BLUETTI AC60 portable power station

Mar 27, 2024

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.

There are discount bundles.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

The AC60 can pair with 2 x B80 batteries.

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.

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.

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.

It will turn off if there is no load detected.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.