RAM GDS Charge Range Compared: Which Hardwire Charger Do You Need?
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Picking a GDS® Charge™ hardwire charger comes down to three things: the voltage your vehicle supplies, the voltage and current your dock or device needs, and the connector on the end of the cable. Get those three right and the rest of the range is noise. Get the output voltage wrong and you will either cook the device or watch it sit there not charging.
We stock the full hardwire range, so this is the guide we wish existed when we first started fitting these into utes, tractors and forklifts. Work through it in order.
Step 1: What does your dock or device actually need?
This is the output side, and it is the one people get wrong. The charger has to deliver the voltage the device expects, not "close enough".
- GDS® docks with an IntelliSkin® case: these are USB-powered. You need a USB charger (Type-C or Type-A), not a DC barrel one.
- DC-powered vehicle docks and rugged laptop or tablet docks: these want a specific DC voltage through a 5.5mm barrel connector. Common requirements are 9V, 12V, 14V, 16V and 19V. The dock's own label or spec sheet will tell you which.
- Panasonic Toughbook, Zebra and similar enterprise gear: almost always DC barrel, and almost always 12V, 16V or 19V. Check before you buy.
Then check the current. The DC barrel chargers deliver up to 3.5A. Everything on the USB side sits at 2.5A, apart from the two 15V Power Delivery chargers at 3A. Multiply volts by amps to get your ceiling in watts: a 12V 3.5A charger tops out at 42W, which is plenty for a tablet dock and marginal for a rugged laptop dock.
Size for the worst case, not the idle case. A tablet running GPS, cellular and a bright screen on a summer afternoon draws far more than the same tablet sitting on a desk. If the numbers are close, go up.
Step 2: What does your vehicle actually supply?
Nominal voltage and real voltage are not the same number, and this catches people out constantly.
- 12V cars, utes, vans, bikes: nominal 12V, but around 13.8V to 14.4V with the engine running.
- 24V trucks, buses, tractors, heavy plant: nominal 24V, sitting near 28V under charge.
- LPG and diesel forklifts: 12V or 24V systems, same as above.
- Electric forklifts and material handling: 24V, 36V, 48V or 80V nominal. A 48V pack can sit above 58V while charging.
RAM splits the hardwire range along exactly this line. As a rule: fuel-powered vehicles take the roughly 10-32VDC input chargers, electric forklifts take the roughly 24-64VDC input chargers. If your fleet has both, you will need both, and it is worth labelling them.
Headroom on the input side is free and worth having. A charger rated 10-32VDC in a 12V ute is not "overkill", it is protection against alternator spikes and cold-start dips. Headroom on the output side is not free: that number has to match the dock.
Step 3: Which connector?
Three families, and they do not interchange.
- Male USB Type-C: for GDS® vehicle docks and RAM® docks with a USB-C female power connector. Six options, split by input range, output voltage and whether Power Delivery is supported.
- Female USB Type-A: for RAM® handheld docks with a USB-A male connector. Some older docks have a micro-USB connector but ship with a micro-USB to USB-A cable, and those take these too. Two options.
- Male DC 5.5mm barrel: for RAM® docks with a 5.5mm DC female connector. Ten options, split by output voltage and input range.
Look at the socket on the back of your dock before you order anything. It answers this question in about two seconds.
DC 5.5mm barrel chargers compared
All ten deliver up to 3.5A. Find your dock's required output voltage in the middle column, then pick the row that matches your vehicle.
| SKU | Input | Output | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| V17U | 10-32VDC | 9VDC | Cars, utes, trucks, LPG forklifts |
| V18U | 24-60VDC | 9VDC | Electric forklifts |
| V10-1U | 10-30VDC | 12VDC | Cars, utes, trucks, LPG forklifts |
| V9U | 20-60VDC | 12VDC | Electric forklifts |
| V19U | 10-32VDC | 14VDC | Cars, utes, trucks, LPG forklifts |
| V20U | 20-60VDC | 14VDC | Electric forklifts |
| V14U | 10-28VDC | 16VDC | Cars, utes, trucks, LPG forklifts |
| V15U | 28-60VDC | 16VDC | Electric forklifts |
| V11U | 10-32VDC | 19VDC | Cars, utes, trucks, LPG forklifts |
| V12U | 24-60VDC | 19VDC | Electric forklifts |
Note the pairing: every output voltage exists in both a low-input and a high-input version. That is deliberate. If you are speccing a mixed fleet, pick the output voltage first, then buy both input variants of the same one.
What "Power Delivery" actually means
Four of the six USB-C chargers in this range support Power Delivery and two do not, so it is worth understanding what you are paying for.
A plain USB port supplies a fixed 5V. That was fine when phones were small. It is not fine for a modern tablet running GPS, cellular and a bright screen in a cab, which can burn power faster than 5V can supply it. Plug one of those into a basic charger and you will watch the battery percentage fall while the cable is connected.
USB Power Delivery, usually just "PD", fixes that by letting the two ends negotiate. When you plug in, the charger and the device have a short conversation over the USB-C connection: the device says which voltages it can accept, the charger says what it can supply, and they settle on the highest profile both support. The standard steps are 5V, 9V, 15V and 20V. More volts at the same current means more watts, which means the device charges while it is working rather than just declining more slowly.
Three things worth knowing before you buy:
- It is a handshake, so both ends have to support it. Usually a PD charger feeding a non-PD device just falls back to standard charging. But not always: RAM specifically warns that some lower-power devices will not recognise a PD charger at all. More is not automatically safer here, so match the charger to the device rather than buying the biggest one on the shelf.
- The cable counts. A charge-only or low-spec USB-C cable will bottleneck the whole thing. If you are supplying your own, use one rated for the wattage you are chasing.
- PPS is the newer refinement. Programmable Power Supply, added in PD 3.0, lets the voltage be trimmed in small increments instead of jumping between fixed steps. Less waste heat, slightly better efficiency, and a handful of devices specifically ask for it.
The non-PD chargers in this range still manage 9V, but they get there using Quick Charge (Qualcomm QC 2.0 and 3.0) and AFC (Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging). Those do a similar job and they work well, but they are manufacturer-specific rather than a universal standard. A Samsung tablet will fast-charge happily on AFC. An iPad will not.
The short version: if you are charging a modern tablet or a rugged handheld that runs hard all day, buy the Power Delivery version. If you are topping up a phone that sits in the cradle between jobs, you do not need it.
USB Type-C chargers compared
Six options, split by input range, output voltage and whether Power Delivery is supported.
| SKU | Input | Output | Power Delivery | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V7CU | 10-30VDC | 5.42-9VDC @ 2.5A | No | Cars, utes, trucks; devices that do not need PD |
| V3C-3U | 10-30VDC | 5-15VDC @ 3A | Yes | Cars, utes, trucks; PD devices |
| V21CU | 10-30VDC | 12VDC @ 2.5A | Yes | Cars, utes, trucks; docks needing a fixed 12V over USB-C |
| V8CU | 30-64VDC | 5.42-9VDC @ 2.5A | No | Electric forklifts |
| V3CH-2U | 30-64VDC | 5-15VDC @ 3A | Yes | Electric forklifts; PD devices |
| V22CU | 30-60VDC | 12VDC @ 2.5A | Yes | Electric forklifts; docks needing a fixed 12V over USB-C |
The V21CU and V22CU are recent additions to RAM's range and we bring them in to order rather than holding them on the shelf. If your dock wants a fixed 12V over USB-C, get in touch with the part number and we will sort it.
The pairing logic is the same as the barrel range: pick your input voltage from the vehicle, then decide on Power Delivery and output. If the device supports PD, buy the PD version. The price gap is real, but so is the difference in charge rate when the device is working hard.
USB Type-A chargers compared
Two options, and they are the most flexible thing in the range because you supply your own cable. Neither supports Power Delivery. They reach 5V through standard USB charging and 9V through Quick Charge 2.0 and Samsung AFC, so a compatible device will still fast-charge.
| SKU | Input | Output | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| V7B1U | 10-30VDC | 5-9VDC @ 2.5A | Cars, utes, trucks, LPG forklifts |
| V8BU | 30-64VDC | 5-9VDC @ 2.5A | Electric forklifts |
Cable-terminated and plug-in options
Not everything needs hardwiring, and not every install wants a bare connector.
- USBC-V7B1-1U and USBC-V8BU: the 10-30V and 30-64V hardwire chargers supplied with a USB Type-C cable already fitted.
- M55-V7B1U and M55-V8BU: same two input ranges with a 90-degree DC cable, useful where the dock sits hard against a bulkhead and a straight plug would foul.
- V5U: 8-40VDC in, micro-B USB out, for older GDS docks and micro-USB devices.
- PPS-CIGC and USB2QCCIG: cigarette socket chargers for vehicles you cannot or should not hardwire, like a lease vehicle or a hire ute.
- RAM Qi2 15W Wireless Charger: no cable to the phone at all, for setups where the driver is in and out constantly.
Our picks
Fitting a phone or tablet to a ute, van or tractor with an IntelliSkin case: the V3C-3U if the device supports Power Delivery, the V7CU if it does not.
Fitting a powered dock to an electric forklift: check the dock's DC input voltage, then pick the matching 24-60VDC or 28-60VDC row from the barrel table. The V9U at 12V output covers the most common case.
Fleet where devices keep changing: the V7B1U. The female Type-A socket means the next device only needs a new cable, not a new install.
Vehicle you are not allowed to modify: the PPS-CIGC cigarette charger.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a 12V charger on a 24V truck?
Not if you mean a charger with a 12V maximum input. Check the input range on the label. Most of the range starts at 10VDC and runs to 30VDC or 32VDC, which covers 12V and 24V systems on the same part number. The ones that stop at 28VDC or 30VDC are fine on 24V but leave less margin.
What happens if I use the wrong output voltage?
Too low and the dock either will not power up or charges so slowly the device drains while in use. Too high and you risk damaging the dock or the device. The output voltage is the one number in this whole guide that has to be exact.
Do I need Power Delivery?
Only if your device supports it and works hard enough to need it. The practical test is whether the device loses charge while it is plugged in and working. If it does, go PD. If it holds a charge fine, do not bother: RAM notes that some lower-power devices will not recognise a PD charger at all, so buying up is not a safe default.
Is Quick Charge the same as Power Delivery?
No. Quick Charge (Qualcomm) and AFC (Samsung) are manufacturer-specific fast-charging schemes that lift the supply to 9V. Power Delivery is the universal USB-C standard that works across brands and reaches higher voltages. Our Type-A chargers use Quick Charge and AFC; the V3C-3U and V3CH-2U use Power Delivery.
Can I get a fixed 12V output over USB-C?
Yes. The V21CU (10-30VDC input) and V22CU (30-60VDC input) both deliver a fixed 12VDC at 2.5A with Power Delivery. They are the only USB-C chargers in the range that do this, since the other Power Delivery options are variable 5-15V. We order these in rather than stocking them, so ask us.
Are these waterproof?
Several in the range carry an IP66 rating and all are built to SAE J-1113-5 for load dump and transient voltage, which is the standard that matters in a vehicle. That said, they are designed to be mounted in a protected location behind a dash or panel, not zip-tied to a chassis rail.
Can I install this myself?
If you are comfortable finding a switched or permanent supply, running fused wiring and terminating it properly, yes. If the vehicle is under warranty, is a lease vehicle, or is new enough to have a CAN bus (the data network modern vehicles use to link their electronic modules, and one you can upset by tapping the wrong circuit), get an auto electrician to do it. It is a 30 minute job for someone who does it daily.
Still not sure?
RAM publishes a full compatibility guide covering the eighteen hardwire chargers in the core range. Download the GDS Hardwire Charger Compatibility Guide (PDF).
Or tell us what you are fitting, to what, and in what vehicle, and we will tell you the part number. We would rather answer an email than process a return.
Browse the full range in Chargers & Docks, or see what else fits your setup in GDS Docks for IntelliSkin Cases and Forklift & Warehousing.