Nerds swear by self-assembled power supply in the mobile home. A box like the Bluetti 200Max promises an all-round carefree package – even for the electrician.
As the name suggests, the Bluetti 200Max is a class 2000 battery. This means that it stores around 2000 watt hours of electricity and can deliver 230 volt alternating current with up to 2000 watts. This means that it can feed most devices with a Schuko plug. In addition to the pure battery, it has a smart control and numerous connections to get power in and out again – you can find a detailed presentation here.
Three months later
After a few weeks of use, it’s time to draw conclusions. First of all, the case is valuable and can handle a lot of construction site dirt. Raindrops and moisture too, but I wouldn’t leave them unprotected in the rain. With the integrated handles, the box is easy to carry – if you can say that at all with a weight of over 20 kilograms. In any case, I can still transport the box to the car and balance it without worrying about the intervertebral discs. This is no longer possible with larger boxes. The relationship between storage capacity and weight is always about the same, regardless of the manufacturer. If you want less weight, you also have less performance. Small systems – 500s and 1000s – are sufficient to operate LED light, smartphones, notebooks and a small cool box – but they are undersized for tools or even a hair dryer. The 200Max can do that and is just about wearable. At the moment it has to be balanced in the camper in the compartment under a seat. It’s tedious and will be improved in the future with an excerpt. The 200Max supplies pretty much all devices with a Schuko plug – all tools also ran without complaint. With a battery in the 1000 watt class, on the other hand, you have to choose exactly which device you take with you.
Can also be used without a camper
In practice, it turned out that the mobility of the box has great advantages for me compared to a stationary system in the camper. The box is mainly intended as a power supply in the car. But that’s mostly just around. As with most, because who really lives in their camper permanently? The box, on the other hand, can make itself useful. With a house with a garden, the potential is lower than with a farmer or forester, but still. To be honest, I often used the box for testing in places where I could have reached with an extension cord. But there she could fire all the tools. You should definitely install the app. This is less necessary to switch on, but to switch off. If you let the box and its outputs, especially the 230 volt inverter, run, it empties slowly but surely. Just like the radio drains a car battery over time.
In between, I was at least able to lend the box to a friend who uses a garage without electricity. Or my son, who owns a share in a hut that also has no electricity. In the case of huts and gardens, it can be worth doing without the official electricity in order to save on the basic fee. That was beneficial, also because it allowed me to deduct the camping costs under “but quite useful”.
Mini installation effort
The installation in the camper is very easy. For me, that was a key reason for a box. This is a camper with limited power grid and not a tiny house on wheels. The box has a permanent place under a bench and is fixed there with a tension belt. 230 volts is derived through an extension. With 12 volts from the box, the light cool box plus car and USB socket are currently fed. In the small camper, the power supply flows together in a switch and fuse box. It gets its power from a strong cable with a car input. It is simply plugged into the box – done. disadvantage of the method. This means that only 10 amps can flow – that’s 120 watts at 12 volts. This is also sufficient for the standard LED light, water pump and cool box.
30 amps to 12 volts possible
Nevertheless, I got an optional plug for the 12 volt Andersen output on the box. Caution: It is not easy to find the right connector. In any case, the one from the previous model does not work. However, the appropriate sockets can be obtained. So there are 30 amps in it, i.e. 360 watts at 12 volts. The short distance to the fuse can be extended with a thick cable. The Andersen ensemble still needs to be soldered together. The can is charged with the power pack. The advantage here too: I don’t have to have electricity on the vehicle. You can also take out the box and carry it to the can. Practical for lantern parkers or when travelling.
Hardly any cable clutter
The cable clutter is limited. “Out” against a 230 volt and a 12 volt plug. “Pure” so far the charger. If you drive a lot, you can also charge the box with a car cable, then 10 amperes flow – not a lot, but at least. I still have to wait a bit: The optional “car to DC5521” cable (19.90 euros) is currently sold out for my 24 volt system. As a reminder: In a 12-volt car, 10 amperes result in 120 watts – with 24 volts it is 240. So far I have been able to cover the electricity requirements on the road without any problems. The box easily lasted a long weekend with my current consumption (cool box, light, tablet). The electric espresso machine, which is started several times a day, naturally draws capacity. If you want to blow-dry yourself extensively in the morning, you will soon have to think about charging,
Mobile with solar bags
Of course, the camper soul strives for “self-sufficiency”, whether it is absolutely necessary or not. So the next decision is pending: Bluetti offers foldable and portable solar panels. Incidentally, you are not tied to the company’s original panels. They are slightly more expensive than permanently installed modules and are mobile. With the box, I found the flexibility to be the main benefit. In the camper, however, this also means that the panels cannot be permanently mounted on the roof. With their pockets, they are not designed to be outdoors all year round. And it gets tricky when it comes to the question of how long the lines between the solar module and the box can be so that the box can stand in the camper.
So far, flexibility has been my trump card. Here, too, I will opt for the mobile solar bags. Then I can separate the box and solar system from the camper. I wouldn’t use the box for camping or outdoor crafts most of the year. But then I could simply place the modules in front of my office (you can also hang them on the edge of the balcony) and harvest electricity every sunny day and feed my home office from the box. With a still acceptable size of two modules, you would get a yield of up to 1.5 kWh per day, and even more on long sunny days.
Mobile box or permanently installed system
Conclusion: For the camper, I would always prefer a box to a fixed system. Especially if the camper is only used in your free time. The 200max is a perfect in-between size for me – the vehicle is also big enough to accommodate it. Incidentally, the 200max is not the smallest box of its kind with the same performance – but it has a lot of connection and charging options. Even wireless charging is possible. For me, the four 230 volt sockets are practical, the stronger 12 volt output with Anderson connection and the large number of USB outputs including a powerful USB-C connector. In the future I will use the solar input. And Bluetti also offers expansion modules. An additional “dumb” battery is then connected to the smart box with its connections. This increases storage capacity, while the values for payments and intake remain the same. The battery (B230 Home Battery Backup) is about 500 euros cheaper. With such a combination you can achieve a high storage value – around 4000 watt hours – and the modules still remain portable.
The box currently costs 2199 euros in the Bluetti Shop. From time to time there are also coupon campaigns. In the year of the supply bottlenecks, however, they are not so plentiful.
