If you travel or spend time in the outdoors, then you know how important it is to have power with you for your devices. However, in addition to charging phones and tablets, a portable power station can also power your AC devices such as fans, video games, and small appliances. While in the past, a gas powered generator was required to supply AC power. However, these new power stations are quiet, do not take fuel and are smaller and less expensive than a generator. BLUETTI, a leader in portable and stored power, has recently released the AC50B, their midsize portable power station. It will let you take power with you wherever you go.
What Is the BLUETTI AC50B Portable Power Station?
The BLUETTI AC50B is a portable power station which can be charged via solar or the grid and provides both DC and AC power up to 120V and 700W. The BLUETTI AC50B is currently available directly from BLUETTI as well as the BLUETTI Amazon store. The suggest retail price is $399. However, there is a sale at both the BLUETTI site as well as on Amazon which drops the price down to only $299!
Product Components and Specs
The Bluetti AC50B portable power station comes with the following:
- AC50B power station
- AC charging cable
- Solar charging cable
- User Manual
The BLUETTI AC50B weighs 14.8 pounds with dimensions of 11″ｘ7.9″ｘ8.7″ . It uses LiFePO4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries with a capacity of 448Wh with a life cycle of 3000+ recharge cycles to 80% original capacity. The AC50B offers several output features. There are two 120 volt / 2.5 Amp outlets for 700 watts total power. It uses a pure sine wave inverter for AC power. Two USB-C ports with 65W max each are complimented by a single USB-A port at 15V/3A for 15W which is perfect for charging cell phones and other personal devices. There is also a 140 W 12V/10A DC car outlet. For charging the AC50B, there are inputs for the included AC or solar charging cables. A charging cable with plug for a cigarette lighter port to charge from your car can also be used, but is available separately for purchase. There is even a carrying handle built right into the power supply, making it easy to carry to where you need it.
How to Use the BLUETTI AC50B Portable Power Station
The BLUETTI AC50B is quite easy to use. If you need to charge it using an AC outlet, just plug in the included AC charging cable and the AC50B will fully charge in as little as 70 minutes in turbo charging mode. If you need power quickly, it can charge up to 80% in only 45 minutes. Using the solar charging cable and your own 200W solar panels, it will take about 2.7 hours with prime sunshine and an ideal orientation. When charged, the AC50B can be used to power a number of your electrical devices and appliances. The two AC outlets can put out 120 volts with up to 700 watts of power. That is enough to run a 60 W minifridge for about 5 hours, a laptop for 5.5 hours, or a blender for about 2 hours. With the DC power through the three USB ports you can charge a drone, a tablet, or a phone as well as many other devices. To begin sending power to a device, just connect it and then press either the AC power or DC power button.
The BLUETTI app lets you take more control over the AC50B. Download the app from the App Store or Google Play. Once installed, you can connect to the power station via Bluetooth. Then the AC50B can be connected to your Wi-Fi network so you can control it remotely. The app offers some great features. You can turn on and off both the DC and AC power and monitor how many watts of power you coming as input from either the grid or solar panels as well as how many watts of power are going out for both AC and DC. Another great feature with the app is to customize settings. You can change the charging mode between standard, silent, and turbo. This changes the wattage of the input power for charging. In turbo mode and standard mode, a fan runs at different speeds to keep the unit cool while charging. In silent mode, it charges at about a third of the wattage of turbo mode, so it takes longer, but there is no fan or sound. The app also has an option to set an autosleep for the display so that it will turn off after a set amount of time. You can even activate a power lifting mode that allows the AC50B to allow for a surge of power of up to 1000W without overloading the power station. If you do overload the station, just press the AC button twice to reset it.
Why You Should Get the BLUETTI AC50B Portable Power Station
The BLUETTI AC50B portable power station is a great device to take with you on the road, for recreation, or for an outing. It also provides peace of mind during a power outage. The pure sine wave AC output is desirable for several types of appliances and devices. This means that when the current alternates between positive and negative, the conversion from direct current flows in a smooth sine wave pattern rather than in blocky chunks. BLUETTI also offers larger power stations with more outlets and a greater watthour output for running more or larger appliances. The company’s solar panels are designed to work well with the AC50B and BLUETTI’s other power stations. By attaching the solar panels to the power station, you can recharge the AC50B while away from electric connections. In addition, you can even have power input and output at the same time, allowing you to charge up the power station while also using it to power a device. The BLUETTI site has a sale where you can save when you purchase the AC50B with their PV120 solar panels. Amazon offers a coupon along with a sale price when you purchase the AC50B combined with the BLUETTI PV120 solar panels for a discounted total price of $454.
I have been impressed while using the BLUETTI AC50B portable power station as with all of their products I have used. I connected ithe AC50B to my BLUETTI PV200 solar panels and it charged quickly, as I was able to get around 150W of solar power and it charged from 30% to 100% in 2 hours. I like that it is small enough to make it easy to take with you in the car on trips, for camping, or even while going to the beach or lake. If you are going somewhere where open flames are not allowed to prevent wildfires, this power station can let you use a hot plate or electric kettle so you can have hot food and beverages. Try running a fan in your tent or inflate a paddleboard at the water’s edge instead of having to do it at the car and then carry the board to the water. I have even used a BLUETTI power station to power a hot glue gun for doing quick repairs to a high school homecoming float. Since it has the pass through ability to receive input while also providing output, you can even use the AC50B as a power converter. This is great when using the solar panels outdoors while also powering a device. You can also use the car charging cable (available separately) to plug the power station into your car’s 12V outlet and then have access to 120 volts for your devices. If you are looking to bring electrical power with you while outdoors or would like a backup power source in case of a power outage or emergency, then I recommend the BLUETTI AC50B.
Be sure to visit the BLUETTI site for more information and to take advantage of their sale.
Disclosure: GeekDad received a sample of this item for review purposes.
