Bluetti EP500 Powerful Home Power Station Review

MAXOAK has been working extremely hard to bring out some incredible power station/solar generators. They have been pushing the limits of what is capable of these units and have truly become one of the absolute top power station companies.

Their Bluetti EP500 power station has received a lot of attention ever since they launched on Kickstarter. There are a few Bluetti EP500 reviews out there that have done a good job of showing the specs off, but I want to truly dive into this power station and see how good it really is.

Is it better than the tried-and-true Titan solar generator? Will it truly run a whole house during an emergency? Can it be used to live permanently off-grid? Can I use it with my RV? All of these questions and more will be answered in this Bluetti EP500 review.

Battery

First things first we need to know exactly where it is pulling all its power from and that is the huge battery pack. Bluetti has transitioned most of its focus to using LiFePo4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries because of their long cycles and stable shelf life. But that comes at a cost of some serious weight.

The Bluetti EP500 has an incredible built-in battery capacity of 5,100wh. The only other unit currently on the market that has a larger built-in battery capacity is the Goal Zero Yeti 6000X. There are many other units that have expandable battery systems like the Titan solar generator but the Bluetti EP500 comes standard with 5,100wh.

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Not only that, but the EP500 has an incredible 6,000 cycle rating! That means if you did one cycle every day (drain from 100% down to 0% then back up to 100%) it would last over 16 years before it reached 80% efficiency. That alone is something they can seriously brag about. Basically, it means that you will never have to worry about replacing the batteries in the Bluetti EP500. They’re going to last longer than you need to worry about.

Besides having a huge built-in battery capacity, the Bluetti EP500 is capable of connecting to a second Bluetti EP500 unit and combing their overall battery capacity. I’ll go over more of this in detail in the “expandability” section below.

The downside to having such a large battery capacity is the weight. This is not a portable unit by any means. This is meant to be wheeled into place, left there, and used as needed. It is not going to be easy to move this into an RV, van, cabin, or anywhere for that matter. Weighing in at 167lbs this unit will take at least two people to move around. It comes with wheels that are removable once it’s in the permanent location you want it but it doesn’t roll easily unless it’s on a hard floor or a very thin carpet like commercial office carpet.

That is the biggest downside to having this big of a battery is you lose the ability to keep it portable. This means bringing it with you in a “bug-out” scenario is going to be difficult. That is why I love the modularity of the Titan solar generator. Since the Titan battery stack on each other and can be disconnected from each other at only 35lbs each, it still keeps it portable. I can easily keep three Titan batteries on my Titan solar generator, which is 6,000wh, and in a pinch or bug-out situation take all the pieces with me to wherever I’m bugging out to. That is one feature that is still unbeaten by the Titan is its ability to be expanded to any size and still be easily broken down and transportable.

Inverter

The inverter on the Bluetti EP500 left me wanting a bit more out of it. The EP500 has a very high-quality 2,000w continuous output pure sine wave inverter. 2,000w is plenty for most people for emergency situations because most people will be using things like their fridge, freezer, lights, fans, CPAPs, laundry machine, etc.

I did expect a larger inverter capacity for having such a large battery bank. 2,000w is plenty strong enough to run anything that can run out of a normal house outlet including heavy-duty 110v equipment. The Bluetti EP500 Pro has a 3,000w inverter which feels like a better fit for a 5,100wh battery.

The Bluetti EP500 has an amazingly high peak of 4,800w which means it’s truly capable of running heavy equipment. It is fully capable of running 2,000w continuously until it is completely depleted from the battery which some other units cannot run their full inverter continuous load until empty like the Inergy Flex. The Inergy Flex is only capable of running its full 1,500w load until the battery reaches 20%.

When two Bluetti EP500 units are paired together they combine their total inverter capacity and it increases to 4,000w output which is large enough to run some people’s houses. If a house uses a lot of natural gas or propane for all the heat sources included central heating, cooking, water heater, and so on then a 4,000w inverter is generally enough to run the house like normal. The next limit would be using central air. That may be possible with a 4,000w inverter but central A/C will very quickly drain the batteries and you would be able to run anything else at the same time most likely.

That all being said, 4,000w of inverter capacity is huge. It’s completely capable of running all emergency power necessities quite easily at the same time. Even a well pump. That is really the biggest benefit of the Bluetti EP500 double unit system is that it is truly capable of running a well pump up to about 2hp. Of course, you’ll still need a 220v transfer switch installed but that will be incredible to run a whole house with the Bluetti EP500.

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Charging

The charging capability on the MAXOAK Bluetti EP500 is quite good for the size. It can be charged in as little as 4 hours and 15 minutes. It uses a single MPPT charge controller that has a charge parameter of 55-145v and 20a.

Having a large charge parameter like this allows the Bluetti EP500 to be charged with panels that are set up in series, parallel, or series/parallel combo. As long as the charge parameters aren’t exceeded the Bluetti EP500 will allow up to 1,200w of solar power to come in. That’s twice as fast as MAXOAK’s previous model the Bluetti AC200P which had 700w of solar input.

With it being able to take in 1,200w of solar power it recharges fast enough to be charged in a single day. Since there are an average of five solar peak hours each day in the USA a solar generator must be able to charge in five hours or less to be any good. The only concern this brings up is if anything else is being run at the same time while recharging.

1,200w of solar input is truly incredible. The Titan solar generator can do 2,000w of solar input but 1,200w is definitely good. However, if you’re running a fridge, freezer, and a fan all day long that will consume about 250w per hour run. That means there would be a net of 950w going into the battery all day long while still running that necessary equipment. We get that by taking 1,200w solar input minus 250w output which equals 950w (1,200 – 250 = 950).

If the EP500 is at 0% and then you start recharging it at 1,200w while running that equipment you’ll be gaining 950wh/hr run. The total battery capacity is 5,100wh. That means 5,100wh ÷ 950w/hr = 5.36hrs to get fully charged. In reality, it would still get fully charged even though it’s slightly more than 5 hours. But if more than that needs to be run all day long, it will prolong the charge time and can lead to not getting a full charge.

That all being said, even if the EP500 is at a 50% state of charge when night comes, 50% battery capacity is enough to continue to run the fridge and freezer all night long without any issues. It is simply important to note that it doesn’t take much to keep the EP500 from reaching outside of that 5-hour charge window which can make it difficult to have a full battery by nightfall. This is true of any unit that doesn’t have a large enough charge controller to match the size of the battery. The EP500 doesn’t have that issue though, as long as not a ton of equipment is run during the day.

The Bluetti EP500 charges about 550w from the wall outlet and can be used simultaneously with the solar charger. That can get up to 1,750w of total charge going into the EP500 which is incredibly fast. If you need to charge this unit in a hurry, you can use the wall charger and solar charger at the same time. You can also use a gas generator and plug the EP500’s wall charger into that and recharge the system in a pinch.

There’s one neat trick that can be done to get upwards of 1,700w of solar input. You can get 600w in solar panels, an MPPT charge controller rated to at least 600w, and a pure sine wave inverter rated to at least 750w. Connect the solar panels to the charge controller, then the charge controller to the inverter, then the inverter to the wall charging cable of the EP500, then that cable to the EP500 wall charging port. You would be hijacking the AC input port but would be using solar panels to supply the power. That means during a grid down situation you could get about 1,700w of power going in without needing a wall outlet or gas generator. Then the EP500 could be charged in 3 hours flat. I don’t recommend that for anyone who isn’t familiar with electricity.

There is no 12v car charger option for the EP500. The Bluetti EP500 is not intended to be charged from a car alternator or DC cigarette lighter port. They do not plan on adding this option either. Because of its weight, they do not feel that is a good option for charging. Generally, car chargers for solar generators/power stations will put out about 120w. It would take over 42 hours to recharge the EP500 using a car charger that way. That’s longer than it takes to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean in the USA.

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Expandability

The expandability of the Bluetti EP500 is really where it shines. What MAXOAK is truly bringing to market is the ability to make 220/240v power off of a solar and lithium-based power station. This gives people the option to run well pumps, dryer machines, whole houses through transfer switches, and more. This is an incredible feature that was supposed to be available with the Titan solar generator but didn’t make it to market in time for when the Titan launched. In this regard, the Bluetti EP500 is the absolute best. It’s the best solar generator capable of 220v power. Which for some people is a necessity, but for most, it’s not. There is no doubt that this is an absolute game-changer to the industry though and for that they deserve applause.

The Bluetti EP500 is capable of putting out 220v power using a special adapter cable that goes between two EP500 units and then it adds an additional power strip box that has a 220v 40a plug on it. This is where the inverter is just slightly too small since 4,000w truly is good but not enough to go permanently off-grid with for a normal family home. A 6,000w inverter would be enough to run a normal family home permanently.

When two EP500 units are put together you get 10,200wh of total battery capacity, 4,000w of inverter capacity, and 9,600 inverter peak capacity. This is a seriously strong power station.

X-Factor

The ability to tie two EP500 power stations together is the biggest x-factor for this unit. It will also have an app for smartphones so that it can be monitored and controlled from your handheld device easily.

Having 6,000 cycles is unheard of. Even the Battleborn LiFePo4 batteries don’t have 6,000 cycles on them and buying four of the Battleborn batteries is about the same cost as buying one EP500 and would have about the same battery capacity.

MAXOAK claims they have a special UPS feature but truly any solar generator or power station can be used as a UPS. All that is required is to plug your fridge, TV, or whatever device into the solar generator, then have the wall charger plugged in and always charging the solar generator. Then if the power goes out the solar generator will stop getting charged from the wall, but will still be supplying power to whatever device is being used.

Not all solar generators can do this because some have an auto-off feature that will happen if the unit doesn’t get charged or discharged for more than a few minutes. For example, say a fridge is plugged into a solar generator but isn’t running for 15 minutes because fridges turn on and off as needed to stay cool. During that 15 minute window when the fridge isn’t pulling any power, and the solar generator is 100% full-on battery, the system will think it doesn’t need to be turned on and so it will automatically turn off to conserve power.

The Titan is capable of being used as a UPS (uninterrupted power supply) as well since it doesn’t have the auto-off feature. The Bluetti EB240, EB150, and AC50s have the auto-off feature built into them.

The Bluetti EP500 does include a 100w USB C PD port that can charge devices at 100w output which very few other solar generators or power stations have.

Weakness

The only true weakness of this unit is its heavyweight. It’s nearly impossible to move unless there are at least two people moving it. Even still, it’s over 80lbs per person when lifting it with two people. 80lbs is seriously heavy for most people. That shouldn’t scare people away because most people will set this unit for wherever they need it to be during an emergency and leave it there.

The Titan is the only unit currently on the market that has a seriously large capacity in terms of batteries, inverter, and solar but can be broken down into small sections and transported easily. The Bluetti EP500 is more for permanent use.

Pricing

While the Bluetti EP500 is still available on Kickstarter it has an incredibly low price of only $2,799 which is unheard of for what you get. It is always important to do an apples-to-apples comparison of other power stations and solar generators so everyone knows what they are truly getting.

The best way to determine that is by comparing the top 3 features of any power station: battery capacity, inverter output, and solar input. Taking those features into account and comparing it to the price, the Bluetti EP500 comes down to a total “unit wattage” cost of only $1.43/unit wattage. That is a very good price for the Kickstarter early beard special price of $2,799. Once Kickstarter is no longer available it will be bumped up to $3,999 for the EP500 which will bring the total cost up to $2.04/unit wattage which is okay.

The Titan solar generator has a total of $1.33/unit wattage price. Currently, that is the lowest price for all the features included at only $2,995.

At least while the Kickstarter campaign is going the EP500 is at an extremely competitive price and should seriously be considered as one of the best solar generator/power stations out there. Delivery is expected to be in August of 2020 so there is a bit of a wait time. It’s not uncommon for Kickstarter campaigns to get pushed back either but MAXOAK has generally done a great job of getting units out pretty quick.

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Conclusion

After reviewing the MAXOAK Bluetti EP500 it is easy to see that it is a very good unit. Absolutely one of the best that have ever come to market. Its ability to make 220/240v power is incredible. It could use a slightly bigger inverter to match the large battery capacity better but 2,000w is still very good.

The solar input is double to the next best solar generator or power station and will recharge the Bluetti EP500 quickly each day. With such a large battery capacity, this will easily run essentials for at least two days in most people’s homes.

This is definitely an incredible unit and many people should consider getting it.

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What is the Best Price and Honest Review of the Bluetti AC200 – Is It Up there with the Titan?

MAXOAK Bluetti AC200 Review

MAXOAK has truly started making a name for themselves in the power station/solar generator world. They now have amazing reviews on their products and good customer service. With the releases of their other units like the AC50, EB150 and EB240 they have started capturing the attention of everyone out there looking for dependable backup power.

The Bluetti AC200 has surely caught the eye of every prepper out there, or at least everyone who wants a reliable backup power option. The big question everyone is asking is how well it stacks up against the Titan? What kind of power usage can be expected from it? And how well does it work in real-world usage?

The AC200 is definitely one of the top solar generators out there according to many reviews. They have taken a careful look at what people really want. People do not want to charge their cell phone, camera or drone at the beach while partying with friends as so many of the other solar generator companies like to advertise. People want a serious power backup option for when the lights go out. People want to run their fridges, freezers, CPAP machines, TVs, ice makers, power tools and so on.

People want to be able to run their RVs, campsites, emergency locations and run their essentials without worries. Solar generators are not cheap, so people want to know that it is going to work for them when they need it the most.

Rechargeable Power Station
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Battery

Finally, companies like MAXOAK are starting to put real batteries into their units like the AC200. The AC200 has a Lithium Ion (Lithium NMC) battery that is rated to 1,700wh. One of the best features about the battery is that is rated to 51.8v which makes it much more efficient because of the higher voltage. Systems that use 12v are not nearly as efficient as the AC200.

MAXOAK Bluetti AC200 Stock Image

Having a battery with a higher voltage means that there is less efficiency loss between the inverter and battery converting the 51.8v charge into 120v charge. Going from 12v to 120v is much harder and requires more inefficiencies.

The full draw capacity of the battery is 2,000w. This means that even though it has a 1,700wh battery it can pull at a higher rate than what its own capacity is which is incredible. Older systems like the Inergy Apex and Kodiak suffered from not being able to run its full capacity and you were limited to a small system. Even the new Inergy Flex says that it can only run 1,500w continuously for up to 80% of the battery capacity. This was a big problem when people showed their reviews of those systems. The AC200 does not fall subject to that issue.

No one really knows how but MAXOAK has somehow figured out how to get the Lithium Ion battery up to a rating of 2,500 lifecycles which is an industry record for lithium-NMC batteries. Since this exceeds all other units out there this may be something to look into further because no one really knows how that would be possible unless that rating is based only draining to system down to 80% or 90% and then back up to 100%. Either way, it is a powerful factor when it comes to how long the battery will last in this unit.

Inverter

The Bluetti AC200 boasts a 2,000w Pure Sine Wave inverter which makes it quite easy to run heavy duty equipment off of it. More common things such as hot plates, coffee makers, personal heaters and so on will be amazingly easy to run off it because of its 2,000w inverter capacity. If you go look at many reviews online it is obvious that 2,000w of inverter capacity is generally enough power for basic things.

Keeping in mind that the battery is limited to 1,700wh but most items such as hot plates, toasters, microwaves, coffee makers and so on generally only use power for short amounts of time. This means that if you run a microwave that is rated to 1,800w for 3 mins you will only use up 90wh of total capacity which is barely anything off of the 700w of solar on Bluetti AC2001,700wh battery. (1,800w ÷ 60min = 30wh/minute of use).

One of the more interesting points about the AC200 is that is has a huge peak potential for large surges. It is normal and expected that the surge value of any good solar generator is at least two times the continuous running limit. That would mean that the AC200 should have a surge value of 4,000w since it has a continuous rate of 2,000w.

But the AC200 has a surge value of 4,800w! That is 2.4x the continuous running capacity which breaks the mold on having twice as much power for surging. This makes it easier to run heavier items such as chop saws in the shop, small A/C units and other items that surge really high.

One of the major flaws with their other units like the EB150 and EB240 was that the inverters were rated to 1,000w of continuous draw and only 1,200w of peak capacity which is nothing! Many times, while testing those units I would have my fridge and freezer surge at the same time which would cause the system to overload and stop working. The worst part is it does not really tell you that it is overloaded, and it just stops working and later you find that your fridge is warm. That is a big problem.

The AC200 does not have that problem because it has such a high peak rating. They finally got that one right. Being able to run something like a 5,000BTU window A/C unit can be extremely helpful during blackouts and emergencies, especially during hurricane season when it is very warm outside.

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Solar Charging

The MAXOAK Bluetti AC200 comes with an MPPT charge controller which is to be expected in today’s solar generators. No longer can companies come out with a “great system” that has a PWM charge controller such as the Goal Zero Yeti 1400. MPPT charge controllers get much more power from solar panels on sunny days and especially cloudy days.

Charging Cord DiagramThe AC200 MPPT charge controller has a solar input rating of 35-150v and 12a. It is rated to let up to 700w of solar go through it. The beauty of having such a large charge parameter is that it is capable of “over-paneling.” That means that I can install more than 700w of solar panels on the system to ensure I am getting the full 700w charge and that I can lengthen how many peak solar hours I get each day.

The AC200 solar charge input is nothing to what the Titan can do but it’s still pretty good. The Titan’s solar input rating is 35-145v and 30amps. So, it is a little more than twice as powerful. But then on top of that, the Titan has two MPPT charge controllers and can input up to 2,000w of solar which is unmatched by anyone out there.

That being said, the AC200 still has the second-best solar input of any other solar generator out there. Unless you consider the Inergy Flex system which has an expandable solar input capability. The downside to the Inergy Flex’s solar input expandability is the cost. It is cost-prohibitive, meaning it costs so much to get more solar power going into the Flex that it is not worth the investment to do that.

With the AC200 I can easily take seven 100w solar panels which on average will make about 21v and 6a. When I string seven of them together in series, I will make 147v and 6a. That allows me to easily be within the charge parameter.

But wait there’s more! Since the charge controller on the AC200 can go up to 150v and 12a I can easily add a second string of seven panels and have a total of 14 panels. This makes a series/parallel combo connection and would put my solar charge rate at 147v and 12a which is right at the limit of the charge parameter.

1400w Solar on Bluetti AC200

The beauty of doing that is that I will be able to make 700w of power very easily and I can do earlier in the day and later into the evening when compared to just having 700w of solar panels connected. Having the two strings of 700w in panels allows me to ensure I am making 700w of power for up to 8 hours a day during the summer months. That is quite impressive.

That means it has the ability to charge and run up to 5,600wh per day, during the summer. That is enough to charge the battery over three times. This means it is quite easy to be running my fridge, fans, chargers, and devices all day long while still getting a full charge on the battery. Normal power production of 5 peak solar hours a day is about 3,500wh which is still plenty to run devices all day long and having a full battery at the end of the day.

It can charge from 0% to 100% in as little a 2.4hrs if nothing is being run on it while charging. It can charge the battery while running other devices.

 

Connections & Outlets

One of the things I do not like about the system is the solar panel connection type. I really prefer companies to use non-proprietary or rare connections. Companies should use standard connections in my opinion in order to make life easier for users. The AC200 Connector CablesAC200 uses an Aviation SA201 connector and XT60 connectors.

Those connectors can be found online fairly easily, but, most solar panels use PV Connector connectors which is very standard, and it is harder to find SA201 to XT60 and or XT60 to PV Connector connectors. And by “harder” I mean that they do not exist. You must get extras from MAXOAK. Which means if I ever lose the adapter then up the creek without a paddle. I would have to contact MAXOAK and order a new cable directly from them which means I am 100% dependent on their response speed, shipping, and fulfillment.

MAXOAK does a fair job of responding to people quickly, according to reviews, but if you go to their website, you will see that there is no option to buy that connector/adapter easily.

As far as outlets go, the Bluetti AC200 pretty much has it covered. With six 120v house styled outlets it is easy to plug and play with anything you need to plug in. It can run up Bluetti AC200 Outlets and Frontto 2,000w continuously from the 120v outlets.

It has multiple DC outlets such as a 12v/10a DC cigarette lighter-styled port for running things like tire pumps, DC fridges, and more. It includes two 5.5×2.1mm 12v ports that can run up to 3 amps for running things like a CPAP machine or two.

It has five USB outlets. There are four USB-A styled outlets rated to 5v and 3a and then a single USB-C 60w high-speed port which allows charging on items such as Apple laptops and other lightning charging devices.

It also has two wireless charging pads on the top of the unit which allow phone to be placed on top of it and be charged up quickly and easily. Of course, your phone has to have that capability but most modern phones now have that option.

One new plug that is unique is the 12v/25a high output DC plug which uses a special plug which means you’ll need adapters in order to be able to use it.

30a to 15a AdapterIt does not have an RV plug though. I really wish it did. This is a perfect size unit for small RVs and for people who are not using A/C very often at all and just need to run the basics. You could get a simple adapter plug as I’ve used in the past, but those plugs are not designed to run up to 2,000w which means power will still be limited if using that plug.

Wall and Car Charging

It has a car charger! Not that it will charge quickly but it’s always nice to have a backup source if push comes to shove. It will charge in 17 hours from a car charger. That means it is charging at about a rate of 100w per hour.

The wall charger is quite fast and will charge the unit up in about 4 hours from any wall outlet or even off of a gas or diesel generator. Having a fuel generator is a great backup for a solar generator like the Bluetti AC200.

Weight and Dimensions

AC200 on Furniture Dolly

The AC200 is not a skinny little unit. It boasts fairly big power and for that reason, it is a bit heavy. Weighing in at 57lbs this unit is not for the faint of heart, literally. It’s heavy. The handles on the unit are very ergonomic which makes it easy to grip and move around but that is only if you can handle the weight.

That is why I love the Titan systems so much is that the battery disconnects from the main unit and the weight can be easily cut in half, so it is easy to move. The AC200 is still absolutely worth it and is a great unit but you may want to consider a furniture dolly to move it around easier.

The dimensions are 16.5in x 11in. x 15.2in. This image shows how it fits in the front seat of a car to give an idea of how large it is. It’s not small, and that’s a good thing. It is capable of powering so much which requires weight and size.

AC200 in Car

Warranty

MAXOAK gives the AC200 a full 2-year manufacturer warranty. That means if there is anything that goes wrong, breaks, or doesn’t work properly on the system they will replace or repair it for free for up to two years. That doesn’t include dropping it and breaking it, spilling liquid on it or anything like that. If it has a defect that pertains to the manufacturing process, then that is covered but not accidents.

MAXOAK states that it should be charged every 3 months to keep the batteries healthy and charged up. This was a bit surprising, seeing that it has a 2,500-lifecycle rating. Generally speaking, if a battery has that many cycles it shouldn’t have to be topped off on the battery multiple times a year.

Either way, MAXOAK is generally pretty good about handling cases for people and getting people squared away with their orders and products.

It is not protected against events such as an EMP Attack or Solar Flare. If that is something you’re concerned about you should consider purchasing at least one if not two XXL EMP Faraday bags to store the AC200 in to protect it from EMPs.

medium tech protect faraday emp bag

Expandability

The Bluetti AC200 has no expandability. What you see is what you get. It cannot accept external batteries being added onto it. It cannot expand its solar input capability. It cannot double together with other AC200’s and make a 4,000w inverter or 220/240v power. All of those items would’ve been nice to see but the system as it sits is quite good and is better than the vast majority of other units out there.

X-Factors

Bluetti AC200 Wireless Phone ChargingWhat is it that makes the Bluetti AC200 stand out above the crowd? Besides it’s good battery size, strong inverter, and fairly good solar input capability, it stands out for a few reasons.

It is the only unit to have two wireless fast charging phone pads on the top of it. This allows two people’s phones to be charged very quickly at the same time which is always a nice bonus.

It has an extremely intelligent screen onboard. There are so many features and specs that can be changed, tracked, and verified that no other system on the market has. The screen allows people to fine tune their system if they really want to. Or they can just leave it alone and know exactly how much power they’re making, using and how long they have left on their battery very easily.

It is the only unit currently that has a 25amp 12volt plug which many people who use items such as HAM radios can find quite helpful.

Bluetti Smart Screen

Pricing

This really is one of the absolute best features of the Bluetti AC200, it is in a very affordable price range for solar generators. Retailing at $1,799 it costs about the same as a Goal Zero Yeti 1400 unit, but you get nearly twice the unit as you would with a GZ Yeti 1400.

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Overview

The AC200 can truly stand on its own. There are three main factors to consider when looking into a solar generator. 1. Battery Capacity. 2. Inverter Size. 3. Solar Charge Rate.

The Bluetti AC200 has a good battery capacity of 1,700wh which is comparable to other units on the market such as the Titan which has a 2,000wh battery. The Titan can expand its battery capacity but for most people a single 1,700wh is plenty big for running simple things like a fridge, freezer, lights and fans during an emergency.

The Bluetti AC200 has a great inverter size. Some people don’t need more than 1,500w but since this unit has a 2,000w draw capacity it ensures that you can run your fridge while running the toaster and you don’t have to unplug everything else just to run one big device.

And lastly, the AC200 has one of the largest solar charge rates of all the solar generators out there. The EcoFlow Delta, Bluetti EB240 and Inergy Apex were all limited to about 400 or 500w of solar input. The AC200 can be over-paneled and put in a true 700w of solar capacity which is great! The only unit currently that beats that charge rate is the Titan with a total of 2,000w solar input capability. But for a system of this size of the AC200, 700w of solar input is extremely good.

It truly stands out as one of the absolute best solar generators currently available.

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MAXOAK Bluetti AC50 Portable Power Station Review

MAXOAK Bluetti AC50 Power StationTypically, it is preferred to have a larger solar generator or power station as an emergency backup power source. Or it can be used for camping, RVing, off-grid locations and so on. But especially for camping and traveling the larger solar generators can be too big. That is why it is also nice to keep on hand a very small and simple solar generator or power station. It should still be able to be charged by solar in at least one day.

The MAXOAK Bluetti AC50 is a very good option and generally my #1 choice for a very lightweight option. It weighs in exactly at 13lbs 7oz. It is a very affordable, lightweight and easy to use system that is very handy when doing some light camping. It’s definitely not big enough to run a fridge, freezer, or TV for very long. But it does work well for CPAP machines, inflatable beds/air pumps, laptops, and other smaller items.

Inverter

The Bluetti AC50 has a pure sine wave inverter that allows up to a 300-watt continuous draw. The peak draw on it is 450 watts. On most solar generators the peak draw can be run for a couple of seconds. On the AC50 though it can run 450 watts for up to 2.5 minutes! If a little extra power is needed for a short burst, it will be able to handle it no problem.

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Battery

It has a 500wh Lithium NMC (Lithium-Ion) battery that is capable of a 90% capacity draw. What that means is that 90% of the battery is usable. 500wh x 90% = 450wh usable capacity. I find that I can get more than that depending on what I am using. If I am using a small draw like a phone, camera or laptop I can get a bit more draw out of the battery. But, 450wh is what should be considered the usable amount of battery.

It does allow for the full 300 watts from the inverter to be used until that 450wh is used up which is nice.

Bluetti AC50 Turned On

 

Lifecycles

It is very normal for a Lithium-Ion battery to have about 500 cycles on it. That is how many times it can be drained and recharged fully. After 500 cycles the battery efficiency is about 80%. The best way of extending the lifecycles is to not use the 300-watt draw every single time it’s used and to charge it slower.

The AC50 actually has 1,000 cycles. So it’s twice the standard. The best way to reach that 1,000 cycles is to charge it slowly and discharge it slowly.

Charging

The easiest way to charge the Bluetti AC50 is by using the wall AC adapter but it charges pretty slow. That may be good for the battery to charge slow but it can be a bit of an annoyance to have to wait hours for it to charge all the way up.

It also can be charged by solar. The solar input rating is 14v-40v and 10 amps. It says it’s capable of using one 120w panel to charge. I almost always use 100w solar panels because they are lighter, easier to move and are affordable.Stringing two 100w solar panels together in series will make about 38v and 6 amps of power which is within the safe limit of the Bluetti AC50. I find this is the fastest way of charging it on bright sunny days because it creates much more power than the wall charger.

MAXOAK AC50 Accessories Included

Charging it from a car really isn’t possible since it uses a 24v battery internally and cars use 12v batteries. You can technically get it to work but it won’t charge the battery fully which makes it pointless in my mind. The best thing to do if it needs to be charged on the go is to have a small 300-watt 12v car inverter and use that with the DC cigarette lighter port in the car.

It can be charged and used at the same time. It does have an MPPT charge controller in it though which is great. An MPPT charge controller makes it charge much more efficiently than a PWM. I am glad MAXOAK is putting quality parts into their units.

Outlets

One neat feature is that it does have a wireless charging pad on the top of the AC50 which is nice to use when outdoors. It makes it easy not to worry about forgetting a charging cord for a phone or tablet and it can be placed right on top for charging.

It also includes two 120v AC outlets which can be used up to 300w continuous draw. The 4 USB A ports are rated to 3 amps which means they will do “fast charging.” The single USB C port is rated to 45 watts and will charge much faster for anything that has a USB C charging port such as a laptop.

Inergy Basecamp Lights on AC50One of my favorite features of the Bluetti AC50 is that it has two 5.5×2.1mm barrel ports. To most people, these ports rarely ever get used. But when camping I love to bring the MAXOAK AC50 and a few Inergy Basecamp lights. The lights are extremely bright, lightweight and string together to easily light up the entire campsite. Since the AC50 has two of these ports I can easily string up to 6 or even 12 lights around my campsite and make it extremely bright.

The MAXOAK Bluetti AC50 also has a standard DC cigarette lighter port that is rated to 10 amps. Which means it will pull a maximum of 120 watts from it. The downside of the AC50 is that the DC ports are not regulated. Meaning that as the battery gets drawn lower the output voltage of the DC ports goes down. At 100% the voltage is at 12.4v but as the battery gets drained that voltage will drop. This means at 100% it can make 12.4v x 10a = 124 watts. But at 50% when the voltage is at 10.8v it can only make 10.8v x 10a = 108 watts. This is why it’s nice to have a regulated DC port like the MAXOAK Bluetti EB150 which is the big brother to the AC50.

Click Here to Buy the Bluetti AC50

 

Unique Features

As mentioned above it does have a wireless charger which is really nice for phones. But it also has another unique feature in that it has a nice light built into the back of it. This is helpful when at a cabin, in a tent, in the back of the truck or wherever. It has a high, low and SOS setting. It can be a little bright in the eyes when pointing outwards but I typically point it at a wall, tent wall or away from me and lights things up very well.

Bluetti AC50 Back Light

 

Conclusion

All-in-all I like the Bluetti AC50. I don’t know why MAXOAK decided to name all of their solar generators or power stations “Bluetti” and then change the letters that come after that. It makes it a little confusing. But I do like taking the AC50 with me on camping trips with my family to power the small things in the tent. I typically use it for the air pump for the air mattresses, phones, laptop, speaker, tablets, lights, cameras and so on. If I am going camping for a few days I will bring my two solar panels with me and keep it charged up all day long so it’s ready by the evening.

It comes with everything in the box to connect to wall outlets, solar panels and so on. It also comes with a small bright colored carry case which I find a bit cheesy but is quite helpful. The colors are straight from the ’80s but makes it nice to keep everything together in a nice tight bag.

Continue ReadingMAXOAK Bluetti AC50 Portable Power Station Review

Bluetti Generator, Is It Worth It?

There’s a new solar generator that has come out that has caught my eye. It’s doing as well or better than most well-known solar generators on the market. It’s called the “Bluetti” made by MAXOAK.

Testing it has been fun and I have been pretty blown away by how well it works. I have used MAXOAK items in the past and they have always worked well. The Bluetti is right up there with the Goal Zero Lithium 1000 as well as the Inergy Apex and Kodiak (Kodiak no longer in production).

Click Here to Buy  the Bluetti

 

Battery Capacity

The Bluetti boasts a surprising 1,500wh lithium ion battery. That’s a really good size battery for what most people need to run during power outages. I always like to look at solar generators from the standpoint of a power outage because that’s when I use mine the most. I always find ways to use my solar generators for little things here and there, but a power outage is when I truly need it to work and work hard for me.

The most common items to run during a power outage are fridge, freezer, laptops/computers, fans, lights, and microwaves. Of course, there are plenty of other things that people run but these I have found to be the most consistent things people run during power outages. So, the question is can the Bluetti run all of those things? For the most part yes.

Running all of those items except for the microwave are easily doable for the Bluetti. The only way to run a microwave from the Bluetti would be to get a smaller or “weaker” microwave when it comes to power draw. I personally also like to use my toaster oven as well an electric cooktop off my solar generators. Being able to run all 3 of these items (not at the same time) is a true test to me that it’s a solid solar generator. Simply because a solar generator should be able to do the light work and some of the hard work, like running small cooking appliances.

1,500wh battery is generally enough power to run necessary items and still have enough power at the end of the day to get through the night and chargeback up the next day.

MAXOAK Bluetti Max Kit Full

Fully Equipped Bluetti Kit Setup

1 Bluetti
4 100w Solar Panels
1 Set 70ft 12 AWG Panel Cables
1 Set 2-Way Cable Branch Connectors
2 Outlet Timers
2 1ft High Amp Extension Cords
1 Solar Panel Watt Meter
1 Solar Panel Carry Case
1 Cable and Accessories Carry Case
1 XXL EMP Faraday Bag

 

Battery Draw Capacity

One thing that I have truly come to realize is that a battery is only as good as how much power can actually be drawn from it. This was the major lesson learned about the Inergy Apex. The Apex has a 1,500w inverter but can only draw 550w of power non-stop. Anything over that will put the Apex into safety mode. This is for good reason because if more power is drawn for an extended period of time then the Apex battery can get damaged. BUT, 550w of continuous power is not a lot especially when the inverter is 1,500w.

With the Bluetti it is able to draw about 900+ watts of continuous power without having any issues on the battery. At that rate it will also completely drain to empty. The inverter is only 1,000 watts which for me is a little light duty but since the battery draw is truly only 900 or so watts then it makes sense to not put in a larger inverter. Basically, they went ahead and put in an inverter that matches the battery capability.

I think this is a smart move rather than putting in a more expensive 1,500w inverter but then not being able to use all 1,500w. Instead they went with the 1,000w inverter to match the battery they have, and I think that makes a lot of sense.

 

Battery Type

It does have a Lithium Ion battery which to me is great. I think too many people have jumped on the band wagon that “lithium ion is evil and will explode and burn your house down.” All of these people say the ONLY way to go is to use Lithium Iron Phosphate. Now to a degree they’re right, but not really. There haven’t been hundreds of people’s houses burning down from lithium ion solar generators. There haven’t even been dozens of fires burning people’s houses down from solar generators. The #1 items that causes fires that are related to solar, are solar panels.

For me, Lithium Ion batteries are perfectly safe. Basically, as long as you don’t drop it from up high and then throw it in the pool or the lake then the batteries will not likely cause any fire issues ever. I have had multiple lithium ion solar generators for about 5 years now and still have never had an overheating, fire or other related problem on any of them. I like Lithium Ion because it’s so much lighter than the Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries. Yes, a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePo4) battery will last much longer and that’s great, but we’re talking terms of portability. If you get a LiFePo4 battery of decent capacity it weighs a ton.

Inverter

The inverter only has a 1,000w continuous draw rating but as previously mentioned that’s largely due to the fact that the battery can only put out a little less than that nonstop. As much as I wish it were a 1,500w or larger inverter there’s no point since the battery wouldn’t be able to handle it.

I like a little larger inverter, so it allows me to run items like my toaster oven, microwave and electric cook top. Each of those use just a little less than 1,500w on average. It’s pointless though to try and cook breakfast on the electric stove top when the power is out if I can’t get the battery push out enough power to continuously cook nonstop. I don’t like runny eggs like that.

The good news is that it is a Pure Sine Wave inverter so it will easily run all my gadgets that use less than 1,000w of power. This makes it easy to run my TV, fridge, freezer, laptop, fans or whatever I feel like or need.

The saddest thing about the inverter, and one of my major gripes about the Bluetti, is that the Peak output capacity is only 1,200w. Really, that’s it? It can only muster up enough power to jump from 1,000w to 1,200w? I guess this is fine if not a lot of power is being drawn anyway which for most people is the case. Normally people don’t use items that have a huge jump, at least not when it comes to necessary electronics for power outages. There are always exceptions and every single person’s situation varies of course.

To me I really wish that the peak capacity was at least 2,000w. It’s pretty standard across the board that the peak capacity be double of the continuous capacity rating. Oh well, definitely not a deal breaker but kind of sad.

Lifecycles

One of the big arguments people have for why Lithium Ion is not as good as Lithium Iron is that Lithium Ion has lower lifecycles, and they’re right. Now that being said this is where math really comes in handy.

A lithium ion battery is generally rated to 2,000 cycles. And that is correct. But only if the battery is not used in harsh conditions. If it were used in harsh conditions where the battery is being drained quickly, charged quickly, and happening very often then it really has about 500 lifecycles. The Bluetti is rated to 1,000 lifecycles. Now I don’t know if they just took that from the average of a normal lithium ion battery or if they actually did the math and figured that out. Either way, it’s rated to 1,000 lifecycles. Which means after using it fully 1,000 times the battery will be at about 80% efficient. Meaning rather than being 1,500wh it would be more like 1,200wh.

A lifecycle is when the battery cycles from being drained to refilled. Technically a 20% drain and then recharge is one cycle. So is a 95% drain and then recharge. A cycle just means it’s been drained and then recharged. So, this is why it can be 500 to 2,000 lifecycles out of a lithium ion battery. A LiFePo4 battery rated generally to 3,000+ lifecycles. But they weigh a ton which makes them not portable.

Now here’s the math that’s the most important part. Let’s say every year I go through one major hurricane that knocks out my power for 2 weeks. Pretty serious power outages, really I think it would be time to move. 2 weeks is 14 days. 1,000 lifecycles ÷ 14 days = 71.4 years of going through a 2-week power outage every year. See the point? Do I really need 3,000 lifecycles? No. It would be nice if it were rated to 2,000 lifecycles instead but it’s not a deal breaker by any means.

Even if we look at it from an EMP standpoint where there’s no power period it’s not bad at all. It’s essentially 2-3 years of power before the battery reaches that 80% mark. That doesn’t mean it’s now dead and no longer works at all, it just means it doesn’t work as well. The same as any motorized vehicle or gas generator, after being used for many years starts to have efficiency losses.

Solar Input

The Bluetti can handle up to a max of 500 watts of solar power input according to the user manual. That’s great! 500 watts into a 1,500wh battery means it can charge in 3 hours. Since I can account for an average of 5 hours per day of maximum power producing sunlight, on bright sunny days, that means I can make enough power to charge the Bluetti completely full while still running items like my fridge and freezer.

The hard part is actually getting to 500 watts. The way to calculate watts is by taking volts and multiplying it by amps. Volts x Amps = Watts. What the real solar input value is on the Bluetti is 60v and 10 amps. But wait, 60v x 10a = 600 watts. So, couldn’t I get 600 watts into it? No not really, not easily at least.

The issue comes in when it comes to connecting the solar panels. For example, a 20v solar panel will make about 5 amps and that is an average 100w solar panel. When panels are connected in series (panel to panel to panel) then the volts will increase, and the amps will stay the same. When panels are connected in parallel (all positive panel cables combine, and all negative panel cables combine into the generator) then the volts stay the same, but the amps go up.

So, if I take a 20v panel and put 3 of them together I’d be at 20v x 3 = 60volts. Which is the maximum allotted volts that can go into the Bluetti. The amps are only about 5 amps so I’m well below the 10-amp mark. The difficulty is that the panels can go up to 21 volts per panel and if that happens that having all three of them combined will go up to 63 volts which is more than the Bluetti can handle.

The best thing to do is have two sets of panels and each set have two 100 watt panels. This will keep the volts at a usable level and when combined together as seen in the picture below it will be combined into a parallel connection. This will make the volts be about 40 volts and the amps about 10 amps.Bluetti Connection Diagram

The charging plug is what is called a DC7909 plug. It’s not a very common one but MAXOAK provides the necessary adapters to connect easily to the PV Connector connectors on solar panels. Over 95% of solar panels use the common PV Connector connector so it’s really nice that the Bluetti comes with the right adapter.

So, if I can truly get 500 watts an hour on a perfectly sunny day then I’ll be able to make 2,500w of power for sure that day in a 5-hour period. That means during the day I can use 1,000w of energy running my fridge, freezer and other items and by the time the sun goes down have a battery that’s 100% full and still was able to run things throughout the day. For the most part, I stick with 400 watts in panels. Either way, it’s pretty good. I like those numbers.

Charge Ability

Because there is only one charging port on the Bluetti it doesn’t allow for any kind of simultaneous charging. It can either use the supplied wall charger or solar panels. There is no car charging capability on it. Now there is a way to wire a small inverter to your car then attach cables to the charge port to actually charge from a car cigarette lighter port but it’s not super easy. It’s not super hard either but basically the Bluetti was not designed for charging from a car.

 

Charge Controller

It comes with an MPPT charge controller which is wonderful! I still can’t believe there are some solar generator manufacturers that are putting PWM charge controllers in their generators. You don’t have to know what MPPT and PWM are, you just need to know that MPPT is better even though it weighs more and costs more.

Basically, the MPPT will allow the solar panels to make more power than a PWM charge controller. It’s a computer essentially, kind of like a tuner. It tunes the solar panels to be able to make more power. I’m glad they put an MPPT charge controller on the Bluetti. It’s absolutely worth it.

Weight

It’s not crazy heavy and it’s not crazy light. It’s 38lbs of solid power. Generally, for me once I hit the 35lb mark I begin seeing people have trouble moving things easily. It’s barely over that mark so it’s not a deal breaker and it’s not a back breaker either. It’s still easy enough to move around because it has a really nice large handle on the top.

The handle is very robust and doesn’t feel cheap. This gives me the confidence to move it around and not worry about dropping it on the floor and breaking it.

Output Plugs

The Bluetti comes with a variety of output power plugs. Sadly, though it only has two 110/120v outlets. I personally feel that 4 should be the minimum for a solar generator of this size. When the power goes out the first things I plug in my fridge and then my freezer. Well, now what? Both plugs are full. So, this, of course, leads to using extension cords and power strips coming off of each plug. Well the problem is it becomes too easy to add too much stuff to those plugs and then pop a fuse. The fuses are inside the case too so I believe that would require a screwdriver and some digging around.

Now it’s not going to hurt it too bad as long as I keep it in mind to not overload the plugs. I’m not going to run my fridge, freezer, fans, lights and TV all off one plug that has a power strip in it. The load needs to be evenly distributed between the two plugs, but I will definitely need a power strip to run everything I would like.

It does have a 12v cigarette lighter port that makes it easy to use any 12v items. Rated to 10 amps it will run most things pretty well. It’s not a heavy-duty solar generator so it’s not going to run big heavy-duty communication devices that need 15 amps.

It does come with 4 USB ports which is much more than most solar generators on the market. This makes it the central hub for cell phone charging when the power is out. The good news is that everyone will be all together around the Bluetti because the phone charger ports are on it. I guess it brings people together more in that sense. It also has one USB-C port for people who have USB-C fast charging devices.

There is no 30amp RV plug which is too bad. Not surprising though since the inverter is rated to 1,000 watts of continuous power. The 30amp RV plug really gives a solar generator the ability to go farther. Usually, that plug is rated to a higher number of amps and so it makes it easy to get a 30amp to 15amp adapter and add a third wall outlet plug. But that’s not an option with the Bluetti.

Shelf Life

According to the manufacturer it is recommended to give the Bluetti a charge once every 3 months. This is a good battery conditioning to make sure that the battery stays full and healthy. Letting it sit for years without ever touching it will reduce the lifecycles of the battery.

 

Warranty

It does come with a complete 1-year manufacturer warranty. This is always nice to know that if I have a problem along the way that it will be fixed. That being said, the MAXOAK website and customer service line and have left me wanting for more. It doesn’t look well put together or anything but in my past dealings with MAXOAK I’ve always been able to get some help eventually.

Expandability

There is zero expandability with the Bluetti. There is no way to add more batteries or solar panels to it. It is what it is and there’s no adding to it. I find this sad since I have grown accustomed to having that option of being able to add more batteries to a system.

Since the Bluetti can produce a solid 2,500 watts in a day from solar panels it’d be nice to be able to add another 1,000wh of battery to the built in 1,500wh battery so when there are days that I hardly use any power I can store more for later.

EMP Protection

For many people EMP protection is of no concern. But for others it is, and I feel that since an EMP attack would directly affect people’s way to get power that it’s an important aspect to consider. The Bluetti is in no way EMP proof. The good news is that because it’s not too heavy and because it’s not overly big it is quite easy to fit into a Tech Protect XXL Faraday/EMP bag.

The EMP bags are tested and approved to be 100% EMP proof. And by putting one bag inside of another bag, called “nesting,” this will actually make it Super EMP proof. It’s easy to take in and out of the bag and use when needed as well as charge when needed.

X Factor

For me the “X Factor” of the Bluetti is that the inverter and battery are properly sized together. They didn’t put on an inverter that was too big for the battery. They knew what the battery could do so they matched the right sized inverter. In the end this helps reduce weight and price which is nice they did that. No one likes to pay for a feature they can’t use.

Weakness

By the same definition, the inverter is also the weakness of the Bluetti. Where they matched the battery and inverter properly, it would’ve been nice if they were able to get a 1,500w inverter since the battery is 1,500w. And it would have been great to be able to pull all 1,500w when needed from the battery.

The second weakness is that it only has two 110/120v plugs. It needs more. This is why I recommend getting two of the high amp 1ft extension cords because it will be able to handle higher power loads and will double the plugs from 2 to 4 total.

Click Here for the Best Current Price on the Bluetti

 

Pricing

The Bluetti is easily and readily available on Amazon which is awesome. It normally sells for about $1,399 on Amazon which I feel is a very fair price. Being compared with the Goal Zero Lithium 1000 which sells for about $1,795, it’s about $400 cheaper and offers very similar results. Also, very similar to the Inergy Apex which generally sells for about $1,500 the Bluetti is $100 less. Definitely worth taking a look at with that price on it.

Pairing the Bluetti with four Flexx 100 solar panels would still be a perfect setup to make lots of power and have a full battery every day. Two additional 50 watt panels are not necessities.

Conclusion

There is a place in the market for the Bluetti. It has performed better than most solar generators on the market and deserves a spot near the top of the suggestion list. I can whole heartedly say that I can recommend it to people who are needing a solar generator in this price range. It’s no Titan Solar Generator but it will definitely get a lot of work done.

Continue ReadingBluetti Generator, Is It Worth It?