Bluetti EP500 – 5100Wh Portable Power Station Overview

Maxoak is back with the biggest battery station of their life. Meet Bluetti EP500 and its brother EP500 pro, a 5000Wh+ battery station that is capable of powering an entire home. Probably your neighbor’s too lol.

Deal Alert

Use coupon code ECOBLU30 to get a $30 additional discount on EP500 power station on Wellbots

Company Background

Just a quick background on the company. Maxoak which is the parent company has been producing some of the highest quality, user-friendly and affordable power stations for years now. They have a variety of battery generators including laptop power banks to CPAP backup batteries to high capacity portable battery stations. Personally, I own Bluetti EB150 and have been using it for almost a year now with 100% satisfaction both in product quality and customer support.

Prior to EP500, they had launched AC200 which was a massive hit. AC200 is more or less 50% of EP500 in every feature, so if you want to check it out, here you go.

Overall, a very reputable company with a good name in the portable power field. Their customer support is excellent as well.

Let’s talk about EP500

I have seen a lot of power stations in my life and only a few of them stood out. The last one that impressed me was Ecoflow R600 and today, EP500 is more impressive than any other power station in the entire market. It has got capacity, portability and smartness. What more can you ask for?

Let us now look at some of the important features of EP500 and EP500 pro

Power Capacity

Bluetti EP500 is equipped with 2000W and EP500 Pro has a 3000W power rating which is mind-blowing. To give you an idea, the HVAC system at your home has a wattage of around 3000W and window AC’s are about 1500W. As far as I know, there is no other electronic equipment in your home that consumes more power than HVAC (water heater could be an exception). So, with EP500, you will be able to power almost all the gadgets, sometimes simultaneously too.

If you are considering this for industry, you can’t go wrong, EP500 can power almost all the power tools.

Battery Capacity

Understanding the battery capacity is very important. This determines how long a device hooked up with the power station can stay alive. For example, a 1000Wh battery means it can power a 1000W gadget (say Refrigerator) for 1 hour. Instead of Refrigerator, say you are using a computer that consumes 100 watts. In that case, your computer will run for 10 hours with a 1000Wh station. Hope you got the point.

Now, EP500 and 500 Pro have a masssssive 5100Wh battery capacity. This is the biggest I’ve ever come across in my life.

To give you a perspective, my Bluetti EB150 has 1500Wh capacity and it lasts for weeks on my road trips. Coming back to EP500, a 5100Wh battery is enough to keep any of your household devices running for at least 1 hour. Please refer to the table in the coming section to get an in-depth understanding.

 

Simply put, more power = more devices, more battery = more duration

Surge Capacity

Unlike battery and power capacities, the surge is something not many people use. Simply explained, the surge is the amount of extra power you can draw from the battery station for a very short period. The surge rating of EP500 is 4800W and EP500 pro is 6000W.

To give you an example, assume you have decided to power an electric saw machine using EP500. Let the power consumption of the saw machine is 4500W for the first 10 seconds when it starts and then it is 1500W. Now, the max capacity of EP500 is 2000W. This is where surge capacity kicks in. Since EP500 has a surge capacity of 4800W, it can easily start the saw machine and keep it running for a few seconds if not a minute. After that, EP500 would continue supplying 1500W of power since the saw only takes 1500W once after it starts.

Ports

EP500 has different ports for various devices,

  • 4 AC 120V Ports (no support for 220V? Sad)
  • 3 DC Ports 12V/10A (For example: CPAP machine can be hooked to this port)
  • 2 USB A
  • 2 USB A with Fast Charging capability
  • 2 Wireless Charging Pad (is it fast charging? I don’t think so)
  • 1 USB C 100W PD output (best for charging laptops)
  • 1 RV port 12V/30A

EP500 Pro has a couple more AC ports and an extra USB C port.

To be honest, I only use the AC ports and USB ports on my power station.

Ways to Charge Bluetti EP500

There are few ways to recharge this power station

1. Wall Socket

A cable will be provided. One end goes to the AC outlet and the other to your charging input port. EP500 takes about 10 hours to get fully charged while 500 Pro take about 3 hours (CRAZY quick)

2. Solar Panel

Both EP500 and 500 Pro support solar panel input. There are no modules or converters needed since they have inbuilt MPPT controller. So, take your solar panel wires and plug it to the power station.

EP500 – Supports up to 1200W panel and gets fully charged in about 5 hours
EP500 Pro –  Supports up to 2400W panel and charge time is about 2 and a half hours

Side note: 1200W solar panels are not simple. Most of the residential homes use 1200W panels to offset the entire electricity bill. In fact, I have installed 700W panels at my Parent’s house and it is offsetting 50% of their electricity. Also, solar panels are not cheap. If you ever buy a power station, I recommend getting a portable solar panel like this. I always carry them during road trips.

I highly recommend getting a portable solar panel if you have a portable power station

3. Combine AC and Solar or Dual AC

EP500 takes separate inputs and can take both together. This will charge the battery faster.

4. From the Car or Lead-acid Batteries (only EP500 Pro)

If your car engine is running, just use the cigarette lighter port on your car to charge this battery station. You can also use a lead acid battery. The cables are sold separately, I guess.

Side note: Don’t charge when the car is not started, you might empty the car battery.

Can Be Used as A UPS

Yes, you can use EP500 as an uninterrupted power supply or UPS for your home. It has a plug-and-play design but if you have high power devices like the water heater, you might want to have a separate controller at the UPS station. Contact Bluetti or a local UPS provider for more info.

Smartphone App Control

This is a new addition. My EB150 does not have this but it is always good to have a smart feature like this. Since the device uses WiFi, you can monitor, control and optimize your power usage from anywhere in the world. The Bluetti app is available for both Android and iOS devices.

Bluetti EP500 Performance

Appliance Will it work? Backup time (approx)
Laptop (80W) Yes 64+ Times
LCD TV (150W) Yes 30+ Hours
Smartphone (8W) Yes 300+ Times
Refrigerator (150W) Yes 2-3 Days
Ceiling Fan (52 inch) Yes 3+ Days
Microwave Oven (1100W) Yes 4+ Hours
Instant Pot Cooker (1000W) Yes 5 Hours
Space Heater (1500W) Yes 2+ Hours
Corded Drilling Machine (600W) Yes 8+ Hours
Washing Machine (900W) Yes 5+ Hours
CPAP Machine (60W) Yes ~10 Nights
Wall Mounted AC (8000Btu) Yes 6 – 17 Hours
Electric Kettle (1300W) Yes 3+ Hours
Circular Saw (2300W) Yes 2+ Hours
Welding Machine (1800W) Yes 2+ Hours
Electric Bike (500W) Yes 100-150 Miles
Electric Water Heater (4000W) No
2 HP Motor Yes 3+ Hours

**These are approximate data, the actual numbers may slightly differ

Some More Cool Features

  • Two EP500s can be connected together for 4000W power output and double battery capacity. Also, you can get a 220V output option by doing this.
  • Unlike most other power stations which use Lithium-Ion batteries, EP500 uses Lithium-Ion Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries which are safer and better in temperature handling
  • Equipped with 4 wheels for better portability
  • Weighs about 170lbs, oh my goodness
  • 36 months warranty

Editor’s Verdict

I can’t stress enough how good this power station is at this price point. It has got the highest battery capacity, excellent power and surge capacities. Moreover, the versatility it offers is great. Supporting different charging methods and thousands of watts of solar panels makes EP500 one of my top choice. The smartphone app is good to have and please make use of it. On the flip side, this battery generator is not very portable. Weighing around 70kgs, it is not easy to lift it.

But, think twice and see if you really need this much power and battery capacity. There are a lot of other cheaper ones that are well suited for basic needs. But if you consider the price to features ratio, EP500 is a steal deal.

If you live in an area that is prone to frequent power cuts, natural disasters, etc, this power station will be an asset to you. Also, people who offer remote services like pressure wash, auto repair, woodworks, etc might enjoy this station more than others.

Finally, Bluetti is a reputable company and has excellent customer support. You can back this product without worrying, they are not gonna scam you.

You can buy EP500 on Bluetti Official Site or Wellbots. Sometimes Wellbots offer a cheaper price

FEATURES

  • Up to 3000W Power Capacity
  • 5100Wh Battery Capacity
  • Up to 6000W Surge Capacity
  • Smartphone App
  • 6000+ Battery Cycles
  • Can Power 17 Devices Simultaneously
  • Up to 2400W MPPT Solar Support
  • Weighs about 170lbs

Editor's Rating
4.9 / 5 Ratings
Coolness5
Usefulness4.8
Price4.8

Editor's Quote5100Wh battery capacity...are you kidding me? Bluetti is back with another beast