RV & Van Life
Living and working from a vehicle, on solar and alternator charging
Jackery · Extra large
Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus
5.04 kWh of storage, 3.6 kW of continuous AC output, listed at $3,499. That works out to $0.69 per watt-hour and 37.5 watt-hours per pound.
5.04 kWh3.6 kW AC134.5 lbLiFePO44,000 cycles
What this unit is for
The outdoor-lifestyle brand that made "portable power station" a mainstream American purchase, and still optimises for the buyer who does not want to research inverters.
Best suited to: A first power station that must be simple, safe and easy to live with. Less suited to: Buyers chasing maximum watt-hours per dollar, or maximum solar input.
Multi-day backup, off-grid and whole-home loads.
Specifications
11 of 19 fields are published by Jackery for this model. The rest are shown as “—” and are excluded from rankings rather than estimated.
| Capacity | 5.04 kWh |
|---|---|
| AC output (continuous) | 3.6 kW |
| AC surge | — |
| Power lifting / boost | — |
| Battery chemistry | LiFePO4 |
| Rated cycles | 4,000 |
| Weight | 134.5 lb |
| AC recharge to full | — |
| Max solar input | 4 kW |
| AC outlets | 4 |
| USB-C ports | 2 |
| USB-A ports | 2 |
| 12V car port | — |
| UPS switchover | — |
| Max expandable capacity | — |
| Warranty | 60 months |
| Noise level | 30 dB |
| Ingress protection | — |
| Operating temp (low) | — |
| List price | $3,499 |
Where these numbers come from. Every figure on this page is taken from Jackery’s own product listing and is stored with the vendor’s exact wording, reproduced below. We do not estimate missing specs — a field the vendor does not publish is shown as “—” and excluded from rankings. Source: www.jackery.com/products/jackery-explorer-5000-plus-series.
Vendor wording for each figure (11)
capacityWh: “Capacity => 45Ah/112V DC (5040 Wh)”acOutputW: “AC Output => (4x) 120V, 20A, 3600W Max”chemistry: “Cell Chemistry => LiFePO4”cycleLife: “Cycle life => 4000 cycles to 70%+ capacity”weight: “Weight => About 134.5 lbs (61 kg)”solarInputW: “4000W Solar Input”acOutlets: “AC Output => (4x) 120V, 20A, 3600W Max”usbCPorts: “USB-C Output => (2x) 100W Max”usbAPorts: “USB-A Output => (2x) 18W Max”warrantyMonths: “Warranty => 5 Years”noiseDb: “Around 30 dB*”
Where it ranks
All rankings →Position among all 76 models we track, in each dimension this unit publishes the inputs for.
| Dimension | Rank | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Best value (Wh per dollar) | #41 of 73 | $0.69 |
| Most portable (Wh per pound) | #35 of 74 | 37.5 Wh/lb |
| Most inverter headroom | #70 of 75 | 71 W/100Wh |
| Highest solar input | #2 of 55 | 4 kW |
| Longest service life | #2 of 65 | 20160 kWh |
| Most output per dollar | #60 of 72 | 1.03 W/$ |
| Best for home backup | #29 of 75 | 60/100 |
| Longest warranty | #10 of 75 | 60 mo |
| Quietest under load | #11 of 27 | 30 dB |
Who buys this brand, and why
Full Jackery profile →Who it is for
- US households aged roughly 35–55 buying their first power station
- Campers, road-trippers and tailgaters who want one box that just works
- Homeowners who want blackout insurance for the fridge, Wi-Fi and phones
- Gift buyers who want a recognisable, trustworthy brand name
What they will pay extra for
- A brand they have heard of and a warranty they believe will be honoured
- Lower weight for the same capacity, since portability is the whole point
- A simpler interface with fewer modes to get wrong
- Buying the whole system in one order
Honest drawbacks
- Capacity per dollar is usually mid-pack; the brand premium is real
- Solar input ceilings are often below what rivals allow at the same capacity
- Expandability is limited on the non-Plus units
- Fewer pro features — buyers who want app control, schedules or deep telemetry often look elsewhere
Fits these buying scenarios
Off-Grid & DIY Solar
Cabins, sheds, job sites and self-built systems
Elsewhere in the Jackery range
All Jackery models →
Closest rivals by capacity
Other brands’ models nearest in capacity — the units a buyer is most likely to be comparing against this one.
