Bluetti AC240 Portable Power Station Review: The Heavyweight Champion

Welcome to our review of the Bluetti AC240 portable power station – a monstrously heavy but perfectly equipped power station for use in campers, caravans, boats and at home.

With a company name that supposedly comes from the words “blue sky,” “tomorrow,” “technology,” and “innovation,” Bluetti has been a leader in power plant technology as of 2019, although other companies like EcoFlow, Anker, DJI, Jackery, and BioLite certainly provide the American company with serious competition.

However, when it comes to AC, DC, and USB output, this model has plenty of power to power most household appliances, including most kettles, toasters, induction hobs, and heaters, without breaking a sweat. If you’re looking for an efficient power station for use outdoors or at home, the Bluetti AC240 could be the one for you.

But is it a prime candidate for the top three in our guide to the best portable power plants? There’s only one way to find out.

Bluetti AC240 Portable Power Station Review

Price and Availability

The Bluetti AC240 Portable Power Station is available in the UK direct from Bluetti, B&Q or Amazon where it is currently on sale for £1699. If you’re in the US, try the Bluetti US store where it’s on sale for a reduced price of $1299 or Amazon US and Walmart where it’s on sale for a much higher price ($1899).

Design and Features

Bluetti AC240 Power Plant

(Photo source: Future)

The Bluetti AC240 is touted as the ultimate power solution for RV enthusiasts, caravan owners and sailors, but it’s equally at home in the shed, in the field or really anywhere you can transport it.

The AC2450 is equipped with an impressive 2400-watt output and 3600-watt capacity. This means it will power a ton of household appliances at once, making it a sure-fire emergency power supply in the event of a power outage. It also has an IP65 weatherproof rating, meaning it will have no problem shaking off a light rain shower.

At this point, I think it’s best to address the main enemies of this model: weight and size. Sure, 33 kilograms may not sound like much, but trust the spindles – if you’re petite and not particularly muscular, you’ll have a real problem carrying this thing even a few feet without having to lie down. Portable power plants are inherently heavy, but this one feels like it’s filled with lead.

In fact, it’s one of the heaviest things I’ve ever lifted, and the thought of having to carry it to my car for an outdoor adventure fills me with dread. I’m not sure I’d be able to lift it high enough to put it in the back of a pickup truck, but on the bright side, it has very sturdy and comfortable handles on both sides.

At 41.95 x 29.35 x 40.95 cm (16.5 x 11.6 x 16.1 inches), the AC240 is also the largest portable power station I’ve reviewed to date, and it literally dwarfs the 1800-watt Anker Solix C1000 that I raved about last year. Weight and size are key considerations for power stations, especially if storage space is at a premium, so carefully consider your available storage space and ability to carry heavy items before committing.

Inputs and outputs

The Bluetti AC240 comes with four UK 230V AC sockets (totalling 2400W and up to 1536 watt-hours), providing sufficient output for most applications.

However, because the top two UK sockets are upside down, the cables for devices connected to them point upwards. This makes it look a bit untidy when all four plugs are in use.

Personally, I’d prefer the AC outlets to be in a line, like the Anker Solix 1000C, which has better aesthetics in that regard. But what do I know?

Thankfully, the AC240 doesn’t disappoint when it comes to charging mobile devices. This model has two 100W USB-C inputs for fast-charging laptops, tablets, and phones, plus two standard 18W USB-A ports for other devices. Since it’s designed for use in campers and boats, it also has a high-capacity 30A 12V two-pin connector and a 10A 12V cigarette lighter-style input if required.

This unit is designed for simplicity, so everything on the front panel is easy to understand, including the bright and highly informative four-inch LED display. The display provides current wattage usage and remaining runtime for all connected devices.

Bluetti also provides an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), so if, for example, your boat is connected to the marina’s AC power and there is a sudden power outage, Bluetti will power up within 15 milliseconds, ensuring everything on your boat continues to operate.

The Bluetti AC240 comes with three charging cables: a durable AC cable with an ingenious spring-loaded connector, a 12V charging cable for charging from your car, and a solar panel cable with a universal connector. If you’re charging from the mains, you can choose between silent, standard, or turbo charging, with the latter allowing the AC240 to charge to 80% capacity in just 45 minutes. You can also have two of these monsters working in parallel, or use an expansion battery bank to boost the power to a phenomenal 10,136Wh.

Bluetti App

While the included iOS/Android app is fairly basic in terms of the features it offers, it does allow the user to operate the AC240 remotely, but only when it’s already powered on. The app provides information like the percentage of battery remaining, how much power is being drawn at any given time, various stats like daily power profiles and energy stats, and a means to turn the DC and AC ports on and off. The app isn’t required to operate the AC240, but since it’s free, you can download it for occasional use.

Efficiency

Bluetti AC240 Power Plant with Kettle

(Photo source: Future)

I’m really impressed with the performance of the Bluetti AC240. Yes, it’s a monumental burden to lug around, but it really does the trick when it comes to powering a range of home and outdoor devices, including power-hungry devices like microwaves, induction cooktops, and heavy power tools.

In my main test, I ran the Dyson Hot + Cool air purifier on full fan power with a 37˚C heat setting, and it drew 2051 watts for a projected 30-minute run time. Amazingly, it also allowed me to run the KitchenAid kettle at the same time, although I had to reduce the Dyson’s heat to 25˚C to prevent it from switching off.

Bluetti had no trouble starting the kettle on its own, drawing just 1080W for a projected one-hour run time. That’s an impressive amount of water to boil in a kettle, should you ever need to do so in the unlikely event that you do.

According to Bluetti, the AC240 will power a standard 65W TV for 16.8 hours, a 350W heater for 3.5 hours, and a 220W projector for 5.4 hours of outdoor movie watching. It will also charge a laptop 18 times and a drone 31 times.

Put another way, if I really wanted to go out of my way to run a few extension cords around the house, I could probably hook up the Bluetti AC240 to power all my home devices:

Samsung TV (125W)
JBL Soundbar (150W)
Sky Q Box (20W)
Wi-Fi Router (9W)
MacBook Air (30W)
Samsung fridge freezer (600W)
Four Philips Hue bulbs (36W)
Worcester Bosch oil boiler (170W)

After all that, the Bluetti AC240 still has enough power to make espresso with my Smeg Lavazza capsule coffee machine (1250W). Power outage? Let it be.

The AC240 is also very quiet. Even with the fan heater on and the kettle boiling, its built-in fan never made any noise. In fact, it was as quiet as a church mouse.

Verdict

Bluetti AC240

(Photo source: Bluetti)

If you can handle its enormous weight and have the space to store it, the Bluetti AC240 is an excellent performer with enough onboard power to comfortably power most household appliances up to 2.4kW and above. The AC240 is solidly built, IP65 weatherproof and easy to use, making it a real odourless and eco-friendly alternative to petrol-powered generators.