The verdict
Buy the AC180Check price at BLUETTI. It holds 128Wh more, and costs less per watt-hour ($0.39 against $0.49).
The Elite 100 V2 is the buy only if you find it materially cheaper than the price below. Full working underneath.
Prices are the manufacturer’s at the time of writing. We may earn a commission on these links, which never changes what the figures say.
The short answer
The BLUETTI AC180 holds 128Wh more (13% more). The BLUETTI AC180 is the cheaper way to buy a watt-hour, at $0.39 against $0.49. The BLUETTI Elite 100 V2 is rated for more cycles, 4,000 against 3,500, which is a longevity difference rather than a performance one.
Head to head
| Specification | AC180 | Elite 100 V2 |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 1,152Wh ● | 1,024Wh |
| Continuous AC output | 1,800W | 1,800W |
| Surge | 2,700W | 2,700W |
| Chemistry | LiFePO4 | LiFePO4 |
| Rated cycles | 3,500 cycles | 4,000 cycles ● |
| Weight | 35.3 lb | 25 lb ● |
| Max solar input | 500W | 1,000W ● |
| Max AC charge input | 1,440W ● | 1,200W |
| AC outlets | 4 | — |
| Expandable | No | No |
| Warranty | 5 years | 5 years |
| Price | $449 ● | $499 |
| Cost per watt-hour | $0.39 ● | $0.49 |
A dot marks the better figure on that row. An em dash means the manufacturer does not publish it, and we would rather leave the cell empty than fill it with a number we cannot source.
What each one will run
| Load | AC180 | Elite 100 V2 |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi router (10W) | 98 hr | 87 hr |
| CPAP, humidifier off (40W) | 24 hr | 21 hr 46 min |
| 12V portable fridge (45W avg) | 21 hr 46 min | 19 hr 21 min |
| Full-size fridge (50W avg) | 19 hr 35 min | 17 hr 24 min |
| Laptop (60W) | 16 hr 19 min | 14 hr 30 min |
| 55-inch TV (90W) | 10 hr 53 min | 9 hr 40 min |
| Microwave (1,000W) | 59 min | 52 min |
Figures are capacity divided by draw, with 15% taken off for inverter losses on AC loads. They are arithmetic rather than bench measurements, and a cold battery or a compressor cycling hard will come in lower. Where a row says the unit will not run a load, that load exceeds what its inverter carries continuously.
Where the AC180 wins
- Holds 128Wh more, 13% more stored energy.
- $50 cheaper at list.
- Cheaper per watt-hour, at $0.39 against $0.49.
- Recharges from the wall at 1,440W against 1,200W.
Where the Elite 100 V2 wins
- Rated for 4,000 cycles against 3,500, so it should outlast the other by years of daily use.
- Lighter by 10.3 lb.
- Takes 500W more solar, which shortens a day of off-grid recharging.
Which to buy
- Buy the AC180 if the job is a long one: an overnight fridge, a multi-day CPAP run, a weekend away from a socket.
- Buy the Elite 100 V2Check price at BLUETTI if the job is short and repeated, and you would rather carry less.
- Buy the AC180 if you are simply buying stored energy at the lowest price and the rest of the spec sheet is close enough not to matter.
AC180 vs Elite 100 V2 questions
Which has more capacity, the AC180 or the Elite 100 V2?
The AC180, at 1,152Wh against 1,024Wh. That is 128Wh more, or about 13% more stored energy.
How long will each one run a fridge?
On a full-size fridge averaging 50W, the AC180 works out at roughly 19 hr 35 min and the Elite 100 V2 at roughly 17 hr 24 min. Both assume 85% of rated capacity reaches the load, and a fridge cycling harder in a warm room will pull both numbers down.
Which is better value?
Per watt-hour stored, the AC180 at $0.39 against $0.49. That is the honest measure here, because it is the one figure that puts a price difference and a capacity difference on the same scale.
Which will last longer?
On the published cycle ratings, the Elite 100 V2. It is rated for 4,000 charge cycles against 3,500. At one full cycle a day that is roughly 11 years against 10 before the cells reach their rated end of life.
How we compare these
Both columns are the manufacturers’ own published figures, taken from the same catalogue of 458 products we track, and every derived number on this page, cost per watt-hour and estimated runtime, is calculated the same way for every product on the site. We do not publish a star rating for either unit, because we have not bench-tested them and a score we invented would be worth nothing to you. What we can do honestly is put the published figures side by side, do the arithmetic in public, and say plainly where a manufacturer has not published something.