It seems that I carry more and more electronic devices with me in the Jeep as I go places and they all drain down pretty quickly with use. The Jeep is pretty limited on USB ports to charge all the tablets, Go Pro's, cell phones and the myraid of other devices that use USB ports to charge from. Now the Jeep does have a couple of power outlets that you could plug something into to charge up your devices, but since my Camera, Tablet and phone all get mounted up on the Dash when I'm off road or driving long distance I wanted something that I could attach in that area and plug all my cables into it. This way I didn't have cables running from everywhere. This would also free up the factory ports that could be used by my passengers for things they wanted. I read a few reviews on line about different car chargers and liked what I saw about Anker's line of chargers. So I picked up their PowerDrive 5 for the Jeep and gave it a go.
Anker PowerDrive 5
Full throttle charging for your multi-device world.
Fast Charging Technology
Exclusive to Anker, PowerIQ and VoltageBoost combine to ensure the fastest possible charge (Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 not supported. For QC 2.0 charging, please see Anker's 24W PowerDrive+ 1).
Incredibly Powerful
A family-sized 50 watts/10 amps through five ports charges all your phones, tablets and other devices simultaneously while on the road.
MultiProtect Safety System
Surge protection, temperature control and more advanced safety features keep you and your devices safe.
Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 not supported
Additional
Parts:
Tools
Needed:
Unpacking the box. You get a nice instruction manual, some double sided tape and the charging port with attached power plug.
If you are going to attach this somewhat permanently in one place in the vehicle, go ahead and attach the double sided tape to the back or side of the charging ports. I would recommend using the back. If you are planning a semi-permanent installation, go pick up some velcro from the local store.
The Anker power drive comes with about 4 feet of cord, so no problem positioning it where lots of people can charge their toys.
The box is really nicely made and solid, wires go through a nice wire grommet. The charging ports are snug and hold the cables. You actually do need to pull on the plug to get them out vice just a quick jerk of the cable and they come right out.
The plug is nicely molded and sealed. I didn't see an easy way to get it apart, but I didn't really try.
Installation:
Pretty simple, plug it into your power outlet, put the box where you want to have it, and then tuck the cord away or leave it laying. Mine is currently doing double duty between my Jeep and work truck, so I haven't permanently mounted it. Intention are that it will sit up in the tray somewhere out of the sunlight so that I can plug everything in and have all the cords wrapped nicely.
Use and thoughts:
Charging if fairly quick with this charger. It handles charging 2 phones, and 2 tablets at the same time. Though the Ipad did seem to chager slower on this charger than on it's own dedicated power supply. This may be because of everything plugged in and not actually a problem with the charger. I have managed to keep it out of the sunlight, but the Jeep sits parked outside all day long at work and I haven't seen any deformation of the case due to heat. It does seem to chager a little slower when it's really hot, but once it cools down it appears to speed up. Now I haven't really timed this, its just a perception.
