Lengthy-Time period Evaluation of the BLUETTI EP500 Professional: Efficiency After 1.5 Years
A yr and a half in the past, in August 2023, I reviewed the BLUETTI EP500 Professional dwelling power storage system. Since then, we have often reviewed comparable merchandise and highlighted new market arrivals or particular offers, however we not often focus on long-term experiences with these units. Questions linger: How do these merchandise maintain up through the years? How a lot power capability diminishes over time? Do they carry out as effectively after a yr in storage?
When investing in a big power storage system, reliability in the long run is essential. Ideally, whenever you retrieve the unit from storage years later, it ought to operate as if it have been new.
Whereas a decade-long evaluate could be ideally suited, I don’t personal any battery techniques that outdated—my oldest is the BLUETTI EP500 Professional. Curiously, I not too long ago discovered that the EP500, an analogous however barely older mannequin, is being discontinued. A flash sale provides it for $1,899 (a 37% discount), legitimate till March 11, with a second spherical on March 16–17. In the meantime, the EP500 Professional is priced at $3,499 after a $500 low cost, with an extra 5% off utilizing the code CLEANTECH5OFF. The EP500 boasts a 5,120Wh power capability and a 2,000W energy restrict, whereas the Professional model has the identical power capability however a better 3,000W energy restrict.
About six months in the past, as Hurricane Milton approached, I retrieved the EP500 Professional from storage and totally charged it. I initially anticipated to wish it as a result of we beforehand misplaced energy throughout a hurricane for 18 hours. Though this time round, even with the attention of the hurricane passing immediately over us, our energy remained intact regardless of widespread outages in our space.
To keep away from conserving the battery at 100% for lengthy, we used the EP500 Professional to energy our units till the battery dropped to round 50%. It labored simply because it did on Day 1, though I didn’t doc the method on the time, as we have been preoccupied with hurricane preparations.
For this text, I pulled the unit out once more. It confirmed a cost of 49%, which was probably the place I left it. I rapidly introduced it to 50%, adopted by a 10-minute cost to achieve that 5% improve. Theoretically, recharging from 0% to 100% would take about 200 minutes, however I continued charging it totally. It took a complete of 1 hour and 25 minutes to achieve 95% and one other 10 minutes to hit 100%. Primarily, going from 50% to 100% took about 1 hour and 35 minutes.
After charging my units as soon as extra, it dropped to 95%, and I’ve been testing it additional to see how rapidly I can get it all the way down to 50% for storage. As of now, it stays at 72%.
General, the BLUETTI EP500 Professional continues to carry out admirably; its battery capability stays sturdy, and all options function as meant since day one. In case of a pure catastrophe like a hurricane or wildfire that disrupts energy, this machine would undoubtedly be invaluable. I actually respect this power storage resolution.