BLUETTI AC60 portable power station –  packed with added value features (off-grid review)

The BLUETTI AC60 portable power station is part of its new range from 430Wh to 2048Wh and works with various charging options, including 240V, Solar panel and car utility sockets.

CyberShack has started to review portable power stations and even written a guide – Portable Power Stations – power on the go, which we update when we find something new. And we use it to decide which portable power stations to review. Why?

There are many brands. The cheaper ones use Lithium-Ion, and we consider that these pose an unacceptable fire risk. We only review those that use the safer LiFePO4 batteries (low fire risk, up to 10 years life and thousands of recharge cycles) and, above all, RNZ C-Tick certified for use in Australia.

The BLUETTI AC60 may be the baby of the litter, but it is packed with an excellent feature set, including 1200W peak ‘lifting’ startup power, a six-year warranty, IP65 dust/water resistant rating, App control and an impressive 60-minute fast charge.

BLUETTI Range

Portable Power Station

• AC60 600W/403Wh $999, $/Wh $2.48, Cost per charge 33 cents
• AC180 180W/1152Wh $1499, $/Wh 1.30, Cost per charge 43 cents
• AC200MAX 220W/2048Wh $2699, $/Wh $1.32, Cost per charge 77 cents

Battery expansion

• B80 806Wh $999
• B230 2048Wh $1999
• B300 3072Wh $2899
• B300S 3072Wh $3099

Solar Panels

• PV120S 120W $399
• PV200 200W $699
• PV350 350W $1199
• PV420 420W $1299

There are discount bundles.

Australian Review: BLUETTI AC60 portable power station

Website	Range, Product page and User manual
Price	$999
From	BLUETTI Online, Harvey Norman, Bunnings and approved retailers. Beware – do not buy internationally sourced products as they will not have RNZ C-Tick certification or local warranty.
Made in	China
Company	Est. 2019, it is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. BLUETTI stands for BLUE Sky. Tomorrow. Technology. Innovation. It is owned by a Chinese company Shenzhen PowerOak (Est. 2013). It now supplies to over 70 countries.
More	CyberShack portable power station news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Passable (meets low expectations), Pass (meets expectations), Pass+ (near Exceed but not class-leading) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

First Impression – Pass+

This entry-level model has a generous number of output ports (see later), input charging ports, and even a Qi charge pad. It is basic grey, and the ports are all protected by rubber caps to achieve the IP65 rating.

It is not exactly small at 290 mm×205 mm×234 mm x 9.12kg. We forgive that because the safe LiFePO4 batteries occupy more room than Lithium-Ion.

Dollars per Wh – Pass

A good measure of value is Dollars per Watt Hour. In this case, it is $2.48 ($999/403Wh), comparable to all brands’ entry-level devices.

The other two larger models are $1.30 per Wh – excellent value.

Cost per charge – Exceed

The AC60 has at least 3000 battery charge cycles (33 cents), and the AC180 and AC200 have at least 3500 charge cycles (43/77).

Warranty – above industry standards – Exceed

The AC60 has a six-year warranty, AC180 has five years, and AC200Max has four years.

Batteries – Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) – Exceed

LiFePO4 are the safest batteries to use. You can read more in our guide but suffice it to say that as the best, they are also the most expensive.

The AC60 is conservatively rated for 3000+ charge cycles and holds at least 80% of the charge (about 500Wh).

That raises another benchmark – cost per charge cycle (excluding electricity). At 3000 cycles, it is 33 cents making it one of the most cost-effective.

These batteries also retain charge longer – in tests, they still have 90% of the charge after six months. If you are not using the unit for some time, charge it to 80% and check and top up every few months.

Ports – Pass+

Output (all share a maximum of 600W)

• 2 x 230/240V 50/60Hz with combined output of 600W
• 1 x DC car utility socket 12V/10A/120W
• 2 x USB-A 5V/3A/15W in total
• 1 x USB-C 5/9/12/15/20VDC, 3A; 20V/5A/100W (eMarker chip built-in)
• 1 x Qi charge pad 5W/7.5W/10W/15W

Input

• 1 x 230/240VAC 50/60Hz 4A approx. 1000W (comes with 240 AU cable)
• 1 x 12-28VDC 8A 96-224W (comes with 72cm car cable and 1.5m solar cable)

Optional cables include 12V utility to 5521, 12V utility to alligator clips and lead acid battery charge alligator clips.

Battery expansion port

• 2 x 17.5-25.2V 30A

The AC60 can pair with 2 x B80 batteries.

Charge Times – Exceed

BLUETTI claims 1-1.5 hours 60W 240V turbo charge. We exhausted the unit four times, and the charge is closer to 1 hour,

We did not test 12V/24V 100/20)W and Solar panel (200W sunshine conditions), which BLUETTI claims are  4.5-5/2.5-3 hours and 2.5-3 hours, respectively.

Lift Mode – Pass+

It can handle momentary peak wattage for resistive appliances rated under 1,200W. These include ice-makers, small fridges, electric blankets, phones, laptops, and more. It is not designed for devices using a variable-speed motor or compressor.

UPS mode – Pass+

It provides pure sine wave power, which can be hooked inline to provide Uninterruptible power. The switching time is 20ms which should be fine for PCs, routers etc.

ECO Mode – Pass+

It will turn off if there is no load detected.

Safety – Pass+

It has protection against overtemperature, short circuits, overload and low voltage.

Noise – Pass+

Most of the time, it was <30dB but reached 50dB during charging and under load.

IP65 – Pass+

IP6X means no ingress of dust; complete protection against contact (dust-tight). A vacuum must be applied. Test duration of up to 8 hours based on airflow.

IPX5 means water projected by a 6.3mm nozzle against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects. Test duration: 1 minute per square meter for at least 3 minutes. Water volume: 12.5 litres per minute Pressure: 30 kPa at a distance of 3 meters.

What this means is that it is weather resistant, not weatherproof. If using it outdoors, you must ensure it is undercover.

The App – Pass+

While BLUETTI would like you to set up an account to ‘own the client’, it also allows Offline Bluetooth mode without accepting terms and conditions.

Extras – Pass

It has a light on the rear that provides two brightness levels (200 and 400 lumens) and flashing.

Maintenance – Pass

In theory, you should be able to get the batteries replaced or repacked – but hey, that’s probably 10 years away.

Tests – Pass+

• Charge time 240V 1 hour
• USB-A V/A/W (maximum 15W) – passed with stable output.
• USB-C V/A/W (up to 100W) – passed and ranged down as the laptop filled
• 240VAC – A 100W bulb lasted just under 4 hours – passed
• Qi Charge – able to reach 15W with OPPO Find X5 Pro – passed

CyberShack’s view – BLUETTI AC60 is an excellent entry-level portable power station.

Remembering it has 600W (1200 peak) to share around for 403Wh (watts per hour), it met all expectations and passed all tests.

It is well-made, has an excellent warranty, and its performance portends its larger brothers will do just as well.

BLUETTI also makes solar panels, solar generator kits, home battery backup and accessory cables.

Rating (BLUETTI AC60 portable power station but applicable to AC180 and AC200MAX)

• Features: 95 – Make sure you buy one large enough for your needs. Harvey Norman says this is the major complaint with power stations. The additional charge cables are nice.
• Value: 95 – Stacks up very well in cost per charge and $ per Wh – it is competitive with other brands.
• Performance: 95 – Meets or exceeds expectations.
• Ease of Use: 95 – Plug, charge, go. Its readout tells you everything you need to know, and its smartphone App has an offline capability – no need to set up an account.
• Design: 90 – utilitarian but has one design flaw – the lifting handle can catch fingers under if you are not careful.