AC180 vs 200v2

Product Discussion
1

Is the 200 V2 worth double the price of the AC180? I intend to use it for off-grid camping. I understand that the 200 offers more power and other features, but is the additional cost justified?

Additionally, I’m curious about the reason behind removing the 30-amp RV plug from the 200 V2.
Thanks!

2

I just bought both. Another advantage is being able to solar charge at a higher rate with more panels. 1000w max for the Elite 200 v2, versus 500w for the AC180.

3

That’s tough to answer without understanding your use case.
I love my AC180 and it works perfectly for my use case.
I have the Charger 1 as well so every time I get to a location, the AC180 is fully charged and ready to go. Most times a 100% charge will give me three days of power for the items I am using.
To be honest, I might have gone with the 200v2 if it was available when I bought my AC180. More (inverter and power) is always better but I got the AC180 for $499 and at that price, you just cannot beat it.
How long are you off-grid camping on a trip, do you have any solar, what is the total wattage of what you want to power and for how long
Those are the types of questions I would be thinking about.
Matt

4

There are a number of questions to ask yourself and everyone will have a different answer.

  1. How much power both VAC and VDC do I need? (in Watts or Amps output, inverter size.)
  2. How much capacity do I need in Watt hours? (Calculate average daily need)
  3. How am I going to recharge what I use and how often? (more than one option is always better)
  4. Do I want spare capacity, just in case, or not?
  5. How much am I willing to spend?
  6. Can I carry the extra size and weight of a larger unit? (Not only in the vehicle, but personal lifting included)

I am fortunate that my RV has 200Ah of LiFePo4 and is primarily all 12VDC. Except, the Microwave and Air Conditioner and a few small VAC items that periodically need charging.
I found the AC180 answered all of these questions as running an air conditioner from even a 2kWh battery bank would give less than 2 hours of run time, so not practical.
However, the microwave will cook a frozen meal in 6 minutes. The AC180 uses around 14% capacity per 6 minutes or around 140Wh. I could do this for near a week without a recharge. I prefer to let it trickle back in from my house batteries cig socket the next day charging from solar. In bad weather I have other options.
I also have an AC200P, it sits on a “dolly” trolly, at home and I would not like to lug near 30kg very far, whereas the 16kg of the 180 is far more manageable.
Bottom line it’s a personal choice, lol.
As an aside, I also have a 12VDC laptop adaptor, so don’t use the 240VAC charging brick. My RV daily use is around 60Ah or 700Wh, but I would be limited by the Bluetti 12VDC 10A output limit of the AC180 (or AC70 I also have) on a daily basis. Given the above figures and with 450W of solar the AC180 1152Wh capacity would my RV.
i.e. If I were running my TV, laptop, diesel heater, lights and then ran the water pump, the load would well and truly exceed 10A. That doesn’t include other items like mobile phones, WiFi or Satellite TV system.

Edit - The daily use is from the house 200Ah and does not include the AC180 inverter use.