Hi @carlos85, I think this may be a misunderstanding. We aren’t intentionally limiting the current, rather, each solar panel has its own operating logic.
Although a single 200W solar panel has an input current of only 8.2A, its open-circuit voltage is over 20V, so in ideal conditions, it can achieve close to 200W charging power.
Moreover, charging power depends not only on the voltage and current of the device but also on factors like light intensity, temperature, and the tilt angle of the solar panel. Achieving 70%-80% of the rated power is already considered excellent under most conditions.
That is absolutely false. You limit the current to 8a under 30v. Only when the voltage goes about 30v does the AC180 allow the full 10 amps. Virtually every 200w panel on the market is 10 amps and 20v. So again, no 200w panel will ever achieve it’s full potential. Even your own Bluetti 200w folding panel ( which you recommend with the AC180), which is rated at 20v @ 10a, gets limited to only 8amps on the AC180.
There are a million replies here stating this. Even your old AC200 has a software switch to disable car charging to turn off the artificial 8amp limit. This is all we are asking for. An advanced setting to disable car charging so we can disable the artificially set 8a limit on the AC180 so we can get the full 10 amps out of our panel.
This is NOT a panel issue with different characteristics as you state. I can literally plug in my 200w panel into the AC180 and see 155ish watts and then immediately plug it into my old EB150 and instantly get 188 watts from the exact same panel. This is because the EB150 does not artificially limit the system to 8a.
Hi @DaMann, We completely understand your feelings, but please trust that we are not intentionally limiting charging efficiency—it is a matter of safety considerations.
I have consulted our R&D department regarding this issue. The internal battery and circuitry of energy storage devices have specific rated charging parameters. Excessive charging current, especially under unstable photovoltaic panel output, can potentially cause irreversible damage to the battery.
Limiting the current to some extent helps maintain a stable charging process. Therefore, we do not plan to release firmware that increases the charging current. For us, ensuring safe electricity usage is the top priority.
The EB150 is a different model with its own design logic. Current limitations are not something we prefer, they are implemented solely for safety reasons. We regret that we cannot meet your request to bypass this limitation.
This is hilarious. Your own specs state 10amps and 12-60v. TEN amps.
Your older AC200 units had the feature to disable car charging. All we want is the same feature. It is false advertising you guys are doing. But don’t bother anymore. It’s the last Bluetti I will ever buy. It will be ecoflow from here on in
If I understand correctly the situation / spec is as follows: there are 2 scenario’s: The delivered voltage of the panels is above or below 30 volt.
1: Below 30 volt the charge power is the delivered voltage x delivered current with a maximum power limit of 30Vx8A = 240W.
2: Above 30 volt the charge power is the delivered voltage x delivered current with a maximum power limit of 60Vx10A = 600W.
In reality you will never have a delivered voltage of 60V when charging, because then the open circuit voltage (VOC) of the panels will then be quite above 60V, which is outside the spec and will damage the Bluetti. So in reality, if you use panels with 60V as open circuit voltage, the voltage at maximum powerpoint (VMP) will be around 50V. This means in optimal situation, with a solar panel delivering 50V and 10A, you can charge with 500W max.
But this means indeed, that even if you have a big panel of 500W, which has a voltage below 30V, you will not charge faster then the delivered voltage * 8 Amp.
So be aware, if you want to charge with Solar panels, and you want to charge faster then with 240W, you need to be above 30V with the VMP. And if you are above this 30V, then charge is limited to 10A. So if you have a high power (~500W) solar panel, then the VMP needs to be high to be able to really use the full capacity of the panel (but be aware VOC must be < 60V!!). So it’s wise to make a calculation of expected power you will get out of the panels before choosing a setup. Of course you can put 2 panels in serie to come close to a VOC of 60V, but never go over the 60V.
I have the same problem. I have got a 220 Watt Panel (22,7V/9,7A) and my Bluetti AC180P is the limiting factor for the maximum input i can get (8 Amp Limit below 32 Volts).
There was no hint for me that this happens because Bluetti advertises it’s product with 12-60 Volts and 10 Amps. @BLUETTI_CARE Please give us an option to charge with 10 Amps under 32 Volts!
I totally agree with DaMann, it’s false advertising.
Hi @Capt_TeeJay, The AC180 does indeed support 10A input, but it has specific requirements for the voltage of the DC input source.
This is because most vehicle cigarette lighter circuits are designed to handle a maximum current of around 10A. However, many devices limit the current to 8A–8.5A to ensure safety and prevent overloading. Exceeding this current could overload the vehicle’s circuitry, potentially causing circuit damage, burnt wires, or blown fuses.
As a result, we have set a limit of 8A for voltages below 30V. These settings are all designed with user safety in mind.
Hi @Capt_TeeJay, Thank you for your interest in our products.
The AC180 is an earlier model, and the advanced mode feature was defined only when the Elite 200 V2 was released, which is why it is not available on the AC180.
These two models differ in both the device itself and the firmware design, so the features are not fully interchangeable.
Hi dumb question. How are people measuring the actual voltage and amps output by the pv panels? The bluetti display only shows the incoming watts.
I have one 385W panel but can only get 180w out of it while testing pointing it towards the sun. Vmpp of the panel is rated 38V, amps is 10A. So I cannot wire another panel in series as that will exceed the 60V input. Can I wire in parallel which will increase the amperage to 20A?
there is no point in puting to 20a as the 180 will only draw a max of 10a to see the v and amps open the bluetti app click on the 180 click on pv that will show you the current power,voltage and current…
the way i did it i just went for a bigger panel 505w it goves me the full 10a and about 410w power up to about 430w
Thx. Yep I found that in the app. I did more testing on a sunny day. One panel connnected generated 328w @ 9.3amps in peak sun. 2hrs later was pulling 281w. Then I connected the second panel in parallel and they were jointly pulling 371w and the ac180 was maxed out at 10amps. Obviously Sun position had changed.
It seems possible for both panels to generate over 500w but will that be limited by the 10amps limiter on the battery?
