Bluetti's stuffed a large-capacity home backup battery – designed specifically to keep your fridge running when the power goes out – into a compact shape that's easy to fit and forget right in your kitchen.
The FridgePower is just under 3 inches (75 mm) thick and weighs roughly 42 lb (19 kg), so you can slot it above your refrigerator, or wall mount it. You only need to plug it into a regular wall outlet, and then plug your fridge into it to get started.
With a battery capacity of 2,016 Wh, Bluetti estimates this can run a standard 2-kWH, 18-22-cu-ft (510-623-L) fridge for about 22 hours on a full charge. It'll automatically switch over within 10 ms of the power going out, so you don't have to worry about flipping a switch in the dark to get it to work.
Bluetti says the FridgePower uses lithium iron phosphate battery cells that should last about 4,000 cycles before degrading, and stays quiet at just 30 dB.
It can also power other devices around your home, like lamps, Wi-Fi routers, phone and laptop chargers, and security cameras with its two AC outlets. Plus, you can expand its capacity to 8 kWh with modular battery packs; that'll run a fridge for up to a week, or tackle power needs for off-grid basecamps and larger residences. That's handy for getting through brief outages, especially if you can't commit to having a more extensive backup system installed by a professional.
You could even take one on the road if you're staying in an RV or remote vacation home, and charge it using a solar panel accessory the company will sell you.
You can monitor the FridgePower via a mobile app, schedule backup, and even allow it to start fast charging when extreme weather alerts come in.
The company is crowdfunding the FridgePower on Kickstarter, where it's available at US$759 for a single unit, discounted down from its $1,299 retail price. Bundling that with an additional battery will cost $1,398. You can tack on extra batteries and a display for monitoring your system and check the battery level at a glance.
At this discounted price, it's much cheaper than similarly designed alternatives from upstart Pila ($1,300), and BioLite's Backup ($2,000) – both of which are yet to hit store shelves. For its part, Bluetti expects to begin shipping orders by early June across the US, Canada, Australia, and several countries in Europe.
Source: Kickstarter via PR Newswire
