Bluetti AC180 Portable Power Station + 200W Solar Panel Kit Review

Portable power stations can be important tools when a reliable power source is limited. Whether for tent camping, RV travels, or emergency power backup – or even for content creators and remote workers – you may be trying to figure out how to keep electronic devices charged.

There was a time when we questioned the need for products like portable Power Stations. But these days, with the heavy news of climate-related natural disasters and the importance of staying “connected”, our attitudes are shifting.

Enter the Bluetti AC180 portable power station.

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We received a complimentary sample product from Bluetti to conduct our tests. Rest assured that all opinions in this article are our own.

What are Portable Power Stations and Why Might I Want One?

Portable power stations are essentially big, rechargeable batteries.

Ever use a portable powerbank to keep your phone charged up on day trips and hikes? Power stations are just bigger versions of this. A lot bigger!

Power stations can be recharged via an outlet (fastest), solar (slower), and even a cigarette lighter outlet (slowest).

Because they are electric they are also safer than gas (no carbon monoxide concerns) and quieter (no motor).

These big power stations are not meant to be brought along for hikes, backpacking, or carried for long distances. That being said, they are portable in that you can bring them to campgrounds or events – or any place where outlets are not available.

Portable power stations are ideal for outdoor activities, camping trips, road trips and RV travels, short events (like family gatherings) and emergency power backup. This can even be a great solution for content creators or remote workers that have all kinds of small devices that need to stay charged.

This is not a new product segment, and there are a lot of different models available in the market.

Typically, portable power stations consist of a powerful, high-capacity battery, an inverter, and multiple charging ports to support USB, DC, and AC outlets. Solar power compatibility is also an important, optional feature.

In this post, we will review the Bluetti AC180 portable power station + 200W Solar Kit. We’ll go over the product, its specifications, and features.

We will share our personal experience and insights while using it to help you decide if this might be the best portable power station for you.

Bluetti brand: What to know

Bluetti is a reputable brand, known for portable power solutions. Their product lineup includes portable power stations, power backups, solar generator kits, expansion batteries, solar panels, and various accessories.

Their commitment to excellence and continuous innovation has earned them accolades and favorable reviews from both users and tech experts, establishing them as a dependable choice within the portable power sector.

Upon unboxing the Bluetti EB70S and Bluetti AC180 portable power stations, we noticed an attention to detail in their packaging, which indicates their dedication to product quality. This extends to the power station products themselves.

The materials of these products seem to have good durability and reliability – no flimsiness or gimmicky elements.

What is the Bluetti Portable Power Station AC180

The Bluetti AC180 Portable Power Station is designed to power your devices on the road or help you out during emergency situations. The power station boasts of a 1152Wh (36Ah) capacity and 1800W rated wattage and runs on a 1152Wh LiFePO4 battery pack (more on that below).

It has 5 output ports, allowing you to charge multiple devices at the same time. The output ports include 4 AC outlets, 1 USB-C ports, 4 USB-A ports, a car lighter port, and even a wireless charging pad.

In the box, you’ll get the AC180 Power Station unit, AC adapter and charging cable, a car charging cable, a solar charging cable, user manual, warranty card, and certificate.

Bluetti Portable Power Station AC180 Specifications

Battery

• Capacity: 1152Wh (22.4V, 32Ah)
• Type: LiFePO4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate)
• Life Cycles: 3,500+ Cycles to 80% Original Capacity
• Shelf-life: Recharge to 80% Every 3-6 Months
• Management System: MPPT Controller, BMS, etc.

Output

• AC Outlets: 4 x 120V/20A AC Outlets, 1800W In Total
• Inverter Type: Pure Sine Wave
• Surge Power: 2,700W
• USB-C Port: 1 x 100W Max.
• USB-A Port: 2 x 5VDC/3A 15W in total
• 12V DC Outlets: 1 x 12V/10A (Car Outlet)
• Wireless Charging Pad: 1 x 15W Max.

Input

• AC Adapter Input: 1440W Max.
• Solar Input: 500W Max., VOC 12-28V, 8A
• Car Input: 12/24V from Cigarette Lighter Port

Recharge time

• AC Adapter (1440W): ≈1.3-1.8 Hours
• Solar (500W): ≈2.8-3.3 Hours (With prime sunshine, ideal orientation and low temperature)
• 12V/24V Car Outlet (100W/200W): ≈12-12.5 Hours / 6.3-6.8 Hours

General

• Pass-through Charging: Yes
• Weight: 35.27lb
• Dimensions (LxHxW): 13.39 x 12.48 x 9.72 in
• Operating Temperature: -4 to 104 F
• Storage Temperature: -4 to 104 F
• Certifications: UKCA, PSE, TELEC, RCM, CE, CA65, UL Standard
• Warranty: 5 years

Bluetti AC180 Price

Check the website for current price:
Bluetti AC180 portable power station

Bluetti PV200 – 200W Solar Panels Specifications

Setting up and using the Bluetti AC180 

When you first receive the Bluetti AC180, it will come partially charged.

Before the first use, we recommended charging the power station fully. Simply use the AC adapter and corresponding cables and plug into a wall outlet.

For our testing purposes, it took us a little over 20 minutes(!) go from 60% to the 100% indicator on the display. This shocked me.

The turbo charging really works, using an AC outlet maxing out at 1400W (though we only saw it go above 1000 for a little bit as it throttles the input the more recharged it is). It was also significantly quieter than it’s little brother, the EB70s.

When charging, you can easily see the battery capacity level on the LCD screen by pressing the power button.

For wattage geeks, you can monitor the current wattage going in (and out) while charging. The charging level has a percentage indicator AND a time until fully charged indicator for more accurate readings. This is another big and welcomed improvement from the EB70s.

The other nice thing about charging the AC180 is that it does not have a power brick. All you need is the power cable to connect to a wall outlet. That’s one less component you have to worry about transporting or breaking.

In addition to any outlet, the Bluetti AC180 power station can also be powered by:

• compliant solar panels (OCV3: 12-28V, InputPower: 500W max) and MC4 connectors
• cigarette lighter outlets
• generators

Any of the options will work but they are REALLY slow compared to the turbo charging the outlet provides.

Is the Bluetti AC180 power station loud?

Not really. Recharging the power station does create some ambient noise but it’s not horrible. It sounds like white noise and it’s definitely noticeable.

When used as a power station (and not being charged), it’s silent. Maybe the onboard fan would have come on if we had taxed it. We never got to that point, even with multiple devices plugged in, the largest being a laptop.

Charging devices with the Bluetti AC180

Once it’s charged up, there are three different areas to connect devices with 2 separate on/off buttons. This is for the DC output and AC output. The wireless charging pad connected to the DC on/off button is on the top of the power station.

Turn on the main button in the center first. Then turn on the AC or DC areas to use those ports.

You’ll know any area is “on” when the button indicator turns to green. You need to manually turn on the charging area you want to use before any charge is sent out from the power station.

If you’d like to activate the wireless charging pad on top of the power station, make sure the DC Output area is turned on.

Quickly pressing any of the three central buttons also turns on the display screen, which will stay on for up to 30 seconds.

You must manually turn off the charging area again by pressing the button(s). Then the green indicator on the button will turn off.

Can you charge multiple devices with the Bluetti AC180 power station?

Yes! While we didn’t max it out, we tested charing 3-4 devices at once.

The display shows total wattage output. So if you want to know the wattage and charging capabilities for each device, you’d do so one at a time. You might do this to test cables, power bricks, etc. If you have multiple devices plugged in, you’ll see the total current wattage output for all of those devices combined.

What can the power station be used for?

You can use the Bluetti AC180 power station for outdoor adventures like RV camping, off-grid living, camping trips, or even picnicking and barbecuing.

It will also come in handy for remote or off-site working, small events like family gatherings, natural disaster emergencies, and power outages.

We do not recommend trying to charge your EV with it. Though you might get some charge/miles back, it’s not a system that I would rely upon.

More on battery management and efficiency

The AC180 has a robust LiFePO4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate) for longer-lasting power. It can provide you with more charge cycles compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries. It offers 3,500+ life cycles up to 80% original capacity.

The battery management system and MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) handles charging multiple devices using various outlets at once without overloading.

Can I use solar charging to recharge the Bluetti AC180?

Yes! The maximum solar input is 500W, meaning that it can accept a maximum input of 500 watts of solar power from compatible solar panels.

When we did our test with the solar panels, we were able to get an input of almost 160W of the max 200W on a clear, sunny day.

The Bluetti PV200 Solar Kit was easy to setup, connect, and use. The design is so intuitive and well thought out.

You simply unclip and unfold the solar panels. And since all the pieces, including the cables are connected, you don’t have to worry about losing anything.

In fact, as a pro-tip, take the solar connection cable included with the power station and leave it connected to the solar cables that go into the built-in zippered pouch. Then you really won’t lose any cables or necessary equipment to operate this.

Bluetti AC180 Power Station + PV200 Solar Kit Review Video

It was a lot of fun to unbox and try the AC180 out. Watch the video above for our full review.

A couple of additional things to note:

• It’s heavy. You wouldn’t want to take this hiking or backpacking unless you had a very compelling reason (maybe you live up in the mountains and this is your only power supply – that’s cool!). It weights over 35lbs and we joked that it could replace a kettlebell for workouts, though we wouldn’t recommend using it as such.
• It’s quiet. No matter what device or how many I plugged into the AC180, it rarely made any noise. That’s nice!
• It’s more compact that I thought it would be. By no means is the AC180 small. But the fact that it packs so much battery capacity and features into a decent, compact and manageable size is impressive.
• Might be more practical than people realize. In addition to powering up devices like phones or computers, having a portable power supply could be really helpful for things like parties, events, people with drones or video cameras, etc…
• You can use it while charging. If you only have one electric outlet available, you could use this power station as a hub to connect multiple devices while the power station itself is being charged.

Final thoughts on the Bluetti AC180

In our review video, I compared the Bluetti AC180 portable power station to a Tesla and the EB70S as a Prius, and I stand by that assessment.

It’s hard to know which power station you’ll need as everyone’s situation is different. What you should know is that both products are made well and that speaks highly of Bluetti as a brand.

The AC180 provides a lot of features that I was missing from the EB70S. It includes true turbo charging, better display indicators for battery capacity, and it’s quieter overall. It’s not even that much bigger or heavier.

The elephant in the room is the price, which again, could be justifiable depending on your needs.

Overall, we really liked the AC180. I’ve enjoyed thinking up trips and scenarios where I can use it, like working from campsites to running small events, and making sure our crucial devices will be charged during potential emergency situations.

With long-lasting battery, portability and Bluetti’s reputation for quality, this could be a solid investment for travelers planning lots of camping trips, off-grid travels, or remote work.