With so many new companies and power stations coming out, it’s hard to know which ones to trust. Bluetti is one of the most well-known names for portable power stations. They have a whole line of tiny power stations all the way up to models to power your whole house.
The AC70 is a 22 pound power station that’s small enough to carry around but big enough to power your devices for a day or more.
We tested one recently to see how reliable, powerful, and easy to use it is. Can it output up to 2000 watts? Can it charge at 950 watts? Is the app any good?
Here are the results.
Bluetti AC70 Specs
- 768 watt-hours (Wh)
- 1000 watt output (2000 surge)
- 950 watt turbo charging (45 min to 80%)
- 500 watt solar charging (with 500 watt solar panels)
- 12.4 x 8.2 x 10.1 inches
- 22.5 pounds
- 7 outlets
- 3000+ charge cycles
- LiFePO4 cells
- Bluetti app
- 20ms UPS
- Pure sine wave inverter
Inputs and Charging
The AC70 has 3 different methods of charging.
Turbo charging
First, the AC from the wall can pull up to 950 watts on Turbo mode and charge to 80% in 45 min and full in about 1.5 hours.
I get about 930 watts testing in turbo mode, a little bit less than the advertised 950 but close. The fan is on steady with this mode and it sounds a bit like a computer doing something intensive.
The fan is never on long when charging at 950 watts as it fills up the 768 Wh so quick.
Standard charging
From the factory, the AC70 is set to standard charging mode which should get about 440 watts in.
In testing it was getting 438 or 439 watts in, nearly the specified 440.
The fan was on but very quiet. It sounded a bit like the fridge when the compressor is running.
Silent/eco charging
Silent charging states about 270 watts which is close to what it gets in reality. I was getting about 267 or 268 watts most of the time.
The fan does run on silent mode but it’s extremely quiet. I couldn’t hear it unless I had my ear right next to the battery.
Charging Cord
The AC70 doesn’t have a big power brick like a lot of the other charging cords. Some other brands have moved to this kind of cord as well but not all. For storage, packing and replacement cost, it’s really nice to not have a huge power brick on the cord.
Solar charging
Solar charging always depends on what sun you’re getting. If you can get 500 watts in from your panels you can charge in about 3 hours.
DC charging
There’s also a DC port that can charge from a DC port in your car (cigarette lighter). It can take up to 500W at 12/24V from car port.
UPS Mode
The AC70 can be charged and charge at the same time. This is handy with it’s uninterruptible power supply (UPS) mode as well.
In 20ms it can switch over from AC power to it’s own battery power. This is handy if it’s looking like the power is going to go out and you need to have a modem and computer running or heaters and pumps on fish tanks.
Outputs
There are 7 outlets total:
- 2 AC 12V/8.33A (1000W. 2000W “lifting power”)
- 2 USB-C 2x100W
- 2 USB-A 5 VDC/2.5A 12W total
- 1 12V/10A car outlet
How long will it charge a Macbook Pro?
Exactly how long things will charge on any battery will depends on how much power it’s using, if you are using it and if it’s AC or USB plugs. Converting the power to AC will take more energy and run the fan on the battery more so it will be less efficient.
Charging a Macbook Pro pulls between 60 and 90 watts using the AC plug. Batteries never get 100% efficiency but the AC70 gets around 90% (691 Wh) which is pretty good. With that a Macbook pro can charge for 10-12 hours.
How long will it charge an iPhone?
iPhones draw a lot less power than an Macbook Pro, only about 10 watts. That gives you about 70 hours charging an iPhone.
2000 watt lifting power
1 thing to note with the 2000 watt lifting power is the voltage drops when it goes that high. This is fine for hair dryers and heaters but shouldn’t be used for devices like computers or compressors.
The lifting option defaults to off but you can turn it on in the app any time.
Size and Shape
The AC70 is a boxy rectangle with vertical sides and a flat top. Measuring 12.4 across x 8.2 deep x 10.1 inches tall.
At 22.5 pounds it’s got some weight to it but it’s not too heavy to carry around or lift onto shelves. It weighs about the same amount as a large watermelon or kitchen mixer.
The top is flat with a handle on the back. The flat top makes it easy to pack around other things.
Bluetti App
There are 2 ways to use the Bluetti app, logged in and not. Logged in requires wifi or cell connection to the internet. Clearly these batteries are used outside of cell reception sometimes so they provide a direct mode to update settings without logging in.
Both ways to log in need the battery to be turned on and in within about 15-20 feet.
Logged in
The main screen shows the devices you have added and a bunch of other functions.
- Current weather
- adding a new device
- listing all devices
- Scanning for devices with bluetooth
- scan a qr code on a device to add it
- Calculator (show list of Bluetti products based on your power needs)
- LAAF battery donations in Africa
- How to videos
- Contact and Service information
- Bluetti Forum
- Bluetti Store (website)
- Account info
Clicking into the AC70 after adding it shows total power left, watts in and watts out.
The whole battery or just the AC and DC ports can be turned on and off.
At the bottom shows money saved if the power is using is from solar. It still shows money saved when power was just charged from your house which doesn’t actually save any money.
Under settings for the device are:
- user manuals
- a qr code to share the connection with other people
- carbon emission factor
- Homepage display to add one device the app homepage
- charging mode
- power lifting on/off
- Eco on/off and settings (setting AC and DC output and timeout)
- auto sleep
- firmware upgrade
- advanced settings (AC output frequency and grid self-adaptation)
What does the AC70 come with?
The AC70 comes with a few cables to get you started. You may want more depending on what you’re going to charge. I have too many USB cables laying around to count.
In the box:
- AC70 battery
- AC cable
- car charging cable
- XT60 solar panel cable
Cost
The AC70 is curently on sale for $499 CAD ($429 USD) on BluettiPower.com. It’s normally $999 CAD ($699 USD).
The sale price makes it $.65 CAD per Wh (or $.56/Wh USD)
A couple other places have it for sale and the prices seem to vary quite a bit so have a look around for sales:
How to store the AC70?
Bluetti recommend charging to 80% every 3-6 months for the longest life. This is in line with all the other lithium batteries to make sure they have a bit of charge for storage.
They also say to fully cycle the battery every 3 months which means discharging and fulling charging.
Other batteries from Bluetti
AC60
The AC60 is very similar to the AC70 but with 403 Wh of storage and 600 watt max output.
It’s expandable to 2,015 Wh with expansion batteries.
AC180
The AC180 is a step up from the AC70 with 1,152 Wh of storage and 1,800 watts max output.
It has 4 AC and 5 USB outlets.
B80 Expansion Batteries
The AC70 is compatible with the B80 expansion battery to give you another 806 Wh.
Suggestions
I’ll cover everything I like from the AC70 (which is a lot) but there are a couple improvements I’d like to see.
USB-C input
With so many devices coming with the USC-C these days, we all have USB-C cords around. We’ll only be getting more of them. It’d be nice to be able to charge with it as well.
More USB ports
Again, everything charges with USB these days, when I pack up for camping, I’m charging 10 or more devices to get ready. Lights, tablets, cameras, drones and phones are all USB. I could easily use 8 or more USB ports at a time.
Power on with the app
This will probably take power to keep the bluetooth receiver on but it’d be nice to be access the battery with the app when it’s off. It would mean you could power it on without going to find it in the other room or back of the truck.
Conclusion
I don’t leave for adventures without at least one camera these days. Now with GPS, drones, phones, tablets and fridges to charge I have to have reliable power. Bluetti is a well-known name in an industry that’s being flooded with all kinds of batteries and cheap tech equipment.
While it could use a few more USB ports, the AC70 is durable, reliable, and easy to pack. It’s in the truck on every adventure lately. Turbo charging means you can be on your way faster.
With the winter storms in full swing in the pacific northwest, the AC70 and my other batteries are always charged. My power seems more stable than my friends and family so I’ve been constantly loaning out batteries so everyone can keep in touch. With fewer landlines, cell phones have become required emergency communication. Keeping Christmas trees lit isn’t required but it’s yet another use for these super handy power stations.