • Only 9.5 lb, easy to carry one-handed
  • 140 W USB-C can charge a laptop at full speed
  • Refills from a wall outlet in about 70 minutes
  • 10 ms UPS switch-over protects a router or small electronics during an outage
  • 288 Wh is only enough for phones, laptops, lights and a small fan
  • 600 W output cannot run a microwave, coffee maker or space heater normally
  • Cannot add extra batteries
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Full specs and runtimes for the BLUETTI Elite 30 V2

Make it last longer

  • • Pre-chill the cooler and its contents on wall power before you switch to the station. Cooling down from warm is when it runs the most.
  • • Keep it in the shade and out of a hot car when you can.
  • • Set it to fridge temperature, not freezer, unless you need frozen food.
  • • Use the 12V car port, not an AC outlet, to skip inverter losses.
  • • Pack it full. Food and drinks hold cold better than air.

Add the rest of your devices

Yes, it can run this, about 33 hrs for an electric cooler (12V) on the Goal Zero Yeti 500.

Step 1

What do you want to run?

  • Electric cooler (12V)
    Number of Electric cooler (12V): 1
Add more
Step 2

Pick a power station

500 W output · 1,000 W surge · full specs

For an electric cooler (12V) on the Goal Zero Yeti 500:

Yes, it can run this
Estimated runtime
33 hrs
If everything ran flat out the whole time: about 8 hrs.
Running load
52 W
Average draw
13 W
Biggest surge
98 W
  • • Everything fits within the 500 W output and 1,000 W surge rating.

Math: battery Wh × 0.85 ÷ average watts. Cold weather, battery age and screen-on time all shorten this.

Power stations that can run this

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Price ranges checked by hand on October 9, 2026. Prices change often.

About 33 hrs
1 device on Goal Zero Yeti 500
See result

Common questions

How long will a power station run a 12V cooler?
About 19 hours on a 288 Wh unit, 33 hours on a 500 Wh unit, close to 3 days on a 1,000 Wh unit, and more than 5 days on a 2,000 Wh unit, based on a Dometic CFX3 45 averaging about 13 W.
Should I plug a 12V cooler into AC or the car port?
The car port. The cooler runs on 12V DC, so using the car port skips the inverter, which loses about 10 to 15%. It also lets you leave the station's AC output switched off.
Can a small power station run a 12V cooler for a weekend?
Almost. A 288 Wh unit lasts about 19 hours, and the 499 Wh Goal Zero Yeti 500 about 33 hours. For a full 48-hour weekend, step up to a 1,000 Wh unit or add a solar panel.

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