Bluetti’s SwapSolar is a battery-powered portable refrigerator, freezer, and ice maker that can also be plugged into solar, your car, or wall jack for long-term use. It’s the latest off-grid gadget for people who just can’t do without modern luxuries and is very similar to the EcoFlow Glacier I reviewed in December… but better, I think.
To start with, the dual-zone fridge and freezer compartments have slightly more capacity (40L versus 38L), and its much bigger battery uses improved LFP battery chemistry instead of NMC, which can pack more capacity into less space. That results in the SwapSolar being slightly heavier at 55 pounds (25kg) when fitted with the wheels and telescoping handle compared to the 51lb (23kg) Glacier. But that’s likely an acceptable tradeoff for many given LFP’s significant advantages, like longevity and improved safety, in addition to SwapSolar’s much longer runtime.
The SwapSolar fridge uses the same 716.8Wh hot-swappable LFP batteries found in the company’s new AC180T solar generator. Plug one of those batteries into the SwapSolar, and it’ll run for up to three days, then swap in the second without turning the unit off for another three days of refrigeration. That’s impressive compared to the Glacier’s single 297Wh battery, which can power the unit for about a day before needing a recharge.
Otherwise, its cooling features and size are roughly the same as the EcoFlow Glacier. The SwapSolar has a temperature control range of negative 4 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit (negative 20 to 20 degrees Celsius) when it’s 89 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) outside, according to Bluetti, with a rapid cool feature to reduce temps from 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) to 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius) in 15 minutes. It fits into a space of 28 × 16.5 × 18.7in (710 × 420 × 475mm) and is rated at a quiet 30dB in fridge mode or a potentially sleep-disrupting “less than 45dB” when making ice in a van at night. The Bluetti app connects to the SwapSolar over Bluetooth only, though — no Wi-Fi here, unlike the Glacier.
Bluetti is selling its SwapSolar via Indiegogo, with early bird pricing set at $799 ($1,328 retail) for the 3-in-1 fridge and B70 battery combo and $849 ($1,299 retail) for the AC180T solar generator (and a pair of B70 batteries), with each B70 battery costing an additional $299 ($429 retail). For reference, EcoFlow is currently selling its Glacier with battery, wheels, and handle for about $1,250. So those early bird prices could be good deals if you trust paper promises and crowdfunding terms (see warning below).
The Bluetti approach with the AC180T and SwapSolar combo is a curious and possibly compelling proposition for some. However, I’m not convinced that design compromises made for battery-swapping are better than just plugging a fridge into a power station you have with you anyway, especially if you can create an efficient DC-to-DC connection between the two.
Curious what y’all think if you want to leave a comment below as I await my review hardware to arrive.
