Notice: This article was refreshed on February 21, 2024, with the latest inputs.
With the much-hyped unveiling of MultiCooler (SwapSolar combo) at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, Bluetti has entered the highly competitive segment of portable, outdoor fridges.
The MultiCooler, along with raising a challenge to the fridges from a line of standard brands like Dometic, AcoPower, GoSun, Alpicool, ICECO, and BougeRV, is a strong threat to the alternative from EcoFlow, the Glacier, which has been on the market for almost a year.
When it comes to the fridge part, both fridges are three-in-one devices that simply combine a fridge, freezer, and ice maker. I see only a few changes on the spec side. The size and portability are almost the same, but what I think gives Bluetti a clear edge over EcoFlower is its power.
| Release Update: Bluetti launched the SwapSolar fridge ecosystem on Indiegogo on February 21, 2024. The brand expects to start shipping it to the backers in March 2024.
Check out the product on the Indiegogo crowdfunding page here. Update February 2024: With the imminent launch of the SwapSolar outdoor fridge ecosystem on Indiegogo, Bluetti has announced the price of the standalone products in February 2024. A unit of the MultiCooler fridge will carry a price of $569, a discount of 37% off its retail price on the crowdfunding platform. A unit of the AC180T power station will be available for $849, with a discount of 35% off its retail price. Meanwhile, a combination of the MulitCooler and a single unit of the B70 battery will be on sale for $799, and the B70 battery alone will carry a price of around $300. Update: Bluetti is going to launch its much-touted SwapSolar Ecosystem (MultiCooler Fridge and AC180T power station combo) in a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. The project has already appeared on the coming-soon page of the crowdfunding platform here. I am not sure when the launch of the project is planned for, but it is ironic to see why a popular brand still depends on a crowd-funding platform for the launch of a much-excited product. |
Let’s see what is special about Bluetti in terms of the power of the fridge.
Yes, that is the combination of the fridge with a solar power station, and the ecosystem is branded as Bluetti SwapSolar. Exclusively for the fridge, Bluetti has designed an incredibly compact power station with a pair of hot-swappable batteries of 716.8 Wh (B70) each, which is the area where Bluetti outplays its rivaling brand.
Branded as Bluetti AC180T, the compact power station accommodates a pair of detachable battery packs, which you can independently use in the MultiCooler fridge.
This gives outdoor enthusiasts enough freedom in the wild to use power for multiple purposes, with the base power station having all the specialties of a regular power station, including multiple charging outlets and charging inputs, including solar.
Bluetti Multicooler Vs EcoFlow Glacier: Specs
The Bluetti MultiCooler is a 55L (50qt) portable fridge with a refrigerator compartment of 40L and an ice-making room of 9L capacity.
The Glacier is a 38-liter fridge, and you can separate the space for the freezer and chiller.
Both machines have built-in ice cube makers.
The Bluett’s ice maker looks to be capable of automatically starting a new batch of ice cubes. You won’t need to empty the ice maker before going to the next batch, which looks to be an improvement over the EcoFlow model.
The EcoFlow Glacier supports solar charging at a rate of 240 watts, while the Bluetti SwapSolar system has a solar input of 500 watts (the AC180T). The Bluetti fridge itself seems to have a PV input of 200 watts ( I want to confirm it)
When it comes to the battery, the Glacier’s add-on battery is a small 298 Wh unit, whereas the Bluetti MultiCooler, as you know already, has a 716.8 LFP battery pack to run the machine outdoors to keep your food and beverage chilled for days.
The Other Specs at a Glance
EcoFlow Glacier
- Capacity: Single zone: 38L (40 qt.); Dual zone: 36L (38 qt.)
- Battery: 298 Wh
- Weight: 23 kg / 50.7 lbs
- Size: 33.3 in. x 15.2 in. x 17.5 in
- Refrigerant: R600a, 32 g
- Connectivity: Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
Bluetti MulitCooler
- Capacity: 50qt / 55L
- Battery: 716.8Wh / 28Ah
- Weight: 52.9lbs / 24kg
- Size: 28 × 16.5 × 18.7in
- Refrigerant: N/A
- Connectivity: N/A
Price and Availability
The Bluetti SwapSolar was just unveiled at CES 2024. The release date and price of the outdoor fridge ecosystem were not announced then. EcoFlow’s Glacier, by the way, has been on sale for over a year at a price of around $1000.
Update: Bluetti has announced the price of its upcoming SwapSolar outdoor fridge ecosystem, as the launch of the product is near. No exact release date for the product has been announced yet, but the prices came out in the middle of February 2024.
The MultiCooler fridge alone is to carry a discounted price of $569 for the crowdfunding release. It comes with a cut of 37% off its retail price. The price for the AC180T power station will be $849, with a cut of 35% off its retail price.
It is when a combination of the MulitCooler with a single unit of the B70 battery will be on sale for $799, and the B70 battery alone will be on sale for around $300. The B70 is a single battery unit of the brand’s AC180T hot-swappable power station.
Popular brands in segments like Dometic, BougeRV, AcoPower, and GoSun may also face the heat of the competition.
Liam Eck is a full-time blogger who is passionate about green and sustainable lifestyle inventions and products. At PureInvents, he covers the topics of green technology, alternative energy, solar energy storage systems, and other smart and green inventions. #Contact Liam at liameck@pureinvents.com – Twitter – Reddit
