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New Bluetti 48V system

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Rocksnsalt

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Looks like Bluetti's answer to Ecoflow's Power Kits. Third party batteries would be a huge advantage, as Ecoflow requires their own $$$$ batteries. They did let Winnebago use their own battery, but the Winnebago battery (Lithionics) is just as expensive as Ecoflow. I expect we will be seeing other companies introducing RV specific kits over the next year or two. Anker, Jackery and the numerous clones.
 
Now available for purchase. $1300 for a 5kW inverter, dual MPPTs, DC-DC (alternator) charger, 48V charger, 100A 12V output, and the ability to use third party batteries seems like quite a deal. Unfortunately, they hamstrung the MPPTs with a 50V limit.

Bluetti RV5
 
Kremer said:
it is likely their own design and manufacture, as all their other power station products are. (I think they contract for the panels).
Click to expand...
Its feature set certainly doesn't match with anything I've seen. Specifically for RV use, the RV5 Power Hub is quite a system. Aside from the low voltage MPPTs, it's a home run IMHO (assuming no other major flaws surface in real world use). And I doubt the "smurf blue" color was a random design choice. They are targeting Victron's RV market share. I'm surprised that both Bluetti and Ecoflow beat Victron to producing a "smart" AC/DC RV distribution panel with integrated CTs to monitor and display individual circuit loads.
 
Just ran across this last evening in researching options for a cargo trailer conversion we're doing for a merch trailer - and it looks like it could tick pretty much all the boxes....

I am curious on the benefits of using their 48V batteries vs other vendors - do I lose functionality in terms of monitoring, or other? Other than the IP rating for environmental - which I don't really care as they will be mounted inside and dry - are there other characteristics which make them more suitable for bouncing around in a trailer? i.e. other than the casing & color, is there really a 30% value premium or should I use another source....

Also trying to decide if the AC/DC distribution panel has any material utility......
 
oldnavy said:
Unfortunately, they hamstrung the MPPTs with a 50V limit.
Click to expand...
New to the solar world - and working to define a system for a cargo trailer conversion to use as a merch trailer with a probably around 3 kWatt draw need between AC & DC.... Solar is not necessarily a must for this the usage would be for 8 hours or so a day - maybe 2 days max at a time away from charging power - but it would be a nice-to have.

So, with a 50V limit, what does that mean in terms of panel configurations / setup that could be installed on the trailer roof.... and I don't mean to derail this specific topic so happy to be pointed elsewhere - but if there is a specific configuration that is or is not supported with the RV5, that would be helpful to know....
 
mwardncsu said:
New to the solar world - and working to define a system for a cargo trailer conversion to use as a merch trailer with a probably around 3 kWatt draw need between AC & DC.... Solar is not necessarily a must for this the usage would be for 8 hours or so a day - maybe 2 days max at a time away from charging power - but it would be a nice-to have.

So, with a 50V limit, what does that mean in terms of panel configurations / setup that could be installed on the trailer roof.... and I don't mean to derail this specific topic so happy to be pointed elsewhere - but if there is a specific configuration that is or is not supported with the RV5, that would be helpful to know....
Click to expand...
It limits your ability to string panels in series, forcing parallel configurations. Most 12V panels have a VOC of about 20V, so you would be limited to 2 panels in series. Most higher voltage panels would be limited to parallel only, so you would want to use panels approaching 50V VOC, with some added safety margin for cold weather. Since you are starting from scratch with a cargo trailer conversion, this limitation might not be a problem. It won't be a big deal to run larger gauge wire up to a distribution box on the roof, and run parallel panels to the distribution box. But for many RVers, they want to use the AWG 10 wire that's already run.

If the RV5 meets your other needs, and you can work with the MPPT limits, it's a nice looking system.
 
has anyone looked into the EVSE charging with J1772 option?
if connected to a 240VAC EV charging station, then potentially 5280watt, or just 1hr for full charge (0-100%) of the 5.1kWh LFP4 B4810 battery.

1761249743152.png
page 32 of manual
 
A new review covering the RV5 installed in 5th wheel RV.


Toward the end, covering a few "cons", he notes this is really aimed at 30A RVs, but says Bluetti informed him that a new model will support 50A RVs. Not sure if they will just make a larger unit or add a parallel capability with an inverter for each hot leg.
 
Some information says you have to use their batteries, some say you can use other batteries. Anyone know the real answer?
 
also - does anyone know if the inverter outputs a pure sine wave output - or a "cheaper" modified sine wave? I've sent an email query to Bluetti so I'll circle back with whatever they reply with, but curious if anyone knows yet....
 
nwtravler said:
Some information says you have to use their batteries, some say you can use other batteries. Anyone know the real answer?
Click to expand...
their documentation says you can use third party batterys, including lead acid - just not to mix types / models, etc.....

I've got an email in to Bluetti to ask what functionality you lose not using theirs - and if there is a standard comm protocol they use that would allow the comms to be connected to other batts
 
mwardncsu said:
their documentation says you can use third party batterys, including lead acid - just not to mix types / models, etc.....

I've got an email in to Bluetti to ask what functionality you lose not using theirs - and if there is a standard comm protocol they use that would allow the comms to be connected to other batts
Click to expand...
I asked Bluetti a couple of battery questions. Here they are and the tech’s reply:

Question:

“I was wondering if you could answer a couple of questions regarding your RV5 and it’s support for third-party batteries:

- what functionality would I lose if I use third-party batteries vs Bluetti?

- is there a standard comms protocol the RV5 uses that would still allow the RV5 to communicate with other batteries?

The reason I ask is that I have a couple of Eco-Worthy 48v 100ah server rack batts so wanted to know how well they might function with the RV5. The Eco-Worthy supports CAN bus and is compatible with many other popular inverters.”

Reply:

“The following is the detailed answer to your question.
  1. Since there is only one temperature sensor connected to RV5 from the third-party battery, for a 12V battery, it needs to be connected in series with 4 12V batteries. Therefore, the temperature sensor can only be connected to one of the batteries and cannot monitor the temperatures of all the batteries.
  2. RV5 uses a proprietary protocol. Currently, it does not support connecting third-party batteries with BMS boards. The CAN bus protocol of Eco-Worthy may not be able to communicate with RV5, and the battery status (battery level, fault protection) cannot be synchronized, which may lead to the failure or interruption of the charging and discharging path.
  3. 1C charging and discharging rate limit. If the battery group continuously draws power exceeding 4800W (48V × 100A), it may trigger the overcurrent protection shutdown of RV5.


    Therefore, if your Eco-Worthy battery has a BMS board, it will not be compatible with RV5 and cannot be used.

Hope this is helpful.

Have a nice day.

Best regards,
Lois”
 
tdginctr said:
I asked Bluetti a couple of battery questions. Here they are and the tech’s reply:

Question:

“I was wondering if you could answer a couple of questions regarding your RV5 and it’s support for third-party batteries:

- what functionality would I lose if I use third-party batteries vs Bluetti?

- is there a standard comms protocol the RV5 uses that would still allow the RV5 to communicate with other batteries?

The reason I ask is that I have a couple of Eco-Worthy 48v 100ah server rack batts so wanted to know how well they might function with the RV5. The Eco-Worthy supports CAN bus and is compatible with many other popular inverters.”

Reply:

“The following is the detailed answer to your question.
  1. Since there is only one temperature sensor connected to RV5 from the third-party battery, for a 12V battery, it needs to be connected in series with 4 12V batteries. Therefore, the temperature sensor can only be connected to one of the batteries and cannot monitor the temperatures of all the batteries.
  2. RV5 uses a proprietary protocol. Currently, it does not support connecting third-party batteries with BMS boards. The CAN bus protocol of Eco-Worthy may not be able to communicate with RV5, and the battery status (battery level, fault protection) cannot be synchronized, which may lead to the failure or interruption of the charging and discharging path.
  3. 1C charging and discharging rate limit. If the battery group continuously draws power exceeding 4800W (48V × 100A), it may trigger the overcurrent protection shutdown of RV5.


    Therefore, if your Eco-Worthy battery has a BMS board, it will not be compatible with RV5 and cannot be used.

Hope this is helpful.

Have a nice day.

Best regards,
Lois”
Click to expand...
Points 1, 2 and 3 are good info, and probably about what we all expected. The RV5 won't have comms with the 3rd party batteries, thus will not display battery info or monitor temp or any other features that require comms. You'll have to rely on whatever battery monitoring features the 3rd party battery provides for that info. I think that last line is obviously incorrect, as compatibility is an advertised feature. Probably a translation/language barrier issue. At almost $900 per battery difference compared to server rack batteries, not a tough decision if budget is a factor.
 
HoboTech just reviewed the RV5, and he found an issue with the battery only providing 88Ah. Another reason to go 3rd party if you don't need the IP65 features or comms. Other than that (and the 50V MPPT limit), the review was pretty positive. On the MPPT, he tore into them at length for such a stupid design choice. Idle consumption and efficiency were both quite good.

 
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