Summary
- Bluetti’s SwapSolar combo offers a portable power station and fridge for $1,799.
- The AC180T power station can charge multiple devices and has a high wattage output.
- The MultiCooler fridge keeps items cool or frozen, has an ice maker, and lasts almost 72 hours on a single battery.
The rise of portable power stations makes it easy to always have power, during an outage or just on an outdoor adventure. The Bluetti SwapSolar ecosystem takes portability to a new level with both a power station and portable refrigerator that use hot-swappable batteries.
Bluetti SwapSolar (AC180T + MultiCooler)
The Bluetti SwapSolar ecosystem brings together the AC180T power station and MultiCooler to provide both backup power while keeping food and drink cool. Hot-swappable batteries are used to power up both parts of the ecosystem. The power station can provide up to 1,433Wh while the cooler can keep food and drinks cool for up to three days. The cooler can also use traditional AC power, DC power, or even an optional solar panel.
- Hot-swappable battery system is easy to use
- AC180T power station offer large capacity and high output
- Cooler is easy to transport with wheels and handle
- Keep food and drink anywhere from -4 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit with cooler.
- The cooler’s ice maker works well
- Expensive
- App control only via Bluetooth
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Price and Availability
The Bluetti SwapSolar combo, which includes the AC180T power station, battery packs, and portable fridge/freezer, is $1,799 and can be purchased directly from Bluetti.
A Perfectly Portable Power Station
One part of the ecosystem is the AC180T portable power station. It fits firmly in the middle of available power station options from Bluetti and others. There are larger, much more expensive stations for emergency use. But the AC180T provides more than an emergency power station that can juice up your laptop and phone without power.
It sports a 1,433Wh capacity, good enough to power multiple household items, like a TV and small appliances, for multiple hours in case of a power outage. The station has up to an 1,800W output and a 2,700W power-lifting mode for appliances that require substantial wattage quickly, like a hair dryer. For smaller items, it can juice up your iPhone 77 times.
You won’t need to worry about a lack of power plugs on the station. On the front, four AC power plugs are easily accessible. Below the station’s screen are a pair of USB-C and USB-A plugs. Both USB-C ports have a maximum 100W output. There is also a DC output and solar input.
On the right side of the station is the AC input, LED lamp button, and grounding terminal. With a max 1,440W input, the two batteries can be completely recharged in 1.5 hours.
The highlight of the system, the two hot-swappable batteries, can be found under a cover on top of the AC180T.
The station is portable, barely. While the AC180T isn’t bulky, it weighs almost 60 pounds with both batteries and is a bear to lift by one person, even with the carrying handles. I’d love to see a set of wheels and handles like the MultiCooler.
Removing a battery from the power station takes just a second with a small button on top. I was hoping to see a single or even dual USB ports on the battery to make it more useful away from the power station or cooler, but no luck.
Using the power station was a positive experience. I took it on a recent camping trip along with a host of cooking appliances, like a kettle and even a blender. Everything worked well without any issues. I was able to use the kettle and blender at the same time without any problems. Charging my iPhone and MacBook Air also worked well.
The screen on the power station provides a wealth of information including DC input/output, AC input/output, battery percentage remaining, and hours of battery left.
While turned on, expect the AC180T to make noise. It wasn’t enough to bother me during the day, but it might bother you if you have the power station in a tent where you are sleeping.
Cold, or Even Colder, With a Side of Ice
The other half of the equation is the MultiCooler. While the power station can use up to two of the hot-swappable batteries, the cooler just needs one. It doesn’t even need a battery to operate, as Bluetti also includes a traditional AC power brick and DC car charging equipment. You can even use the cooler with an optional solar panel.
During my trip, I used the cooler exclusively with one of the batteries while another was in the power station.
Just like the power station, the cooler is massive. But that didn’t particularly bother me. It was just a bit bigger than the larger Yeti cooler I usually take on a camping trip. Without anything inside, the cooler checks in at 52.9 pounds. Adding in food and drinks will increase that. It measures 28 inches wide, 16.5 inches tall, and 18.7 inches deep.
But, as anyone who uses a larger cooler knows, just adding in ice to a cooler makes it as heavy. Thankfully, the wheels and carrying handles worked very well. Even with the cooler full of food, I was easily able to pull the cooler across the campsite.
Preparing a traditional cooler for a trip is a time-consuming process. You’ll need to cool all of your food and drink and then prechill the cooler, usually with ice. I enjoyed not having to worry about that process using the MultiCooler.
Unlike a traditional cooler, the MultiCooler offers much more flexibility, able to store food and drinks from -4 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
To start the process, just open up the companion Bluetti app and set the temperature. With the rapid cooling feature, the cooler can go from 86 to 32 degrees Fahrenheit in just 15 minutes.
I hauled a variety of food and kept the cooler just below freezing during the trip. Everything stayed uniformly cool at all times, something that can be a problem with traditional coolers, with some items being frozen solid and others not cold enough. There are two sides with wire baskets so you can more easily transport food and drinks without having to dig through the cooler.
The cooler’s performance was impressive, but my favorite feature was on the right side of the cooler—a built-in ice maker.
Just add a little fresh water and then start the ice-making mode in the app. You can choose from a small or large ice cube size. In around 20 minutes, you’ll have some ice for your drink. The ice was crystal clear and tasted fine, even though it was a bit wet. If you want to save it up, you could always place it in a plastic bag in the cooler.
There is also an ice scoop and holder that you can easily remove so you can give out ice without standing over the cooler.
The cooler lasted a little less than 72 hours on a single battery, which is impressive.
App control was a bit of a let-down. Unlike many other devices in this price range, both the power station and fridge can only connect to the companion Bluetti app via Bluetooth, so you’ll need to stay very close to see information like power left and change the fridge temperature.
Should You Buy the Bluetti SwapSolar?
Sure, the Bluetti SwapSolar costs a pretty penny. But after my testing, the flexibility and great features make it worth the extra cost. Both the portable power station and fridge worked very well, and it was great to quickly swap batteries when I needed them.
The power station provides enough juice to get you through a weekend campout or longer. It should easily help provide power if you ever run into an outage at home. And with the portable fridge/freezer, you can forget about making a trip to the convenience store to stock up on ice. Whether you want to keep something frozen, or just cool, the cooler does nicely. Being able to make ice as well should help keep your drink cold, no matter the situation.
I’m looking forward to using the combination on my next camping trip and am glad it’s ready to go in case of an unexpected power outage.
Bluetti SwapSolar (AC180T + MultiCooler)
The Bluetti SwapSolar ecosystem brings together the AC180T power station and MultiCooler to provide both backup power while keeping food and drink cool. Hot-swappable batteries are used to power up both parts of the ecosystem. The power station can provide up to 1,433Wh while the cooler can keep food and drinks cool for up to three days. The cooler can also use traditional AC power, DC power, or even an optional solar panel.
