EcoFlow RIVER Gen4 and PowerRock 4000: IFA 2026 Power Stations

EcoFlow is showing two new power stations at IFA Berlin 2026 (Hall 2.2, Booth 166, 4–8 September): the RIVER Gen4, a compact everyday backup unit, and the PowerRock 4000, an industrial-grade generator replacement built for job sites. The pairing covers opposite ends of EcoFlow's range — one designed to disappear into a rucksack, the other to survive a building site — and sits on the same stand as EcoFlow's separate OCEAN 2 three-phase home battery and STREAM home battery series, both different product lines aimed at whole-home storage rather than portable power. EcoFlow is running the launch under the banner "Breaking Boundaries," positioning both products around use cases its existing portable range doesn't quite cover: a battery small enough to disappear into daily carry, and one tough enough to replace a fuel generator outright.

RIVER Gen4: smaller than the model it replaces

RIVER Gen4 comes in two capacities. The RIVER 260 Gen4 holds 256Wh, delivers 300W of AC output (up to 600W with X-Boost for compatible devices), weighs around 3.0kg, and reaches an 80% charge in 42 minutes. The larger RIVER 520 Gen4 holds 512Wh, outputs 500W AC (up to 1,000W with X-Boost), weighs about 4.6kg, and hits 80% charge in 50 minutes via EcoFlow's X-Stream 4.0 charging. Both use LFP (lithium iron phosphate) cells with over 40 battery-management protections, a 140W bidirectional USB-C port for charging from multiple sources, and EcoFlow says operating noise stays under 30dB at a 200W load — quiet enough to run near a desk overnight. For UK buyers weighing a small power station against a fixed home backup circuit, see our guide to what a home battery can run in a grid outage.

UPS switchover and an emergency power mode

EcoFlow is pitching RIVER Gen4 as a UPS as much as a portable battery: it claims sub-10-millisecond switchover on outage, fast enough to keep a router or a laptop running through a blip without a visible drop. It also introduces what EcoFlow calls an industry-first Emergency Power Mode, which extends how far into the battery's charge the unit will keep discharging usable power — useful for stretching runtime during a longer outage rather than a brief mains flicker. EcoFlow says the new units are 29.7–59.1% smaller than the RIVER models they replace, which is the more tangible change for anyone who has previously found a portable power station too bulky to keep in a car boot or under a desk.

PowerRock 4000: a generator swap, not a camping battery

The PowerRock 4000 is a different category of product, aimed at construction, events, film production and emergency response rather than home backup. It delivers 4kW continuously and can surge to 7.2kW for up to 100 seconds, drawn from a 3kWh battery, and weighs 38kg. The all-metal housing is IP65-rated and wrapped in a reinforced roll cage that EcoFlow says survives a 1-metre drop — specs aimed squarely at replacing a small petrol or diesel generator on a work site rather than competing with a household battery. EcoFlow backs it with a three-year warranty and says it charges to 80% in 48 minutes and fully in 60 minutes, with alternator charging also supported for van or truck-based crews.

A built-in RCD, not a separate box

The specific detail EcoFlow is leading with for PowerRock 4000 is a built-in residual current device — described as an industry first for this category — that detects a 30mA leakage and cuts power in under 300 milliseconds. On UK and European sites, portable generators are typically required to run through an external RCD adaptor or distribution box for safety compliance; folding that protection into the unit itself removes a piece of kit that site crews otherwise have to source, test and carry separately.

Two different buyers, one launch event

The gap between the two products is deliberate rather than incidental. RIVER Gen4's whole pitch is size and quietness — a 3–4.6kg unit that a household might keep charged for a broadband router, a CPAP machine, or a laptop during a short power cut, and that EcoFlow says stays under 30dB running at 200W. PowerRock 4000 is the opposite design brief: a 38kg, IP65-rated box built to survive being dropped, rained on and run continuously on a site for a full working day, with a built-in RCD so it can go straight into a construction or events setup without extra safety kit. Neither is aimed at the fixed, whole-home battery market that EcoFlow's OCEAN 2 and STREAM ranges already serve.

What's still unconfirmed

EcoFlow's IFA materials cover specifications and claimed test results rather than pricing or release dates for either product, and none of the figures above — noise levels, drop survival, switchover speed — are independently verified outside EcoFlow's own claims. Until EcoFlow confirms UK pricing and availability for RIVER Gen4 and PowerRock 4000, treat both as specification announcements from IFA Berlin rather than products on sale today. For background on how portable and fixed battery options compare more broadly, see our home battery storage guide.