Bluetti AC500 Review – a Modular Power Station with Colossal Power
Bluetti have gone BIG with their latest power station – the AC500 uses a modular design with huge power and capacity capability from their B300S batteries – is this a gamechanger…?
What we like about the Bluetti AC500: Can power your whole house; Modular design – add batteries as you need – up to 18.4kWh; 16 outputs with 5 x AC sockets; 4 year warranty; Ultrafast charging capability – fastest we’ve seen!
What we don’t like about the Bluetti AC500: Not very portable (but doesn’t profess to be); Password unlock via email seems antiquated; Screen still does not show charge/discharge time; Needs two batteries for max IP/OP power capability.
Bluetti AC500 + B300S Power Station
When we started reviewing power packs for camping back in 2020, we never could have envisaged the speed at which progress would have been made in the field. Solar generators and power stations have suddenly become a global phenomenon due to energy shortages and the spiralling prices of gas and electricity due to international politics.
In the same timespan, our focus at Camping Secrets has also shifted – we now see these products as not just portable power stations to take away for a weekend of camping, but instead as green energy generators, able to store enough solar power to run your whole house in the event of mains power cuts. It really has been a wild ride!
Bluetti (also known as Poweroak in the UK) have been pioneers in this field from the start, and so we are always extremely excited to hear where the imaginations of their R&D engineers and product designers have gone next.
With the AC500 power station and B300S battery packs, we believe they could have hit the ‘motherlode’ for a home power mains-replacement system. This is the highest power station that we’ve seen so far, with up to 5kW of output power available for your appliances, and a modular design in terms of battery storage. You can add between one and six of the new B300S batteries which are 3072Wh each, so with six of them you’ll have 18.4kWh of storage on tap. Frankly unbelievable in our view.
This is a plug and play power station, where Bluetti have taken care of all the safety and control concerns that you would have to contend with if you tried building your own system from component parts. There’s a comprehensive touchscreen and smartphone app which enables you to control and monitor every aspect of the system, from solar input power to the rate of discharge.
We’ve been testing the AC500 + B300S in our home for the past month and are ready to give you the lowdown on its performance in that time. We’ve also produced a video review showing it in action. Be sure to check it out.
Let’s dig into this!
Bluetti AC500 and B300S – What’s in the box?
The first thing you notice when the boxes turn up at the house (one box for the AC500 ‘mainframe’ and a separate one for the B300S battery) is how heavy they are to shift around. Unless you’re built like a weightlifter, it makes sense for two of you to move them, and preferably with a trolley.
The box for the B300S battery has a note on it recommending that you permanently keep it, because returns cannot be accepted without it. I’m not sure why this is a stipulation unless it is to ensure proper protection of the B300S.
In the boxes you get the following items:
AC500
- Bluetti AC500 – this is the mainframe control unit and inverter of the power station.
- AC mains charging cable – this is actually an aviation connector on one side and UK 3-pin plug on the other. Charging is limited to around 2.4-2.8kW using this cable (13 amp fuse). Higher input power up to 5kW is possible, but you will need a cable (+ connectors) capable of supporting 20+ amps. These are available from Bluetti separately.
- Cigarette lighter 10A to MC4 car charging cable – for very slow charging at 12V. Connects into AC500 via the DC input cable below.
- DC input cable aviator to MC4 – the aviator socket is used to put DC power into the AC500, either from solar, car or other power source. The MC4 connectors are used as intermediaries for either direct connection to a solar panel or to XT60 using the conversion cable.
- DC conversion cable: XT60 to MC4 – for solar panels with XT60
- User manual and warranty certification
B300S
- Bluetti B300S – this is the 3072Wh battery part of the power station, cleverly designed as a separate unit. You can add as many of these as you wish up to 6 in total.
- P150D battery cable – this is a huge 150 amp cable which is used to connect the AC500 to the B300S. It is for both electrical power and communications between the two units. When connecting, make sure that the ‘lock button’ is fully in the ‘locked position’, or the AC500 will not do anything!
- Cigarette lighter 10A to MC4 car charging cable – for slow charging of the battery at 12V.
- User manual and warranty certification
Principle of Operation
The first thing to note is that the AC500 cannot be used at all without a battery connected to it. This can be an older B300 battery, or the new B300S reviewed here which has been specifically designed to operate with the AC500.
In contrast, the B300S can be bought and operated as a makeshift standalone power station. It can be charged via mains at 500W (if you have the T500 adaptor), via mains at 1000W (if you have the D050S adaptor) or via solar at 500W with nothing else required (apart from solar panels up to 60V). This is quite cool because the B300S has a 12V 10amp output (cigarette socket) and a 100W USB-C output, but no on board inverter, so no AC power.
Connecting the AC500 and B300S
When you connect the AC500 and a single B300S together using the P150D cable then the magic happens, and you suddenly have a very potent combination in play. Suddenly the strength of the AC500 is unleashed, and you have up to 4.5kW of mains input power possible, 3kW of solar DC input or alternatively 6kW of combined mains+solar. In addition, up to 5kW of output power is possible under steady state conditions, and 10kW of output power for short bursts (sub 2 mins).
Two or more B300S
If you daisy chain in 2 x B300S, then the max input power for mains charging rises to a maximum 5kW, and 8kW in total with solar power. This is pretty amazing, and will allow for extremely fast charging if the sunlight is there, and you are properly wired into the mains.
Bluetti AC500 + B300S Power Station
Size, Dimensions and Layout
The AC500 is designed to be stored on top of the B300S, and fits snugly onto it with a reassuring feel. It isn’t going to be pushed off or tipped over easily, and certainly feels like it has been designed properly for this arrangement. In theory you could run the units side by side, but it would take up more floor space.
These are big units with some serious weight.
- The AC500 measures 52 x 32.5 x 35.8cm and weighs 30kg.
- The B300S measures 52 x 32 x 26.6cm and weighs 36kg.
The two together therefore weigh 66kg and are not possible to be lifted by the average person.
In fact, the size and weight of these devices means they are not portable in any way – the AC500+B300S is a power station which is expected to be set up in one location and kept there. For example a garage in your house, a shed or a motorhome. You will not be taking these on a picnic or moving them from room to room without some serious effort.
Bluetti AC500 – Inputs and Outputs
The AC500 is designed as a home storage and mains replacement system – as a result, you don’t get superfluous features like a light or LED strip which you might find on a more portable device like the Bluetti AC200Max or Bluetti EB70.
Let’s talk about the main sockets on the power station.
On the front panel of the AC500 we have:
Top left: 2 x DC outputs
- One of these is a 12V output with a huge 30 amp current limit and an aviation style 2-pin socket
- The other is a cigarette lighter style socket at 24V (yes 24V, not the standard 12V) and a 10 amp current limit.
Top Middle: Colour Touchscreen Display
The AC500 touchscreen display allows every aspect of the AC500 and the various batteries to all be monitored in one place.
- Allows input and output power to be monitored and controlled.
- Clearly shows remaining capacity in the batteries, but not remaining charge/discharge time.
- Allows AC and DC outputs to be activated and deactivated.
The screen is generally very clear, even in bright sunlight. We were slightly disappointed that there is no ‘remaining charge/discharge time’ shown on the display though as it can be quite difficult to estimate this yourself from the instantaneous power and remaining capacity numbers.
Top Right: USB output sockets
There are six USB sockets in total on the AC500, and a further one on each B300S which you have hooked up. So what do you get?
- First up you get two of the top-notch 100W USB-C sockets on the AC500 and a further one on each B300S. We really like these for charging modern laptops easily without requiring the dedicated laptop power brick for AC mains charging.
- There’s a further 2 x USB-A sockets of the high power quick-charge 18W variety
- A further standard 2 x USB-A sockets at 2.4A (12W)
You certainly won’t feel short-changed with the USB sockets on offer – t here is more than enough for all your battery-powered gadgets.
In addition to the USB sockets, on the top-right of the front panel is the main on-off switch of the AC500. If you press this for a second, it will turn on both the AC500 and the B300S batteries connected to it.
Middle: AC output sockets
Below the touchscreen is the AC section. You get:
- 5 (yes five!) x 220-240V standard UK 13 amp sockets
- 1 x aviation plug which can provide 220-240V and a massive 32 amps.
You are really not spoilt for choice with the AC outputs. It is fantastic to have five regular AC sockets as well as the large 32 amp supply which can directly power a motorhome if required.
Bluetti AC500 + B300S Power Station
Charging the AC500 + B300S
Charging via Mains
Mains charging is an absolute pleasure with the AC500 + B300S. You need to use the supplied mains cable which has an aviation connector on one end and a standard UK 3-pin plug on the other. This can support 15 amps maximum current, so around 3.3kW of input power from the mains. However, I chose to limit the current to 10 amps for testing, and was able to get a nice 2.3kW of input power to charge up the battery very quickly (about 90 minutes from 0>100%).
In a first for Bluetti, there is no external power brick required for the AC500 + B300S. You literally just plug straight in.
Fan noise while charging was non-existent – this is a very quiet system unless you are driving it close to the maximum.
Higher current and input power – faster mains charging
If you want to take advantage of the ultra-fast charge capability of the AC500 + B300S, you need to get the system professionally wired into your mains system using high current capable cables of at least 20 amp, preferably 25 amps.
When this is done, you can contact Bluetti for a password to unlock higher current charging. If using 220V and 20 amps, you’ll get about 4.4kW of input power into the battery which will charge it from 0-100% in about 45 minutes – incredible!
If you expand the system to have at least 2 x B300S batteries, then the input power can be raised to a whopping 5kW. Unbelievable!
Charging via Solar
The AC500 has two MPPT controlled DC inputs on the side which can take up to 150V each from solar panels for a combined input power of 3kW. What’s more, you can combine mains and solar for 6kW total input power (1 x B300S) or 8kW combined with 2 or more B300S batteries. Again, this is amazing!
Some people may complain about the 150V limit on the solar input, but this is not a major issue. We’d recommend using three of Bluetti’s PV350 350W panels on each input for 2.1kW solar power, or use your existing high voltage array and step it down to 150V using a transformer.
Charging Summary
The AC500S is the fastest charging power station we’ve so far encountered. When properly set up with two batteries, 8kW input power will charge your 6.15kWh of capacity in less than 45 minutes with mains and full sunshine.
Bluetti AC500 + B300S Power Station
Using the Battery Power
The AC500 is just as strong when dispensing its stored energy. The inverter is rated at 5kW for steady state and up to 10kW on surge. Just let that sink in for a minye – 5kW! This will power the main oven in your house with ease in the event of a power cut. In fact it will power many of the appliances in your house simultaneously!
To test this I connected a 3kW fast-boiling kettle and a 2kW fan heater into the AC500 (see photo above).
With both switched on, there was a combined power draw of 4.5kW, and absolutely no problems whatsoever. I was getting lovely heat out of the fan heater, and in a few minutes my water was boiled for a cup of tea – fantastic!
SmartPhone App
I mentioned earlier that there is a great smartphone app from Bluetti which can connect to many power stations in their lineup. It works great for the AC500 + B300S, and I used it to monitor the output power when doing this test. See the screenshot to the right showing the 4.5kW power draw.
The app can be connected via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and is more handy to use than the touchscreen as you don’t need to get up close to the power station.
Battery Technology and Efficiency
The B300S batteries use Lithium iron phosphate (Li-Po or LFP) batteries, and these are perfect for use in a predominantly home-based mains-replacement system like this. They can withstand many more charge/discharge cycles than standard Lithium-NMC which means that when charging by solar or mains continuously, you will not lose capacity as quickly with time.
Bluetti state that they can guarantee 3500 cycles of charging and there will still be 80% of initial capacity available.
Please note that for occasional-use camping power packs, we are still fans of the more energy-dense Li-NMC battery packs, but for permanent home use it is a no-brainer to use LFP due to the safety and longevity. There is also less reason to worry about size and weight if it the batteries are quasi-permanently installed somewhere.
AC500+B300S efficiency
We tested the efficiency of the power station by running the 2kW fan heater with the B300S at 100% down to 0%.
It ran for 90 minutes and used a total of 2680Wh compared with the ‘nameplate capacity’ of 3072Wh. That’s an efficiency of 87% which is exceptionally good for a product with a very high power inverter like this.
Uninterruptible Power Source
As with many of the modern power stations, the AC500 + B300S can be used as an uninterruptible power source (UPS). This means that it will switch from mains power to battery power in about 20 milliseconds which is faster than any electric gadget that you may be using (TV/PC etc) may switch off in when it loses power.
This means that you can keep any essential item (such as a CPAP machine for breathing) plugged into the power station, and if the mains power is cut then the Bluetti will switch to battery power with no interruption.
We tested it with our television, and it worked perfectly!
Overall Verdict
Well what can we say about the Bluetti AC500 + B300S apart from the fact that this is an amazing home power station.
We are not normally ones for superlatives, but with the input power, output power and storage capacity on offer in a streamlined modular package, this has to be close to maximum marks – it really is a class above the competition in many ways from a technical viewpoint.
On top of the amazing performance, you’ve got a 4 year warranty from Bluetti which will cover any problems or battery issues in that time period, within the recognized specifications and standard set-up of the equipment. This is great to have.
Negatives are few and far between. Yes, both the AC500 and the B300S batteries are quite big and very heavy. However, you can move them around with some effort and so it is not a major problem to get them where you want them in your house or motorhome – you just don’t want to be shifting them frequently.
The large P150D cable connecting the AC500 to the B300S takes up a bit of room on the right of the power station, and if you have multiple batteries connected there will be multiple cables to daisy chain. Potentially, a way of connecting vertically up through the devices themselves using conducting pins might be a more compact solution.
Finally the display of the AC500 doesn’t show remaining time to fully charge or fully discharge – this is a bit of an oversight in our opinion, but not a deal breaker.
Overall this is a brilliant product, and if you can afford it for your home or motorhome it will be a fantastic hub for your mains-replacement system. Coupled with solar energy, you will be able to survive the apocalypse!
Bluetti AC500 + B300S Power Station
