By: Jonathan Kwan
November 1, 2024
When was the last time you experienced the forces of nature? I cannot say I have personally had a lot of exposure, with the only notable recent incident being a hailstorm here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada back in August. It lasted only about 15 minutes, and thankfully, all my cars were in the garage. Unfortunately, it did destroy basically the entire exterior of my house, which translated to nearly $50,000 CAD of insurable damage to the building. Now, this was nothing compared to Hurricane Helene, which I narrowly avoided back in September. At the time, I was in Atlanta for a conference, which was scheduled from September 24th to 26th. I usually like to stay an extra day to explore the city, but since I had to be somewhere on Friday night, I decided to leave on the same day the conference ended. This proved to be a wise decision, because my flight got out of Atlanta about five hours before the storm arrived -- if I chose to leave a day later, I would have been stuck there for another day with a canceled flight and a hurricane to survive. What does one need to prepare for emergencies like these? If the power goes out, you will want to have backup. Traditionally, you would have a gas generator. Nowadays, a popular option is a battery-based power station, which can be charged using anything from the grid to your car's 12V outlet to optional solar panels. A few months ago, I reviewed the BLUETTI AC70, which proved to be a solid option with its massive 768Wh battery. But what if you do not need so much capacity? Enter the AC50B, equipped with a 448Wh battery. Let us take a look to see how it fared!
Our review unit of the BLUETTI AC50B came from a company called Letian International Logistics located in Pickering, Ontario, Canada. Letian International Logistics is a Chinese-based freight forwarding firm, so I think it is safe to assume the AC50B originated from China, where it was manufactured, to the city immediately east of Toronto. The portable power station was then sent to us here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada via UPS Standard. The medium-sized brown corrugated cardboard box arrived in excellent condition for our review today.
The BLUETTI AC50B's retail box is as simple as it gets. The brown corrugated cardboard packaging features only white ink printing all around. What you will find, no matter what side you look at, are the BLUETTI logo, product name, and an outline of the product. At the top, you will find a list of voltages, where the one corresponding to the specific model inside is checked. I really appreciate the clean, minimalist design.
Before we move on, here are the specifications of the BLUETTI AC50B, as obtained from the manufacturer's website:
BATTERY INFO
Capacity: 448Wh
Type: LiFePO₄ (Lithium Iron Phosphate)
Life Cycles: 3,000+ Cycles to 80% Original Capacity
Shelf-life: Recharge to 80% Every 3-6 Months
Management System: MPPT Controller, BMS, etc.
OUTPUT
Lifting Power: 1000W
AC Outlet x 1: 700W in total
USB-C x 2: 65W, 5 / 9 / 12 / 15 / 20V, 3A; 20V / 3.25A
USB-A x 1: 15W, 5V / 3A
Cigarette Lighter Port x 1: 120W, 12V / 10A
INPUT
AC Input: 580W Max.
Solar Input: 200W Max.
RECHARGE TIMES
AC Charging: 45 Mins (80%); 70 Mins(100%)
Solar Charging: 2.7Hours (100%)
Car Outlet: 4.9 Hours (12V) / 2.7 Hours (24V)
GENERAL
Pass-through Charging: Yes
UPS Switching Time: ≤20ms
Charging Temperature: 0°C to 40°C / 32°F to 104°F
Discharging Temperature: -20°C to 40°C / -4°F to 104°F
Storage Temperature: -20°C to 40°C / -4°F to 104°F
Weight: 6.7 kg/14.8 lbs
Dimensions (L x W x D): 28 x 20 x 22 cm/11.0 x 7.9 x 8.7 in
Warranty: 5 Years
Everything is neatly organized inside the box, which includes the BLUETTI AC50B power station itself wrapped in a white plastic bag clipped between two Styrofoam brackets and a small accessories box. The accessories box contains an AC charging cable, car charging cable, solar charging cable, grounding screw, and a user manual. I feel like this is a very reasonable bundle with all the necessary cables included from the factory.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
3. Test Results
4. Conclusion
