Bluetti AC180 - An (Almost) Perfect Power Station for Overlanding 

My solution was to buy two Bluetti AC180 power stations and a Bluetti 420 watt portable folding solar panel. That way I can potentially park my van in the shade and charge the other power station in the sun. I’ll always have juice on my fridge with an extra to use for electric cooking devices. With a 420 watt panel, I could recharge both batteries in one day with full sun.

In order, I've gotten an EB3A from Lowes, 2x AC2A's through the Bluetti app, and an AC180 through the app. Since all 3 of the smaller ones support 200w solar max, and the 180's solar max is 500w, if I wanted to max out my solar input I'd need 1,100w of panels... My plan is to just get 800w of panels on the roof of my 95 Chevy Astro (gutted, now a trailer) + whatever RV I get, and have the EB3A just charge off the 100w car cable that came with the AC180. I've quickly learned with the EB3A's and AC2A's that the DC DC conversion is so much more efficient than the DC AC inverter, where 100w input from AC was 130w output, but 100w input from DC is only 105w output.

I bought the AC180P slightly more powerful with 1,440Wh BLUETTI AC180P Solar Portable Power Station | 1,800W 1,440Wh

The AC180 was just on sale for $650. That's really hard to beat.

Great video and explanations! Thanks!!!

You worked hard for your unit!

I have both the Bluetti EB3A which is a 600 watt unit and I also have the AC180. I love both of my units as they are amazing for use in different applications. Of course my EB3A cannot run a heat gun as the Jackery could not. But my AC180 can certainly run a heat gun, hair dryer, refrigerator, and more. Your comparison between these two models was not really effective. But love both my Bluetti’s

Just got my ac180.....649.00.....can't beat the price...i have a 900watt solar system ...will use the ac180 as backup on cloudy days for fridge in my van .....i can charge the ac180 ideling my van if needed if i get 2-3 CLOUDY DAYS

Great vid. Get yourself a 120 or 200W Solar panel suitcase

I have used the charging cord from the ac180 to the 70 during the day when solar has fully charged tge 180 I turn on the ac power and use that to charge tge 70. It is not the most efficient way cuz you are using the inverter but I found that to be better than letting the solar power be wasted. I could charge them both individually. Bit by having the smaller unit plugged into the ac180 I can use the phone app to monitor the charge and then turn on the ac power remotely with the app to begin charging the ac70 when the 180 is at 100%.

I’ve actually got the AC180P on order. I mainly got it to charge my electric skateboard when away from home. Admittedly I thought it might serve as a plug and play dual battery set up. But I no longer see it that way. It only has one 12v output and that’s a cigarette lighter one. They are notorious for needing a little twist here and there to maintain the connection, which isn’t something I’d like to rely on for a fridge. And it’s only 10 amps, which isn’t suitable for a good air compressor. Secondly the 12v input is restricted to 10 amps, which is too slow. 10amps x 12 volts = 120 watts, so close to 10hrs for a full charge. They should allow direct hook up to the main battery and have 3 Anderson plug 12v outlets with one or more capable of putting out 100 amps.

That's a great price for the 1800w Bluetti considering most of the power stations out there are basically priced at $1 per watt

This is great tech for off-grid; I'm waiting for twice the capacity, slightly larger inverter, fast charging, big solar input, 30kg-ish.

is it possible to connect 2 ac180 together???

FYI…Bluettie is on sale right now for 669.00 IMHO….great price! 🤠

We need to upgrade our Jackery 500 too. More than a day in camp, and it’s game over. The Jackery is an overrated old tech. The appoption is great I can relate to burying our 500 in the back. Now if they put a few outlets to the side just like the ecoflows, then ill be sold, as that is what works with our current setup, but ill add this to my list and keep your discount in mind as this looks like the best bang for your buck kinda deal.

❓How can I change the settings on the unit directly to take it out of eco-mode and put it into either standard or turbo charge. I’m not always around a Wi-Fi to use the app

How long would the battery last powering a medium size rv fridge

Was the cord for the car charger included?

Is a solar panel necessary?

Ohhhh :( (minute about 10:45) It is always a good idea to read the manual of any tool/equipment you get. You should not think of it as a "chore" you are forced to do....

This is not a true comparison. You are using to totally different size and capacity units. You need to have as close as possible units in ability to do a comparison test. Of course the Jackery is not going to run the higher usage units it is half the size and output capacity. I have both of these exact units and would not think of running the high draw on the Jackery.

how long will it run a small car fridge/freezer?