LiTime 3000W 12V Pure Sine Wave Inverter Charger
SVT Score, Lower
A 12 V, 3,000 W pure sine inverter with a 9,000 W surge, a 5 to 45 A charger, a 10 ms transfer to shore power and a wired LCD remote.
$500
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Usability
4.7 out of 10At 3,000 W continuous it sits on the 3,000 to 3,999 W rung for an inverter-charger, so it scores 8 on capacity.
LiTime rates its inverter efficiency above 88 percent peak, short of the 89 percent rung, and its normal-mode no-load draw under 38 W is 12.7 W per kW of its 3,000 W rating, which on its own meets only the 4 rung, so it scores 2 on efficiency.
Better on efficiencyRenogy 3000W HF Inverter Charger$666.99Scores 7.0Its 9,000 W surge for 10 seconds is 3.0 times its continuous rating, so it scores 10 on operating range.
It switches between shore power and battery in 10 ms by LiTime's product page, but it has no built-in MPPT, no split-phase output, no parallel stacking, no battery communication port and no Bluetooth or app, and its 45 A charger is under 100 A, so it scores 3 on features.
Better on featuresLiTime 24V 3000W Solar Inverter Charger$479.99Scores 6.0No certifier directory lists this unit (Intertek, UL, CSA, LabTest, TÜV, SGS), and LiTime's page and manual name no safety listing, so it scores 2 on verification.
Better on verificationRenogy REGO 3000W Inverter ChargerIntertek's directory lists the RIV1230RCL-1SS to UL 458. $989.99Scores 8.0LiTime's product page gives it a 2-year warranty, the term its US warranty policy lists for 12 V 3000 W inverters, so it scores 3 on warranty and support.
LiTime sets warranty terms by product, for the original buyer only, with proof of purchase.
$499.99 at litime.com.
Triple surge, fast transfer, wired remote
The L-INVCHA-12V3KW-H1 is LiTime's 12 V, 3,000 W pure sine wave inverter charger for RVs, boats, trucks and home backup, with a 5 to 45 A battery charger and an automatic transfer to shore power.
It suits a buyer who wants one 12 V unit to run an RV or boat from batteries and charge them from shore power with automatic switchover, and who will not need solar charging, phone monitoring or a second unit in parallel.
Strengths
- 9,000 W surge for 10 secondsthree times its rating
- Switches between shore and battery in 10 ms
- Adjustable 5 to 45 A charger with a LiFePO4 profile
- Wired LCD remote on a 23 ft cable
- AC terminal block carries the full 3,000 W
Drawbacks
- Efficiency rated above 88 percentshort of the 89 percent rung
- Under 38 W no-load draw in normal mode12.7 W per kW
- Front AC outlet limited to under 1,000 W
- No solar MPPTBluetooth or battery communication port
- No neutral-to-ground switching statedwhich marine installs need
Specs
- CapacityNot applicable
- AC Output3,000-3,999 W
- System Voltage12 V
- Panel PowerNot applicable
- Charge Current40-49 A
- Safety ListingNone verifiable
- Cell TypeNot applicable
- Low-Temp ChargingNot applicable
- Warranty2 Years
- MonitoringWired display or port only
- Weight52.0 lb
At a glance
- M8 battery terminals
- 16.54 x 7.28 x 7.09 in
- Screwdriver and lugs in box
- Grid/inverter priority dip
LiTime is the brand of Shenzhen Ampere Time Digital Energy Technology, founded in 2018 and renamed from Ampere Time in December 2022.
It sells direct from litime.com, which ships US orders from warehouses in Los Angeles and Dallas, and through its Amazon store and Walmart's marketplace.
The LiTime L-INVCHA-12V3KW-H1 is a 12 V pure sine wave inverter charger rated 3,000 W continuous and 9,000 W for 10 seconds, with 110 V AC ±10 percent 60 Hz output, a 10.5 V to 16 V DC input window, inverter and charger efficiency each rated above 88 percent peak and a normal-mode no-load draw under 38 W (LiTime's Like New listing of the same model adds an Eco mode under 4 W). Its charger takes 110 V AC and is adjustable from 5 A to 45 A by a knob, with a selector for LiFePO4 (the default), AGM, SLA, U.S. and European gel, open lead-acid and calcium batteries plus a desulphation cycle, and LiTime's page says it transfers between grid and battery in 10 ms. A dip switch sets grid-first or inverter-first priority and a 100-127 V or 90-135 V AC input range. The AC side has a single outlet good for under 1,000 W and an output terminal block that carries the full 3,000 W, with breakers on the charger input and inverter output; the DC side takes M8 terminals, and LiTime's manual calls for 1/0 AWG battery cable of 1.6 to 2 ft and a 350 A to 400 A fuse. It measures 16.54 x 7.28 x 7.09 in by the product page (the manual gives 16.54 x 8.66 x 7.09 in) and weighs 52 lb, and it operates from 14 °F to 104 °F. The box holds a wired LCD remote panel (6.69 x 3.94 x 1.5 in) with a 23 ft cable and its mounting screws and anchors, six inverter mounting screws, a slotted screwdriver, six copper wire connectors and six heat-shrink tubes; battery cables are not included. It has no solar input, no Bluetooth and no battery communication port. LiTime gives it a 2-year warranty.
Questions answered from our data
Is LiTime good?We list 25 LiTime products and score 25 of them. Their overall scores run from 4.2 to 6.3, with a median of 5.4, against a median of 5.4 for all 83 products we score.
How much does an inverter-charger cost?The 5 inverter chargers we list run from $480 to $990, with a median of $523.
Are inverter-chargers UL listed?One of the 5 inverter chargers we list carries a UL 458-type listing we could look up by model.- Which inverter-chargers have Bluetooth?Three of the 5 inverter chargers we list offer Bluetooth monitoring, built in or as the maker's add-on.
