EcoFlow PowerPulse 2 vs CTEK Chargestorm Connected 3: £541 apart, worlds apart

£545 against £1,086 — and what the gap actually buys

These two chargers share a headline spec — both deliver up to 22kW on three-phase supply, both are untethered Type 2 units — but they are designed for different buyers with different priorities. The EcoFlow PowerPulse 2 at £545 is a home charger built around an energy ecosystem. The CTEK Chargestorm Connected 3 at £1,086 is a piece of commercial-grade infrastructure that happens to fit on a house wall.

• EcoFlow PowerPulse 2 — £545, 3.5 kg, first-party app with solar and tariff modes, three-year warranty. Best for EcoFlow battery and solar owners.
• CTEK Chargestorm Connected 3 — £1,086, up to 24 kg, MID metering, built-in Type B RCD, OCPP 2.0.1, five-year warranty. Best for three-phase homes that need metering compliance or a vendor-neutral backend.

The £541 gap is not subtle. It needs justifying.

What the CTEK's price premium pays for

Weight is the first clue. At up to 24 kg, the Chargestorm Connected 3 is nearly seven times heavier than the PowerPulse 2. That mass houses a MID-approved, Eichrecht-compliant energy meter — the kind required if you ever need to bill a third party for electricity — and an integrated MRCD Type B providing 30 mA AC and 30 mA DC fault protection. Most domestic chargers need an external Type B RCD in the consumer unit, which typically adds £100–£200 to install. The CTEK removes that cost.

It also supports OCPP 2.0.1 and ISO 15118 plug-and-charge, which position it for managed charging networks and future vehicle-to-grid handshakes. IK10 impact resistance means it can survive a knock from a wheelie bin or a car door — overkill in a garage, reasonable on a shared driveway.

The trade-off: no first-party app for tariff scheduling. You run it through Monta or another OCPP platform. There is no direct Octopus Intelligent Go or OVO Charge Anytime integration. For a single household wanting to chase cheap overnight rates, this is a meaningful inconvenience. The CTEK is built to be *managed*, not to manage itself.

Install costs reflect the hardware's ambitions. Expect £900–£1,300 for the CTEK, against £400–£600 for the EcoFlow. Total outlay — unit plus install — could reach £2,386 for the CTEK versus £1,145 for the EcoFlow. The CTEK is OZEV-approved, so eligible renters and flat owners can claim the £500 grant, bringing the unit to £586. The EcoFlow's OZEV status remains unconfirmed — a risk worth checking before ordering.

The EcoFlow's real argument: one app, one ecosystem

The PowerPulse 2 exists to sit inside EcoFlow's home energy stack. If you own or plan a PowerOcean battery, the charger, battery, solar inverter, and house loads all appear in a single app. Solar Mode diverts surplus generation to the car. Smart Mode automates charging around dynamic tariffs. An on-unit LCD shows session status without reaching for a phone.

Outside that ecosystem, the EcoFlow is a competent 7 kW single-phase charger with scheduled charging and RFID — decent, but not distinctive. The Ohme Home Pro at £535 handles tariff optimisation with deeper UK supplier integration. The VCHRGD Seven Pro at £432 packs similar features for less. The EcoFlow earns its keep specifically when solar self-consumption matters and you are already in its hardware family. For buyers comparing solar-diversion chargers more broadly, the Zappi GLO vs EcoFlow comparison covers that ground in detail.

Three-year warranty is the weak spot. The CTEK offers five years. The Simpson & Partners Home 7 offers ten. EcoFlow is proven in portable power stations but new to wall-mounted EV charging in the UK, and long-term reliability data does not yet exist.

Single-phase reality check

Most UK homes have a single-phase supply. On single-phase, both chargers top out around 7–7.4 kW. At that speed, you are paying £1,086 for CTEK hardware whose 22 kW headline is irrelevant to your setup. The EcoFlow's £545 buys the same charge rate with a better app experience and less money tied up in the wall.

If you have three-phase supply *and* need OCPP 2.0.1, MID metering, or built-in DC fault protection, the CTEK field narrows to itself and the Zaptec Go 2 at £500 — which is lighter, cheaper, and OZEV-approved, though it lacks the CTEK's metering compliance and impact rating.

The verdict

Buy the EcoFlow PowerPulse 2 if:

• You own or are buying EcoFlow PowerOcean solar and battery kit
• You want solar diversion and tariff scheduling from a single app
• You have a single-phase supply and want to keep total costs under £1,200

Buy the CTEK Chargestorm Connected 3 if:

• You have three-phase supply and want to use all 22 kW
• You need MID-approved metering — for workplace recharging, landlord billing, or fleet use
• You prefer a vendor-neutral OCPP backend and plan to manage the charger through Monta or similar

For a typical single-phase home with solar panels and one EV, the EcoFlow PowerPulse 2 at £545 is the more useful charger. The CTEK is over-engineered for that setting — and priced accordingly. It belongs on a three-phase supply where its metering, protection, and protocol support earn back the £541 difference. Anywhere else, the money is better spent on electricity.