Note: Below are Amazon Affiliate links to each of these products. This is not a paid advertisement — I paid for these items out of my own pocket. If you purchase either of these items by using these links, you get the normal Amazon price and I make something like 22 cents.

Amazon Link: SUPERONE Cigarette Lighter Splitter 3 Socket Power Adapter
Amazon Link: Nilight 14ft Male-to-Female Heavy Duty Extension Cord

I also reviewed these items on YouTube. Here’s a link to the video.

Not long after purchasing my cargo van I realized that things like lights and electricity and charging ports exist in the front of van, and it would be up to me to extend them into the rear. Unless you’re driving odds are you’ll be spending most of your time in the rear of your van, so having charging ports and power outlets back there falls somewhere between convenience and necessity. Currently, the only wires that run from the front of my van to the rear go to to the brake lights and a mostly useless dome light mounted just above the rear doors.

The main reason I need 12v power in the rear of my van is to recharge my “Fakery” (off-brand Jackery) battery while driving. I currently charge the battery in my garage between adventures, and put it in the rear of the van (where it’s most useful) when I’m out. Without solar, the only way I have to recharge the battery while driving is by connecting it to the van’s 12v (cigarette) port located in the front dash. The 12v charging cable that came with my Fakery is about three feet long, which means moving the battery from the garage to the rear of the van, then moving it from the rear of the van to the front passenger area to charge it, then moving it to the rear of the van to use it… it’s a bit of a hassle.

My solution to this problem was to purchase a 12v extension cord and a 12v “splitter” for the front of the van. As with anything there are inexpensive, temporary solutions and more long term solutions that often require a bit more work to implement but are better in the long run. A better, more permanent solution would be to run cables from the battery to the rear of the van into some sort of fuse block, and I’ll probably do something like that in the future. For now, this extension cable and splitter should do the trick.

The splitter was about $20 on Amazon and has several convenient features. Right off the bat, the adapter has a 28″ cable which means instead of having this giant adapter hanging off of my dash, I can put it in my center console and route the cable up to the 12v port on my dash. The splitter has 7 ports in all: four USB ports and three 12v outlets. Of the USB ports, two are quick-charging USB-A 3.0 ports, and and the other two are 30w PD (power-delivery) USB-C ports. All these ports are great for charging phones and cameras and running a dash cam. On the front of the splitter are the three 12v ports. Each one is rated 50w max, and the unit has a maximum capacity of 150w. I’ll talk about this more in a minute, but that 150 watt limit is for the entire device, not just the 12v outlets. The top of the splitter has an LED display that shows the incoming voltage level, and there’s a replaceable 15A fuse in the bottom of the device. It really is a lot of technology for $20.

Additionally, the unit has three independent on/off buttons that control power to each of the three 12v ports. This was the biggest selling point for me. Both of the 12v ports on my van’s dash are hot (have power) even when the van is turned off and the keys have been removed. For whatever reason the thought of constantly plugging and unplugging extension cables from my dash is pretty unappealing. Being able to turn the powers off and on independently is a great feature. Each port has a very small blue LED that lights up when powered, but the light is so small and dim that it’s nearly impossible to see when something is plugged into the port. I wish there were lights on top of the unit that showed whether or not a port was on or off. I guess you only get so much for $20.

To go with the splitter I bought this 14′ extension cable. The cables are available in a few colors, but I chose red to remind me that it’s a power cable. The cable is 16 gauge, which Google says is “suitable for light-duty use, such as powering lamps and small appliances. It can handle up to 10 amps of current and is suitable for cords up to 50 feet in length.” Most 12v cigarette adapters are limited to 10 amps, so while I think 16 gauge is appropriate in this application (especially with only a 14′ length), I wouldn’t go any smaller. If the cable is rated for 10 amps and the maximum the port can output is 10 amps (before splitting), I think I should be okay. When I eventually add a more permanent solution to the rear of the van I’ll most likely use a slightly thicker gauge of wire, but for this temporary solution I think it’s fine.

One thing to keep in mind with not just this but any splitter (especially for cars) is that it’s not some sort of miniature power plant. There’s no tiny factory inside that little box magically creating more electricity. All it’s doing is splitting the available power into different ports and adapters. Wattage can be figured by multiplying voltage by amps. 150 watts is the maximum the splitter can handle, but it’s unlikely you’ll get quite that much. If your car’s 12v port is truly limited to 10 watts, that’s a real world total of 120 watts at your disposal. Connect two 30w/3A USB-C devices to the splitter and that leaves you with 60ish watts and 4 amps. Remember, even with a 15 amp fuse, if the 12v port is only providing 10 amps, you’re getting 10 amps. The splitter can charge a lot of different devices, but maybe not all at once. If in doubt, check the box or Amazon details for specs for your specific device. My 12v refrigerator draws 60 watts and I’ve seen 12v vacuum cleaners that pull 110 watts, so you wouldn’t be able to run both of those things at the same time from a single 12v port using a splitter. On the other hand, you should be able to charge a few USB devices and a battery power pack while running a refrigerator at the same time.

If you need to add some USB and a few more 12v ports to your vehicle, I can recommend this one. Same goes for the extension cables.

Amazon Link: SUPERONE Cigarette Lighter Splitter 3 Socket Power Adapter
Amazon Link: Nilight 14ft Male-to-Female Heavy Duty Extension Cord