• Home
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Team
  • Featured Reviews

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

Facebook Twitter
  • Contact
  • Archive
Facebook Twitter
MacSourcesMacSources
Subscribe
  • APPS
    Topaz Labs Image Quality Apps
    97

    Topaz Labs Image Quality Apps 2023 REVIEW

    January 18, 2023
    Bills io App Review
    100

    Bills io Financial App 2023 REVIEW

    January 10, 2023
    Flexibits Premium
    92

    Flexibits Premium (Fantastical & Cardhop) REVIEW

    January 2, 2023
    Dropzone 4 for Mac
    100

    Dropzone 4 for Mac 2022 REVIEW

    November 16, 2022
    Link Unshortener
    98

    Link Unshortener macOS App 2022 REVIEW

    November 14, 2022
  • REVIEWS
    • Accessory
      • Cases
      • Charging
      • Docks
      • Earbuds
      • EDC
      • Headphones
      • Photography
      • Bags
      • Batteries
    • Cables
      • Computers and Tablets
      • Screen Protectors
      • Data Storage
      • Displays
      • Keyboards
      • Gaming
      • Microphones
      • Networking
      • Printers
    • Smartphone
      • Speakers
      • Smart Home
      • Health and Wellness
      • Home Goods
      • Office
      • Personal Vehicles
      • Security
      • Smart Locks
      • Wearable
  • BLOG
    Shop Local

    Why it’s not always great to shop local

    June 13, 2022
    Ukraine-Flag

    MacSources Stands with Ukraine

    March 1, 2022
    PC gaming

    Top Games To Play On A Mac

    February 15, 2022
    Mailbutler Founder Interview

    10 Questions Asked of Mailbutler Founder, Tobias Knobl During Honest Interview

    February 2, 2022

    Apple Pays Tribute to Steve Jobs on the 10th Anniversary of His Death

    October 5, 2021
MacSourcesMacSources
Home»Featured»Charging»AUKEY USB-C 18W PD Car Charger REVIEW
Charging

AUKEY USB-C 18W PD Car Charger REVIEW

Jon WaltersBy Jon WaltersJanuary 8, 2020Updated:April 14, 2020No Comments5 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
AUKEY USB-C 18W PD Car Charger
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email Reddit
BUY FROM AMAZON

Enjoy safe, durable, and reliable power from the worlds smallest PD Car Charger

As I became an adult and moved into a full-time work schedule, fall breaks, spring breaks, and Christmas breaks took on new meaning when compared to my childhood. With four children, extracurricular activities added sleepovers, and family get-togethers, we tend to always be on-the-go to somewhere.  With the new iPad Pro and Nintendo Switch utilizing USB-C charging technology, I needed a better way to charge devices through the car 12V socket.  Unfortunately, standard USB-A chargers, when combined with USB-A to USB-C cables, repeatedly led to inadequately charged devices.  Thanks to the 18W PD USB-C car charger from AUKEY, I think I found the tiniest victory.

AUKEY USB-C 18W PD Car Charger REVIEW

The AUKEY “Expedition” 18W PD Car Charger arrived in a 2 3/4 inches wide by 2 inches tall by 1 3/8 inches thick retail brown cardboard package. I wish that the company would have added some flourish to their packaging, as it was rather bland.  The cover displayed the company name along the top left, the generic product name just beneath the company name and provided a short 1 1/8 inches long black-ink outline image of the device along the middle.  The top/bottom panels were devoid of writing and each of the side panels listed “GO GREEN WITH AUKEY.”  The bottom panel listed the CC-Y12 model number, several of the typical manufacturing labels, the company email, and physical address.  Within the packaging, you will find a small 24-month warranty/thank you card (with reverse AUKEY Key sticker), a hexa-lingual instruction manual (English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Chinese), and the 1 3/4 inches long by 7/8 inches diameter car charger.  Perusing the manual, the second panel proved to be the most useful by listing the product specifications.  The 16 gram/0.56 ounce, 12-24V input USB-C car charger promised 5V/3A, 9V/2A, or 12V/1.5A output for a maximum of 18 Watts of power.  

To utilize the device, find the 12/24V vehicle socket of your car, make sure that you remove any occupying device, and then press the car charger into the socket.  To align the adaptor, locate the side and end prongs and slide them into the 12/24V socket.  Once installed, the device name, specifications, and manufacturing labels were hidden by the walls of the socket.  I loved that the minimalistic design allowed the AUKEY device to rest flush against my dash.  The silver/grey coloration contrasted nicely with the black plastic interior color of my Chevy Silverado, which allowed me to quickly identify the single USB-C charging port.  Since there was no included charging cable, I had to supply my own.  Luckily,  I have a USB-A to USB-Micro, USB-A to lightning, USB-C to Lightning, and USB-A to USB-C, and USB-C to USB-C cables within a small travel organizer, inside of my truck.  To test the power output, I plugged a DROK USB-C Multimeter into the USB-C port and then an AUKEY USB-C to USB Cable into the DROK Multimeter.  I then plugged the free end of the USB-C cables into my iPad Pro 11.”  I was pleased to discover that that multimeter read 9.26V/2.18A. Starting at 12:53, with 1% charge, I let my iPad Pro 11” charge until 1:09 pm and found my iPad to be at 14%.  I let it charge for another 31 minutes and found my iPad to be at 39%.  The PD charger allowed my iPad to charge at about 1% every 2 minutes.  Considering the iPad Pro is capable of 30W fast charging, I did not feel let down by the rate of charge of the AUKEY 18W setup.  Combining the car charger with my USB-C to Lightning cable, I was happy to charge my iPhone 11 Pro Max to ~50% in just under 30 minutes.  

AUKEY USB-C 18W PD Car Charger REVIEW

The attractive device stood up to repeated insertion/removal cycles within the socket, and with the USB-C port.  I was pleased with the overall shape, feel, and capabilities of the device.  Honestly, I was surprised that such a tiny device packed that powerful of a punch. Although the 18W adaptor is suboptimal for some of the larger tablets/laptops/MacBooks, it is likely the perfect option to achieve a reasonable USB-C charge on-the-go.  Similar to other tests, 18W power should give your iPhone Pro/Pro Max roughly 80-90% charge in a sixty-minute time period and a full charge in under two hours.  After charging, the device did feel rather warm to the touch, but not so warm that I could not hold onto the surface.  Luckily, the device had built-in safeguards to protect from over-current, over-heating, and over-charging.  The only complaint that I had with the AUKEY 18W PD car charger was with the single output port.  Since most modern vehicle circuits allow for 12 V / 10-15 Amp output, the port can output a maximum of 120-180 watts of power.  However, many cars use several sockets on the same circuit and thus reduce the total output from a single socket.  Regardless, it would have been nice to have a second output port. 

AUKEY USB-C 18W PD Car Charger REVIEW

If you are looking for a compact, durable, attractive USB-C car charger, look no further than the AUKEY PD 18W USB-C Expedition Flush-Fit device.  At the time of this review, the device was available through the AUKEY website for the sale price of $17.79 (normal $21.99).   

Learn more about AUKEY USB-C PD Car Charger
Follow AUKEY on Facebook and Twitter.

AUKEY AUKEY Car Charger AUKEY PD 18 W Charger charger product review
Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Avatar of Jon Walters
Jon Walters
  • Website
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

I am a father of 4, a full-time physician, movie-fan, Cub Scout Leader, part-time gamer and I have a touch of the prepper. I absolutely love science and tech. My goal is to ensure I get the best product and price. My kids and I love games on our Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Oculus Quest, Pokemon GO and anything superhero.

Related Posts

Mophie Snap+ Charging Accessories
97

Mophie Snap+ Charging Accessories 2023 REVIEW

January 30, 2023
Synology Disk Station DS1821+ 8-bay NAS Storage Solution
93

Synology Disk Station DS1821+ 8-bay NAS Storage Solution REVIEW

January 24, 2023
Angler Mini CatchLight Reflector
100

Angler Mini CatchLight Reflector 2023 REVIEW

January 9, 2023
Add A Comment

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

pCloud Lifetime
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
Recent
Plugable Docking Station

Plugable Launches Innovative USB-C Docking Station NEWS

January 31, 2023
Jabra Panacast 50 Video Bar System

Jabra Launches PanaCast 50 Video Bar System NEWS

January 31, 2023
cyber security

Dangers of cyber hacking in 2023

January 31, 2023
Mophie Snap+ Charging Accessories
9.7

Mophie Snap+ Charging Accessories 2023 REVIEW

January 30, 2023
keyboard

What to Look For When Choosing an Online Casino?

January 30, 2023
MacSources
Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest YouTube LinkedIn
  • Home
  • Advertise
  • Team
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
© 2023 MacSources. Hosted by SiteGround.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.