Tips for In-Car Charging

Without a wall outlet nearby and with the possibility that you won’t be able to charge where you are heading, in-car charging car brings about a unique set of requirements and constraints. Here are some helpful tips to get you fast-charging while on-the go.

Types of In-Car Charging

While charging in the car varies from charging at home, the types of charging available are consistent across both situations. Wired charging, wireless charging and portable charging are all options for powering up while cruising.

Wired Charging

Wired charging involves using a power cable to charge your device. The power cable is most often linked to a car charger or a port that came with your car. Generally speaking, wired charging is the fastest way to get power in your phone. This is because the phone manufacturers have set the specifications on most major phones to get their maximum wattage possible while plugged.

The type of output port utilized while charging on the go will play a huge role in determining how fast your phone charges. This is largely determined by the prevalence of USBA-A ports in cars. While USB-A technology has since been passed by USB-C, a lot of automobiles still have USB-A ports, primarily driven by the fast that the average age of a car in the US is 12 years.

While USB-A technology is convenient, it charges at a significantly slower speed than its USB-C counterparts. To illustrate, check out the table below:

*requires 5A cable

In a vast majority of charging situations, the use of a USB-A port will limit your phone to under half of its maximum charging speed.

Fast Wired Charging

So then, how to increase your charging speed if wired charging in the car? If your car has a 12 volt accessory socket or auxiliary power outlet (aka a cigarette lighter) then you can get a separate car charger. Car chargers with USB-C ports commonly have a higher wattage rating than a USB-A port. 20W and 30W chargers are prevalent and when paired with a USB-C to USB-C Cable (for Samsung, Android and iPhones 15+) or a USB-C to Apple Lightning Cable (for iPhone 14 and below), these chargers will charge up 1.5x faster than a USB-A port.

Click here to check out the Ventev brand’s line of car chargers, including many options that get you above 12W charging.

Wireless Charging

Wireless charging offers the convenience of not needing to worry about connecting to your phone’s input port while in-car charging. In addition, an effective wireless car mount can also provide the benefit of giving you easy visibility to your phone, a benefit when following directions on a navigation application.

Because Samsung caps wireless charging at around 10W on third-party wireless chargers, wireless car charging is largely an Apple iPhone play. To that end, the type of wireless technology in your car charger will determine your charging speed for iPhones 12 and newer.

There are two primary difference between Qi (pronounced “chee”) and Qi2 charging. The first is that Qi2 charging supports magnetic charging. The second is the maximum charging speed supported by iPhones, with Qi2 being faster and 3x faster than a standard 5W charger. Although wireless chargers offer an element of convenience, faster charging speeds can be achieved through the right combination of car charger and power cable.

Click here to check out the full line of the Ventev brand’s wireless car chargers. 

Portable Batteries

The third option for in-car charging is the use of portable batteries. Portable batteries offer the convenience of continuing to charge after you leave the car, however, batteries themselves need to be charged and won’t charge as fast as the fastest wired car chargers.

Batteries will vary by the amount of power they hold in a single charge, whether or not they support magnetic charging and the additional features, like additional charging ports, they offer. Battery size is measured by mAh (millampere-hour) and batteries usually come in 2 sized – 5k mAh and 10K mAh. While actual performance will vary by battery and phone type, the general rule of thumb is that a 5K mAh battery will charge your phone fully once with one charge while a 10k mAh battery will charge your phone twice.

Click here to check out the Ventev brand’s full line of batteries.

Ditch the Cable Chaos

One thing to keep in mind if going the wired charging route - you will need a power cable. The car offers unique challenges due to limited space and having too much or not enough cable can cause distractions. Ditch the cable chaos with the Helix cable. The unique design gives you enough cable when you need it and tucks away neatly when you don't. And with 2x the copper versus a leading value cable, it is designed to charge faster.

Click here to find the right Helix Cable for you.

Fast Options for In-Car Charging

The options you select for in-car charging will determine how fast you charge. Using the USB-A port that came with your car will most often limit you to 12W. Wireless charging and portable batteries will offer faster charging speeds and convenience but to fully maximize your phone’s charging potential a high-wattage 12 volt car charger and power cable combination is the way to go.