Bluetti's New Dual Input Charger Lets You Charge With Solar and an Alternator at the Same Time

Bluetti has an extensive array of portable power stations and battery backup options in its lineup and we've tested and recommended several of its products. At CES 2026, I got to see one of its newest releases, the Bluetti Charger 2, which the company claims is the first unified car and solar smart energy hub. 

Bluetti Charger 2

The Charger 2 consists of a high-speed alternator that can charge with solar input as well. The Bluetti representative I spoke with said that it's designed to be plug-and-play for RV systems and supports bidirectional charging. The company says the Charger 2 is designed to address the main complaint of charging speed. A 12-volt cigarette lighter socket can take over 10 hours to recharge a 1-kilowatt-hour battery, and it's limited to one charging source -- you either get alternator charging or solar input, not both. 

The Charger 2 is designed for dual input, allowing you to charge through the alternator and solar panels simultaneously. In theory, this allows the Charger 2 to charge faster than a traditional charger, including its predecessor, the Charger 1. Bluetti says it can deliver a total output of 1,200 watts, making it 13 times faster than a traditional 12V car charger and twice as fast as the Charger 1. It should be able to charge a 1kWh battery in under one hour. 

While the units I saw were display models and not actually hooked up, Bluetti has promised ot send a unit for CNET's experts to test in the lab or on the road. The company also told me that the Charger 2 is broadly compatible with third-party portable power stations, so you're not tied to Bluetti. It also supports backward compatibility, as it uses the same wiring as the Charger 1, so you should be able to simply replace your old unit with the Charger 2 without needing new cables. 

You can also add an optional DC hub, which comes with a 12V/50A Anderson part and gives you a range of additional outputs, including USB-A, USB-C and cigarette lighter DC outputs. The DC hub can provide 600W of DC power, letting it run refrigerators, diesel heaters, LED lighting and Starlink terminals.

Smart energy management 

Under the hood, the Charger 2 does more than just charge. It also manages the energy requirements and interaction between the vehicle starter battery, solar panels, DC loads and any expansion battery packs you add. 

When driving, it'll manage the power between the alternator and roof-mounted solar panels to charge any Bluetti batteries you have hooked up, along with any loads in your vehicle. When parked, it'll automatically switch to solar and battery power to keep key devices running overnight without draining the your vehicle's starter battery. 

The Charger 2 also supports bidirectional charging. It features an emergency jump-start (800W), allowing it to quickly recharge a drained starter battery. It supports trickle charging at 100W for long-term parking or seasonal storage and features pulse maintenance charging (100W), which helps mitigate sulfation to extend service life.

Price and availability 

The Charger 2went on sale Jan. 7, with launch prices at $349 for a standalone unit. Prices will go up to $499 after Feb. 7, though CNET readers are able to get 5% off with the code CNETBLUETTI. Charger 1 owners can upgrade to a Charger 2 for $99, and there doesn't seem to be any time limit on the upgrade price.