Makita USA recently launched the BAC01 portable power station in the USA.
The Makita BAC01 portable power station and charger is compatible with ConnextX backpack battery packs and features a multitude of AC and DC outputs.
It has a MakPac-compatible tool box form factor.
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The Makita BAC01 features 2x AC outlets with up to 1400W max output (2800W peak). That’s around 12A.
According to the online user manual, the BAC01 delivers a pure sine wave AC output.
It also has 2x USB-A ports, 2x USB-C ports, and 1x DC12V auto-style outlet. Here are the maximum current delivery specs according to the user manual:
- 12V Auto DC: 10A
- USB-A: 2.4A
- USB-C: USB-PD 30W
Similar to the international model, you’ll need a ConnectX battery pack to provide power to the BAC01.
The Makita BAC01 measures 15-1/2″ long x 13-5/8″ deep x 6-3/8″ tall and weighs 16.1 lbs.
Price: $779
ETA: January 2024
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You will also need a ConnetX battery pack.
The PDC1200 retails for $1379, and the PDC01 retails for $699. You’ll need 2-4 compatible Makita 18V or XGT batteries (sold separately) for use with the PDC01.
The user manual says that the power output is limited to 750W when using the PDC01 battery power supply. This suggests you’ll need the PDC1200 battery power supply in order to achieve the maximum rated AC power delivery.
Makita USA hasn’t officially announced the BAC01 yet – they seem to have skipped their usual STAFDA year-ahead announcements for 2024 – but it’s available now at authorized online dealers, with preorders expected to start shipping this month.
Read Also: Makita BAC01 International Launch Preview
Josh H.
This product is confusing. The Milwaukee and Dewalt power supplies have higher power ratings and are cheaper even if you’re buying 4 new batteries to put on them. You could buy a Jackery or EcoFlow unit with higher capacity, higher power output, and with an included solar panel for less than this. Is this Makita power station competing with these products? I might be missing something, but it seems like it’s overpriced and underspecced compared to the other options on the market.
Rafe
But do any of the other companies have a cordless coffee maker? Checkmate.
Im anxiously awaiting the Makita 40V espresso maker.
Bird
Yes!
Stuart
It’s a way to leverage a user’s existing Makita batteries to power or charge other tools and devices.
If you’re starting with an empty tool bag and no existing cordless investment or loyalties, other brands’ options are absolutely higher performing, more appealing, and lower priced.
I agree with you that this is not a competitive product. Does it have to be, for Makita users to find utility in it?
blocky
It would be fun to power a Festool CT series vac with one, and have it click right in, but the price for that kind of functionality is staggering.
Only way this product makes sense to me is if I were running the backpack OPE already.
Steve L
Buying a Makita Power station means you use at least one ConnextX battery with it. You cannot use that ConnextX to run OPE. So the system cost is Power station plus one or more dedicated ConnextX.
think Makita users will have trouble justifying this one.
Josh is spot on – too many better options at a lower cost.
Eliot Truelove
Amazon had a deal where the PDC01 LXT battery backpack was $269 for awhile, from Makitas store, and I scooped it up last spring.
It’s awesome and while I don’t use it often, it is very valuable for when I do (with this snowstorm right now and my leaf blower I prove this!)
This means if I find a deal on this power station I have a robust legit Makita inverter for my LXT batteries. The price is high, especially seeing as it doesn’t have on board batteries, but I think the “cheaper” options essentially always have the internal battery/cells as the failure point, and it’s not worth repairing.
Also, when those powerbanks are dead many of them don’t have battery swaps, making them unusable until charged.
Having this inverter disconnected may not make sense to us on a small budget, but to those who already have the power packs or adapter boxes, this is an awesome addition.
Nick
Festool has made their own Systainer Power Station for years for this exact purpose and has the batteries built into the box instead of needing another non-systainer compatible thing on top. I wish they’d bring it to the US.
Namon
I agree. I don’t think they thought this through.
Eliot Truelove
I think in many respects this is like a Jackery with a modular power system. 4 lxts? Sure. 1200w battery pack? Sure. There is even an upcoming 1500wh battery pack (releasing this year, I believe Tools and Stuff will do a video on it soon).
Here’s my take, for what it’s worth:
This is a ConnectX inverter, that through some complicated adapting can allow use of LXT batteries. If Makita decides to release an XGT backpack that can incorporate 8ah batteries, then this will be even more robust.
Is this a stepping stone to dedicated LXT and XGT inverters? Maybe, but that’s besides the point. It’s a start, and a rather robust one at that. 1400watt output power, 2800 peak is pretty good for it.
Now onto the details, as per the instruction manual:
The Inverter box is 16lbs without cords or the PDC01 or PDC1200 on top.
The runtime is 1 hour with a PDC1200.
It lists the LXT runtime for PDC01 as 10 minutes with two 6ah batteries, the minimal amount of batteries to have in the PDC01. So with four 6ah you’d presumably get 20 minutes.
They’ve previously announced that later on this year they are releasing a PDC1500 with even more runtime, so it would likely offer a theoretical Hour and 20 minutes of runtime at the full watts.
The peak watts is 2800 and continuous is 1400, and it’s a pure sine wave 50 or 60hz.
1400 watts may not be quite enough to run a table saw (maybe if it had a soft start installed like you can mod with the DeWalt Compact 8 1/4), but it can run quite a few other things.
Is this a true corded companion? Not quite yet. But I think it’s a decent showing, especially as its really a one time cost with a modular battery platform and appropriate battery boxes.
Think of it this way: if LXT is for general contractors and Advanced DIY/Prosumer types, and XGT is for heavy construction types, this is for the massive maintenance and bridge/skyscraper builders with massive crews.
Milwaukee has their MX fuel system which is natively 72v, but this Connect X system will be able to offer that voltage via an XGTx2 adapter (there is an 80v brush cutter that this would be well suited for, and there are patents for such an adapter already).
If Dewalts new Powershift system is 120v like I suspect then Dealt is essentially duplicating Makita but upping the voltage.
All this may seem foolish to us guys that work bu ourselves, in our sheds and small workshops, or on small crews, but massive maintenance and building contractors may have an incredible time with it.
Interoperability will be the name of the game. All Makita needs to do is have an XGT box and it will be a massive tie in for all the various battery platforms they have.
They could even tie in the new 64v system they’ve come out with and do 64Vx2 and easily have it be 120v AC via this Inverter pack.
All of this remains to be seen, but DeWalt and Makita are taking chances with these systems and I’m all for it.
Hon Cho
I agree that this power setup seems expensive. I also realize that ToolGuyd is aimed at a mainly USA audience but I think Makita has a more significant market share outside the USA/N. American market. Of course, given that this model has nominal 110V outputs, it’s only suitable for those countries that use 110power but that does include a number of countries beyond the USA,Canada and Mexico.
Stuart
The AC conversion is different depending on the region.
European dealers have a version with region-specific outlet standards and presumably deliver 1400W max at 230V.
From various spec sheets, it seems the BAC01 delivers 100-230VAC at 50/60 Hz, with the AC voltage and outlet styles differing depending on where you buy it.
Champs
A product *like* this would make a useful base for the many modular toolbox systems out there. It is AC/pneumatic power that rolls in and out every day, and there’s room because you have fewer/shorter cords to wrangle.
Never mind the safety factor, it probably doesn’t take long to spend more than this on site security and paying trade labor to essentially do housekeeping every day.
Stuart
The Milwaukee Roll-On power supply has Packout cleats on top.
Champs
In a competitive modular toolbox market, this differentiator still hasn’t come out.
Harrison
Hopefully this thing is better value in the countries it was designed for. Way too much money for a simple inverter that won’t sustain 1800w.
I suspect this is another in the line of earthquake/ disaster preparation products like the microwave, refrigerator, kettles etc. Products that don’t really make sense for North American jobsite use.
There must be a niche market for this in Japan that will buy it at any price. Maybe it meets local certifications that bring up the cost.
It’s nice of them to release the product worldwide, but it does them a bit of a disservice to advertise products that aren’t really competitive.
The only people I can see using this would be landscapers who own ConnectX OPE batteries already. Otherwise this is a hard sell vs any of the commodity power banks on the market.
I would buy something like this if it ran off 2-4 XGT batteries, sustained 1800w, acted as a charger and was semi competitive price wise. Otherwise meh, this thing seems like a huge aftermarket.
Harrison
Also it’s time for MakPak to die.
MFC
I’m still using my Dewalt Powerstation that I bought for $200 back in 2016 (That’s $1k with inflation, Lol). So, I can see the use for these things, but I have a hard time choking down the prices of anything now-a-days. I’ve spent most of my life helping the poor, and that doesn’t pay well enough to buy these increasingly expensive products. Eventually the poor will be so outdistanced by costs that it will look like the dystopian futures we’ve watched on TV. But until then, we will continue to buy Makita microwaves and $2k portable powerstations.
Just for reference, I can buy a dual fuel, 4800 running watt, gas powered generator for $700. And I can keep that thing running forever. No planned obsolescence with batteries or pcbs. With all of the push for “cleaner” power, they certainly are making it difficult for rational business owners to move in that direction.
Nate
30W PD, on a device released in 2014? Fine. Perhaps even a bit forward-thinking.
30W PD, on a device released in 2024? Are they kidding? They must be kidding.