Big Power, Medium Capacity Solar Generator for the RV Life

Until June 30th, the AC180 can be preordered for a bargain price of $799. Even better, enter code MUOAC180 for $20 off.

Capacity and Power Output

I’m not particularly fond of the recent trend of battery manufacturers changing their product names to reflect power output rather than capacity, but alas, here we are. The AC180 has 1800W continuous output possible with a 2700W peak, but holds 1152Wh of capacity. That’s a somewhat curious capacity, but the ability to draw a lot out of it is impressive, even if it will be short-lived. Potentially, you could drain this in 30-40 minutes of intensive use.

In practical terms, I was able to run an induction hob from this. I always love a review where I get to cook a bacon and egg bap, so full marks from me there. Doing so took around 10% from a fully charged state. So that’s a lot of baps before you need to refuel. You could cook a few meals, boil some tea, and more, before needing to charge up.

Like the AC60, the AC180 also features Power Lift mode, an AC boost feature that theoretically enables certain appliances that would normally need much higher power than the continuous 1800W it can provide, to run still. In this case, that’s up to 2700W. This is slightly different from peak or surge load, which is just a temporary burst of power that appliances can draw typically when they first turn on (though the peak load is also rated at 2700W).

AC Power Lift mode is a bit of an electrical cheat; it’ll only work with inductive load appliances, like larger motors or big heating elements. Although the appliance will run, you’ll find it’s not as fast or as hot as usual. You need to enable Power Lift mode from the smartphone app. Unfortunately, my full-size kettle is 2800W, so this won’t run even with Power Lift enabled. However, our indoor BBQ hot plate will, so we had a nice outdoor BBQ on this. It powered this for over an hour.

Bluetti AC180 Cell Technology and Longevity

The battery cells are LFP, or lithium iron phosphate, the most durable you’ll find in a portable battery. This battery should be good for at least 3000+ cycles until it degrades to 80% of the original capacity. If you’re planning on using this all day, every day, this is essential. Do not consider a lithium-ion or Li-Ion battery because you’ll find they degrade much quicker, typically in around 500-800 cycles.

Ports and Sockets Galore

You’ll find ubiquitous 12V cigarette lighter port for vintage portable appliances, mini-fridges, and that sort of thing, and two AC sockets with a pure sine wave output. The UK model runs at 220V, though the US model is a standard 110V.

For USB, there’s one USB-C PD 100W, and four USB ports, grouped into two sets, each with 15W total output. Most USB devices won’t draw the full 3A, so they’re good to share, but phones and tablets are more likely to, so for the fastest charging speeds you’ll want to spread each USB plug across the two output sets.

You’ll also find a 15W Qi wireless charging pad on top, which is handy; but there’s no built-in light, which is a little disappointing (and something that the AC60 did have)

The AC180 also features the same basic LCD info panel on the front with the same bizarre semi-circular battery remaining indicator. While it’s not something I noted in the AC60 review, the buttons are one-touch physical operation. In the past, Bluetti required you to hold down a button to activate it; but no more. Now, you press once to turn it on and again press once to activate an output group.

If you’d rather, you can use the Bluetti app, although it doesn’t offer much beyond enabling the various modes. This includes AC boost, silent mode charging (which is slower but much quieter), and Eco mode (which will automatically shut down the power station when no power is drawn for however many minutes).

Size and Weight

Weighing in at 17kg (37lbs) and measuring 34 × 25 × 32cm (approximately 13.4 × 9.8 × 12.6 inches), the AC180 isn’t a lightweight and is not something you’ll be taking on a hike. However, it won’t be a problem in the back of your truck or RV. In fact, it’s perfect for off-grid RV living, as long as you can live with the lack of expansion.

It is, however, easily luggable thanks to the large, inset handles on either side—just not for long distances. Unlike many power stations that feature protruding handles that make stacking luggage more difficult, these take up no valuable extra room in your trunk.

Charging

The AC180 features superfast AC charging at a maximum of 1440W. In theory, you’d think that means you can fully charge it in less than an hour. In reality, it will take more like an hour and a half due to optimized initial charging, which then slows down as the battery becomes more full. However, you can reach 80% in 45 minutes; the last 20% will take a little longer.

Solar charging can be done with up to 500W, an open circuit voltage of 12-60VDC, 10A. This means you can use larger panels that run at a higher voltage, as well as a number of smaller, portable panels. The 8mm plug to do so is on the front, while the AC charger is on the side. In the package, you get the standard MC4 solar to 8mm plug and a car charger adapter. And of course, an AC cable, a generic IEC 3 pin. Also, while it’s not something I’ve used before, if you do need to ground your appliances for a specific reason, you have a port on the side to do so.

Seamless UPS

The last feature worth mentioning is the seamless UPS. A lot of batteries can be a backup power supply, but they can’t be a UPS. UPS stands for uninterruptible power supply, which means they swap over fast enough—20ms in this case—so electronic devices don’t notice the loss of power from the grid and don’t suddenly turn off, often causing data loss. So if you live in an area where power cuts are frequent, the ability to act as a UPS is very important.

I tested this out with my gaming PC, and sure enough, cutting the power resulted in no loss of power on the computer via the AC180. It seamlessly switched over to battery, so we can safely say the claim is legit. If you’re living off-grid, you probably don’t have a big PC. Of course, if you have a laptop with its own internal battery, you won’t need to worry about a UPS. But if you have external drives and sensitive equipment without a battery, then it starts to matter.

Is This the Right Battery for You?

The AC180 is ideal for off-grid, RV living with high output, low capacity needs. It’s also great for family outings. It doesn’t have a superpower that I can shout about that differentiates it significantly from everything else on the market. It’s not expandable, so you get what you see, and you need to determine if 1152Wh is enough for your needs. Perhaps you occasionally need to cook with electric and boil water. With up to 500W of solar on your RV or cabin roof, you could use this and keep it topped up during the day.

I wouldn’t recommend running appliances on this all day; you’ll quickly drain it, and you would need more capacity than the 1152Wh in this. It’s for short bursts of high power only, or very low constant DC power draw. Bear in mind that anytime you have the AC on, it’s draining the battery even without something plugged in, so while low-power DC devices would be fine, I wouldn’t recommend plugging in a fridge freezer or similar.

So, how about the price? From now until June 30th, you can get the AC180 for an early bird price of $800. For the capacity and output, that is exceptional value for money—usually, you’d be looking at around $1 per Watt-hour. But we’ve also got a unique discount code: just enter MUOAC180 for $20 off.

The AC180 is a solid midsize option at a bargain price (if you’re quick). It’s not expandable, it’s not waterproof, nor is it not small enough to go camping with—but for high-power bursts, it’s superb.