Last summer, I did an extensive review of a portable lithium power station from a company called Bluetti. The model AC200P boasted impressive power with a 2048-watt-hour LiFePO4 battery pack and a 2000W pure sine wave inverter.
The AC200P performed well in my off-grid camping tests. It was able to power any appliance in our RV and charged up pretty fast via solar or our gas generator.
Well, it’s nearly a year later now, and Bluetti had contacted me again and asked if I’d like to review their newer upgraded model, the AC200MAX. It has improved charging and output power performance specs, plus new features that addressed a few of my AC200P dislikes. So I decided to take them up on the offer.
AC200MAX Feature & Specs List:
Current Price: 1899 USD or 2499 CAD
Size & Weight: 61.9 lbs (16.5 x 11.0 x 15.2in)
Battery: 2048Wh 51.2V 40AH LiFEPO4
Battery Life: 3500+ Charge Cycles to 80% Capacity Left
2200W Pure Sine Inverter Output 4800W Surge
Solar Charging Specs: 900W 10-145 Volts 15A
AC Adapter Charging: 500W or 1000W w/optional second AC adapter
Combine Solar and AC for 1400W charging
12VDC Car Charging Max 8A
Passthrough Charging
Two 15W Phone Charging Pads
Touch Screen Display
Bluetooth App for Info/Control/Firmware Update
12VDC Power Outlets: 30A RV, 10A Automotive Socket, 2 – 10A Small Round
USB Outlets: 100W USB-C 18W USB-A plus Standard USB-A
120V AC Outlets: 4 – 20 Amp AC Household Sockets + 30 Amp RV Style
Two Expandable Battery Ports: Up to 8192Wh Capacity
Main Improvements over the AC200P Model:
Added 30 Amp AC RV Socket
Max DC Output 30A vs. 25A
900W Max Solar vs. 700W
2200W AC Inverter vs. 2000W
Bluetooth App
Dual Battery Expansion Ports
PT2 In-Depth Testing and Demos, Charging & Discharging
In Part 2 of my Bluetti AC200MAX review, I do in-depth testing of its charging and discharging capabilities. Using the AC charger + 1000 watts of solar panels, I was able to input approximately 1200 watts of charging power even without a perfectly clear sky. Another test was to see if it would power my Coleman Mach 3 13.5K BTU RV air conditioner and for how long. Also, I tested out the 30 amp 12VDC power port.
Stay tuned for the Part 3 Video – Likes and Dislikes after a few weeks of real-world camping and final thought on this offering from Bluetti.
This video will give my likes and dislikes for the Bluetti AC200MAX portable power station. I used it for about a month, camping off the grid in the springtime on the west coast of Canada. So the conditions really put the unit to the test.
Overall, the system performs well in powering things, and hardware build quality is good. I feel this system would be excellent for home power backup or in places with plentiful solar power availability.
But if camping in cloudy or treed conditions, the slow AC recharge (500w max) can make things difficult. A person can buy an optional second AC charger and bump that up to 1000W max, but you'll end up with quite a mess of power bricks and cords. And still doesn't come close to the competitor EcoFlow Delta MAX 1800W AC charging.
Bluetti Bug Test - Solar Charging Bug with Expandable Battery Pack
In this video, I test for a solar charging bug that was reported to me by several video commenters. When the Bluetti AC200MAX power station and B230 expandable battery pack are entirely run down to 0%, the expandable battery won't wake via solar charging. I confirmed the problem with the review samples I was sent and with the latest firmware update installed.