I never would have thought of myself as being a power-hungry person.

Yet, when it comes to backup solutions for electrical power, more capacity is extremely desirable!

So, when Bluetti announced the new Elite 300 a few weeks ago, I was keen to put this compact and capable unit to the test.

 

Bluetti Elite 300 vs Apex 300: Which Model Suits You?

The Elite series covers just about all the needs for a mobile society, where keeping your electronics charged up is a constant endeavour.

Sometimes a small power station like the Elite 10 will do the trick when you’re out and about. We reviewed the Elite 30 V2 and Elite 100 for more demanding power requirements when travelling.

Now the Elite 300 crosses over seamlessly from caravanning duties to home backup to off-grid scenarios.

Let’s look at capacity first.

The model number is a clue to the capacity: 300 indicates about 3kWh.

My Bluetti Apex 300 also has a similar capacity but is quite a bit bulkier and heavier at 38kg, versus the Elite 300 at only 26kg.
However, they are very different in capabilities.

In short, the Apex is part of a scalable ecosystem for home backup and off-grid situations.

The Elite series is an all-in-one powerhouse built for travel. It has all the DC ports that you would want.

Both units have some serious crossover utility and that’s great when you’re not touring all the time.

Portability is key for the Elite 300.
Weight is similar to a standard 2kWh unit.
Any heavier and you need to put wheels and a handle on the unit.
And when they eventually announce an Elite 400 here in Oz, it just might sport those wheels and handle!

 

Specifications and Power Capability: What Can the Elite 300 Run?

There are two AC outlets and 2 USB-A plus 2 USB-C ports (100W and 140W).
Other DC ports: a cigarette lighter socket, and a 12V/30A XT90 port.
It does not have an Anderson plug but Bluetti sells XT90 to 50A Anderson plug adapters.

Total output is 2400W but for starting up appliances the output can handle double that in short surge mode.

There is a UPS function for almost instantaneous switchovers when a power outage occurs. 10ms is just the blink of an eye.

Of course, equally important to how long it can power essential items around your home or camp site, is how fast it can recharge.

If the power is back on, it takes 1.6 hours to recharge from 0 to 80%.
The 100% level takes a lot longer as the unit slows down from 2300W input to lower charge levels.

 

Unboxing and First Impressions: Premium Build Quality

Having unpacked so many Bluetti units, this ritual of unboxing and anticipating the first glance at the new machine, has lost none of its appeal.

All units exude Bluetti’s obsession to craft a top-quality product and the care to package them well in double boxes for shipment.

The Bluetti “look” is that of a professional elegance – but meaning business when times are rough and power is needed.

LiFePo4 batteries come with a factory charge level of between 30 to 60%, so the first order of business was to bring that up from 37% to 100. That took about an hour.

There are 3 charging speeds: Silent, Normal and Turbo, with Turbo almost twice as fast as Normal around 2300W input. The fan is audible at that speed but still in the background range.

 

Real-World Testing: Home Backup and Off-Grid Performance

As with previous tests, we started with the essentials to keep home life bearable when Western Power pole # S457757 fails to deliver the needed electrons to my home address.

These things include a fridge/freezer and a medium-sized freezer; the water pump (rural property, remember?), occasional microwave or air fryer, kettle and the WiFi, security cams and keeping a raft of electronics charged up.

 

Capacity Benchmarks: Running Appliances During a Blackout

Mind you, I also have a stack of Bluetti Apex 300 gear (about 11kWh) that I can call upon in a real emergency, but that doesn’t count for this series of tests.

All these tests have also been done for the previous units, so we have a fair comparison.
So, let’s sketch some scenarios.

For instance, here’s the Elite 300 doing some heavy lifting by feeding the 1600W charger for my EGO Z6 zero-turn mower, whilst plugged into a small solar panel.

And here’s a bit a luxury item (but maybe not for a busy mum): doing some washing and drying. The drying bit can be done without electricity, but, hey, we’re testing here.

The washing was done on a 40°C cycle with prewash. Took about 90mins with the occasional power demand around the 2000W mark.
This used up about 30% capacity of the power station.
The heat pump dryer took a similar time to run and drained the Elite 300 a further 30%.

Boiling the billy for a couple of cuppas takes 3%. Do that 5 times a day and we are now down to 25%.

The water pump takes about 800W and is used dozens of times during the day.

My security systems and WiFi demand about 1kW per day.

And the most important appliances are the things that need to keep our food cool or frozen.
In our case that alone takes about 75% of the total capacity of the unit per 24 hours.

You can see that for a blackout scenario you would not use a dryer nor washing machine if the Elite 300 is all you have.

There’s also a bit of self-consumption we have to take into account. This standby mode doesn’t take much but adds up over longer periods of non-use.

So, we see that as a standalone power station, the Elite 300 might provide just enough juice for relatively short power outages. Unless you have some solar panels to recharge.

However, go camping and she will be just perfect as the electricity demands are a lot less.

Again, a couple of solar panels should suffice when stationary, but if you go touring and travel around this great Southland, you might want to have a look also at the Bluetti Charger 2 which can charge up your power station 13 times faster than your standard cig lighter socket.

BTW – this unit can also be remotely started up, and you can set schedules to automate your critical devices through the updated app.

Potential Improvements: The Case for Integrated Lighting

With all its features and capabilities, it’s hard to fault this unit. It’s got all the power you need when on the road or to get you through the day when the next grid outage hits and you’re in the dark.

Yet, there’s one feature that I wish all the Bluettis would come with: inbuilt lights.

What’s the first thing we reach for when the lights go out? Where did we put the candles?

Sorry, that’s so yesteryear! We have our phone torches of course, but we don’t know how long this outage will last.
So we need to have a light that doesn’t need power from a phone battery.

What better source than a power station? The VoltX Topband we reviewed years ago had the best implementation: 2 LED lights with different modes and brightness levels.
Ideal for camping.

I would love it if we can see this feature on all new Bluetti models…

 

Final Verdict: Should You Buy the Bluetti Elite 300?

It really doesn’t matter where you want to use the Elite 300 – the unit is equally at home in your house, in your vehicle or when you’re camping beyond the black stump. Beyond civilisation.

If you’re considering expanding your capacity later on, you might want to go for the Apex 300, which can handle a variety of expansion batteries.

For all other incidental uses, especially touring and camping, the Bluetti Elite 300 is one travelling companion you want to have along.
With its claim to be the smallest 3kWh power station, there should enough room left in your van to take some more electronics along…

Price, Discounts, and Where to Buy in Australia

The RRP here in Australia is $3499 but presently $2999 with code SNS5. The unit will be shipping by the end of February.

You can pre-order now and save some money. Here’s the product page.

Finally, you have a site-wide 5% discount with code DRN5 on all Bluetti products if you click on this link.

Again, we thank Bluetti Australia for allowing us to test their latest and greatest gear.