(Last Updated On: July 25, 2023)

If you’re searching for a power station, you may have already heard of a brand called Bluetti, and that’s because there one of the top power station brands on the market. I’ve been reviewing their products for a while now, and I have to say that they have come a long way. They’re a brand that has continuously improved their products, and that’s why most consumers buy from them.

In this review, I’m looking at one of their newer power stations, the Bluetti AC180. This one has a decent battery capacity and a very high wattage output. Along with the power output, the design of this AC180 power station was done very well, so let’s take a closer look.

Battery Capacity

The AC180 power station has a 1,152Wh battery capacity, and this is a good amount that can run certain appliances for a couple of hours. However, what matters most is how efficient the capacity is, meaning how much of the 1,152Wh you can use to power your devices. That is why I ran a DC and AC capacity test.

For the DC capacity test, I used my load tester via the DC cigarette lighter port on the power station, and that pulled a 120W load of power. Once I ran the power station from 100% to 0% using the load tester, I had a 988Wh capacity, which gave me about 85% DC capacity efficiency. So the DC capacity efficiency for the AC180 is very good.

 

I used my watt meter for the AC capacity test, powered my Lasko heater on its low setting, pulled about 800W, and ran the power station from 100% to 0%. With the heater on low, I had a 1000Wh capacity, which gave me about 86% AC capacity efficiency.

Since this power station has a 1800W max output, I ran one more AC capacity test, but this time I ran my Lasko heater on its high setting, which gave me a 990Wh capacity, an 85% AC capacity efficiency. So if you run higher power loads, you may have less usable capacity. Still, it’s not by much, and overall, the capacity efficiency of the AC180 power station is excellent.

In terms of how long you can use the AC180 power station, well, that depends entirely on what you want to power from it. If you only use the charging ports, this power station can last for days, possibly weeks. The load tester I used for the DC capacity test ran about 8 hours with a 120W load of power from the cigarette lighter port.

If you’re using a 1000W appliance via the AC outlets, you’re probably looking at one hour of runtime with the power station.

Also, just a final note on the batteries, the AC180 uses LiFePO4 batteries that can get 3,500+ charge cycles and maintain 80%+ battery capacity efficiency.

Charging Ports

The DC port section includes a single cigarette lighter port, a USB-C PD port, and four USB-A ports. So the one surprising thing about this power station is that it does not have any DC barrel ports, as most power stations do. I am completely fine with not having DC 5521 ports because I don’t have a use for them; if you do, then know that the AC180 does not have them.

 

I didn’t have any appliances to test out with the cigarette lighter port, but the load tester could pull 120W from it, which is what the port is rated to output.

The charging ports are lacking on the AC180 power station because it only has a single USB-C 100W Power Delivery port, while two pairs of USB-A ports have a max output of 15W for each pair. I could charge my Excitrus power bank at 70W via the USB-C port.

A power station of this caliber should have two USB-C 100W PD ports, and two standard USB-A ports, in my opinion. The single 100W USB-C port is not enough, and there are too many USB-A ports simply because the USB-A port is becoming a legacy port that delivers slower charging power.

AC Outlets

You’re getting an AC180 power station mainly because of the AC outlets. There are four three-prong AC outlets, all grounded thanks to the lug to the right of the power station. The AC outlets have a 1800W max Pure Sine Wave output, which can be pushed to 2700W if you use the Power Lifting feature via the Bluetti app.

 

So by default, the 1800W output of the AC180 can run most appliances in your home; however, know that if you’re powering something over 1000W continuously, then your runtime for the power station will be less than one hour. That said, a 1800W output coming from this small power station is very impressive.

 

I ran my Lasko heater on its high setting, which pulled about 1500W, and it ran perfectly. With powerlifting mode, I tried running two Lasko heaters on their high settings, and of course, the power station automatically shut off, which went way over the 1800W max output.

Then with Power Lifting mode on, I ran my two Lasko heaters again at the same time on their high settings, and this time the power station was able to run them both. The wattage output on the screen of the AC180 read about 1750W. The two heaters were running pretty well at the same time.

Just a heads up, though, when it comes to Power Lifting mode, it lowers voltage and increases amperage to make the appliance you’re powering think it’s receiving enough power. In this case, my two heaters were not running at optimal power simultaneously, but they were running well enough.

Overall, the AC outlet amount and power output are very impressive. You won’t be able to run higher-wattage appliances for long, but it can still be useful to run higher-wattage appliances for a while, such as power tools.

Also, just a heads up, you cannot use powerlifting while AC recharging the power station, and the max output stays at 1800W.

Recharging the AC180 Power Station

Recharging the AC180 can be done in three ways: AC charging, car charging, or solar charging.

The fastest way to recharge the power station is to use the AC charging cable, and you can change the AC recharge rate via the app. Silent mode is the slowest AC recharging speed, which recharges the power station at about 250W, making the internal fan turn on less often. Then there’s Standard mode which recharges the power station at about 1000W, and the fastest way to recharge is Turbo mode which recharges the unit at about 1400W.

 

I always prefer to use Turbo recharging because it’s incredibly fast to recharge the 1152Wh capacity of the power station.

The included car charging cable can recharge the power station at 100W and be useful if you want to recharge it while you’re driving, but it’s likely the slowest option to recharge with.

For the solar recharging, I used a 110W solar panel and got about 70W of solar recharging power on a partly cloudy day. The solar recharging for the AC180 power station caps out at 500W, which is fantastic for 1152Wh capacity. If you already have solar panels that come near the 500W solar recharge limit, the solar recharging for the power station is very worth it. It can be the preferred method of recharging over the AC option.

The AC180 power station also acts as a UPS. At the same time, you’re AC recharging, meaning that if you have a device plugged into the power station and the AC charging cable plugged into the power station, the appliance you have plugged in will be powered from the wall outlet. If there’s a power outage, the appliance will automatically be powered from the power station.

I tested out the UPS feature in my video review.

Design

The Bluetti AC180 power station has a manageable size, with a length of 13 inches, a width of 9 inches, and a height of 12 inches. The weight of the power station is 35 pounds. Considering the powering capabilities, the size of this power station is small. However, the 35-pound weight will require you to use the two large handles at the top of the power station. Also, at the top is where you’ll find the wireless charging pad.

At the front of the power station, you’ll see nearly all the ports and the screen. To turn on the power station. You do have to hold the main power button down, and there is a DC power button to turn on the charging ports and the car socket port, and an AC power button to turn on the AC outlets.

The screen on the power station shows the output and input wattage, battery capacity, estimated runtime, and what is activated on the screen. It’s a large, bright, and easy-to-read screen.

Off to the right of the power station is where you’ll find the AC input, a circuit breaker button, and the grounding lug.

This AC180 is compatible with Bluetti’s app, lets you control the power station remotely, and gives you access to a few settings, such as Power Lifting Mode, which I mentioned earlier. You can also change the frequency of the AC outlets via the app and see wattage input and output stats in real-time.

	Bluetti AC180 1800W Power Station Specs
Battery Capacity	1,152Wh (36Ah)
Battery Type	LiFePO4
Life Cycles	3,500+ Cycles to 80% Original Capacity
AC Outlets	4 x 120V/15A 1800W In Total (2700W with Power Lifting Mode)
USB-C Port	100W
USB-A Port	4 x 5V/3A
Wireless Charging Pad	15W
12V DC Outlets	1 x 12V/10A (Car Outlet)
AC Input	1440W (Turbo) 1000W (Standard) 250W (Silent)
Solar Input	500W Max.
Car Input	100W
Size	13.39 ×9.72 ×12.48 inches
Weight	35 Pounds

Conclusion

The Bluetti AC180 power station is a great addition to Bluetti’s product lineup. This is one of the most solid power stations I have reviewed, and it comes at a great price. The wattage output and capacity may be a bit of a mismatch, but that’s fine; this amount of power coming from this small of size is truly amazing, and the max 500W solar recharging may make you consider slowly getting enough solar panels to get that 500W solar recharge rate.