The Bluetti Elite 30 V2 is now the smallest portable power station that the brand makes. Three years ago, I reviewed my first ever portable power station, the Bluetti EB3A, which the Elite 30 now replaces. The EB3A, although it has been my smallest, is my most frequently used power station, and I believe the Elite 30 will continue to be my most used.
As a result of its compact size, the Elite 30 will also be my least powerful power station, only able to power a device up to 600W, which rules out most kitchen appliances, and only has a capacity of 288Wh (vs 268Wh in EB3A).
So, why wouldn’t I use my bigger power stations that can power everything you can plug into a power point? The answer is simple: portability and the need to power and recharge our ever-growing list of electronic devices
Bluetti Elite 30 V2 and EB3A comparison
The Elite 30 weighs just 4.3kg (vs 4.6 kg for the EB3A) and measures 250 x 178 x 167.5 mm (255 x 180 x 183 mm), making it highly portable. I can use it to power my drone, PC, smartphone and my camping fridge.
To be clear, unlike my larger power stations, this small one will only power a device for a short time, but in most cases, that’s all I need, as I am only away for a day or overnight. For example, it will only power my small camping fridge for 10 hours, but that is perfect for a picnic. It will ensure my PC runs all day as I don’t have a laptop with all-day battery life.
If you have a 15W CPAP machine, you can have the confidence to get through the night with 12 hours of runtime. Other things you could power include Starlink for seven hours, recharging a drone four times, a phone 16 times, a Bluetooth speaker for 14 hours, and a Wi-Fi router for 14 hours. Add a solar panel, and the power could be limitless.
The Elite 30 also supports a technology called power lifting, which can only be used on heating element products and not sensitive devices like electronics. However, this means you can run a 1200-watt hairdryer for 10 minutes, even though the device is only rated at 600W. You do need to switch this feature on in the app, and it is rated to 1500W max.
The Elite 30 is a quieter power station than its predecessor; the noise that comes from its fan, which runs when charging or under load, is 30dB vs the EB3A’s 50dB. For me, the most important change is the addition of a second USB-C outlet and the increase to 140W on one of those outlets.
When I work remotely from my caravan, both my wife and I use our PCs. Power is a limited resource in a caravan, and running the large caravan inverter, as well as the losses associated with converting from DC to AC, means we have previously used the EB3A. With the Elite, we will not even need to turn on the Bluetti inverter, as we can obtain DC power via the USB-C port to run both laptops. 140W is enough to run even the most powerful laptop.
To charge the Elite, you can use an AC power outlet (70 minutes), a car cigarette lighter port (five hours), or a 200W solar panel (approximately two hours in full sun). A car charger and mains cable are included in the box. The life of the battery in the Elite also doubles to 10 years if you use it every day.
What else is different?
The other changes to the Elite 30 include the removal of the LED light, integrated carry handle, the addition of Wi-Fi support, and real-time monitoring of the power station through the Bluetti app. You can now also receive low battery alerts on your phone. When switched on, power stations consume power even if no load is attached. The Elite’s efficiency now improves to less than 5W per hour.
When you are not camping, picnicking, or keeping your devices running at a remote worksite, the Elite 30 can be used as an uninterrupted power supply (UPS). If you have sensitive electronic devices, such as a NAS server or CPAP, that you want to ensure keep running during a blackout, then the Elite 30 will switch over in less than 10ms (vs 20ms for the EB3A), keeping you powered.
Not everyone has the luxury of affording multiple portable power stations, but if you want to dip your toe in the water at $399, this is a great starting point to prove their worth. You won’t run every device in your house, but you can run your home fridge for an hour or two and keep your gadgets running away from home.
The post Compact Bluetti Elite 30 V2 will be my most used power station appeared first on GadgetGuy.
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