INTRODUCTION

    Whether you enjoy spending time outdoors, take very long trips by road or you just want emergency backup power during an outage owning a portable power station for off-grid electricity is always a good idea. In terms of portable power station popularity, the USA sits first currently with a market share of around 50% whereas Europe as a whole sits at around 30% with sales only increasing by the day (projected market number is USD 1.1 billion by 2028). Just like with everything else in the market however with so many manufacturers around picking the right model for the job might be a little bit tricky. BLUETTI has been among the leading portable power station manufacturers in the world for many years now and today with me I have their AC180 model.

    As a technology pioneer in clean energy, BLUETTI is committed to a sustainable future by providing affordable green energy storage solutions for both indoor and outdoor use. Through initiatives like the LAAF (Lighting An African Family) program, BLUETTI is dedicated to bringing power to 1 million African families in off-grid areas. With a strong focus on innovation and customer needs, BLUETTI has established itself as a trusted industry leader in over 110 countries and regions.

       The BLUETTI AC180 is a pure sine wave inverter model featuring a maximum supported power output of 1800W (2700W combined via Power Lifting Mode) and a lithium-ion battery capacity of 1.152Wh. Instead of using Ternary lithium battery cells BLUETTI is using the newest LFP (LiFePO4) ones that have a lifespan of over 10 years, offer over 3500+ cycles to 80% of the original capacity and can be recharged up to 80% after just 45 minutes (1.440W input). As for available connectivity the AC180 comes ready with two AC ports/outlets (1800W total / 2700W via Power Lifting Mode), DC 12V car lighter output, DC/PV input, PD 100W USB-C port, four USB-A ports, wireless charging pad (15W), real time LCD display and Bluetooth connectivity for use with the BLUETTI app. Last but not least BLUETTI covers the AC180 with a 5-year limited warranty.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The AC180 arrived inside a plain cardboard box the front of which has a product drawing.

A larger product drawing is located at the rear of the box.

BLUETTI warns buyers that they need to keep the box in case they need to return the power station.

Typically, the AC180 is placed between two thick spacers.

Along with the AC180 inside the box you'll also find a power cord, DC car lighter input cable, solar panel input cable, grounding screw, warranty information paper and the user manual.

THE AC180

The 16Kg heavy AC180 is a medium-sized model measuring 340mm in length, 317mm in height and 247mm in width.

From left to right at the front we find the DC/PV input, DC 12V output, color LCD screen, DC output button, on/off button, AC output button, USB-C PD100W, four USB-A charging ports and two AC outlets.

The top features wireless charging (15W).

BLUETTI has placed handles at the top of both sides.

On the right side we find an cooling fan, input power port, circuit protector and a grounding port for use with the bundled screw.

Another cooling fan is located on the left side of the AC180.

Product specifications are printed on a large sticker located at the rear of the AC180.

The color LCD screen is very detailed and bright.

BLUETTI APP

The AC180 is compatible with the BLUETTI smart app via Bluetooth.

You can either create an online account or proceed offline to add your BLUETTI portable power station.

The app uses graphics to showcase detailed input/output as seen above.

From inside the settings tab, you can set charging mode (between standard, silent and turbo - depending on the mode the battery charges faster but the fans are also louder), enable/disable ECO mode (recommend disabling it since it did cause slight issues during testing), change AC output frequency, enable/disable grid self-adaption (helps the station adapt to voltage fluctuations and waveform distortion of an AC source) and perform factory reset.

TESTING METHODOLOGY

    In order to cover a wide range of electrical and electronic devices i decided that I’ll be using 3 different ones to test portable power stations, the VEVOR SH-C22 Bluetooth car refrigerator (DC, around 45W consumption - not continuous), Delonghi Aria Dry Light dehumidifier (AC, around 662W consumption) and a generic air cleaner (AC, around 55W consumption). Of course, my ExTech HD600 dBA meter will also be used at around 10cm away from each portable power station to record the maximum noise coming from the built-in fan/s.

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

    The AC180 by BLUETTI may not be among their top-end models but thanks to its LiFePO4 lithium-ion batteries and its battery management system it managed to outperform every other portable power station I’ve tested to date. On top of that at loads of up to 700W the AC180 is pretty much inaudible and it’s only when you move at over 1KW or start charging it that the fans start spinning for good. Build quality is also very good so I expect the AC180 to last at least for as long as its lithium-ion batteries. Having 2 AC outlets and just 1 USB-C port is probably its only drawback since I suspect some potential buyers may need more but that’s just about it.

    Currently the AC180 Portable Power Station is on sale by BLUETTI and so it retails for just USD429 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 649Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) so things couldn’t be any better here (you can also grab your very own directly from Bluetti USA for just USD417 with checkout code NIKKTECH5OFF). Only question now is if its output (1800/2700W) and capacity (1152Wh) are enough for your needs, if the answer is yes, you should be getting one before this sale ends. Performance, quality, size, cost, the AC180 delivers on everything and so it gets the Golden Award.

PROS

- Overall Build Quality
- Power Output (1800W / 2700W With Power Lifting Mode)
- Battery Capacity (1152Wh)
- Charging Ports (USB C PD100 /4xUSB A / 2xAC / 1xDC)
- Pure Sine Wave Model
- Price (Current)
- 5 Year Limited Warranty

CONS

- Connectivity (2xAC / 1xUSB-C)