BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 review

When our PowerCell 8 helps

We designed our PowerCell 8 to give a dash cam its own reserve for parking recording. It is a useful choice when you want to reduce the time the camera draws directly from the vehicle battery and can recharge the pack through your normal driving. The complete setup still needs the right vehicle input, camera output cable and parking-mode settings.

Think of the installation as two separate connections. The vehicle charges the pack through VEHICLE INPUT. The pack powers the camera through DASHCAM OUTPUT. Choosing a socket cable for the first connection does not determine which cable or ignition signal the camera needs on the second.

This review explains those choices, the capacity and charging tradeoffs, and what the Bluetooth app can tell you. The model comparisons and older interface artwork remain useful context, while the current product documentation and manual supply the reference specifications below.

Capacity, size and placement

Our current documentation lists 96Wh, 7,500mAh at a nominal 12.8V, using LiFePO4 chemistry. Watt-hours are the useful starting point for comparing stored energy. Usable recording time also depends on the camera load, conversion losses and where the battery or camera stops operation.

The listed reference dimensions are 157mm wide by 207mm long by 39.5mm high, with a weight of 1.67kg. Measure the space for your supplied unit, including plugs and cable bends. Secure the pack where it stays dry and ventilated, clear of moving seat mechanisms and direct heat; a pack that fits under one seat may not fit under another.

PowerCell 8 is our product, and its manual identifies EGEN Inc. as the manufacturer. The metal enclosure and labelled connections make the input/output distinction easy to follow. We would choose placement and cable access before hiding the pack completely, so its switch and connections remain reachable.

Keep the PowerCell 8 manual with the installation. Use the specifications and instructions for the unit you have if an older unit differs from the current reference.

Read the panel before connecting cables

VEHICLE INPUT accepts the appropriate socket or ACC hardwire charging lead. DASHCAM OUTPUT supplies the camera through a suitable output lead. The manual rates this output at DC11V to 14.2V, maximum 2A. Turn the pack OFF before installation or cable changes; matching connector shapes alone do not establish correct voltage, wiring or compatibility.

The LOW/OFF/HIGH switch selects the charging arrangement. LOW is the socket-charging mode; HIGH supports the suitable hardwire arrangement and manual-supported current adjustment in the app. OFF powers the system down. The F/W connector is for technician use, not a general USB accessory or routine owner-update connection.

Status LEDs indicate power, charging and Bluetooth activity. Use the manual to identify the display for the pack you have.

EXT BATTERY is for a supported expansion connection. The USB outlet is a separate 5V accessory output. The original port photograph identifies these roles; its labels are more useful than assuming a lead can go into whichever socket fits.

Identify the older packs in the comparison

The BI-750, BlackVue B-124X and Cellink NEO pictures below show the layouts compared in our earlier review. The BI-750 has two USB outlets, the pictured B-124X and PowerCell 8 have one, and the pictured NEO has none. They help identify an older pack, but similar panels do not make their power leads or accessories interchangeable.

Do not carry a BI-750 cable over to PowerCell 8 just because both were listed at 96Wh. Use the PowerCell 8 cable set and the exact camera-output arrangement. Capacity is separate from connector wiring, charging control and accessory fit.

BlackboxMyCar BI-750

BlackVue B-124X

Cellink NEO

How to use the runtime comparison

Our earlier comparison described a 25% capacity gain over the Cellink NEO and B-124X models discussed then. That is a generation-specific capacity comparison, not a promise of 25% longer recording in every setup. A BI-750 and PowerCell 8 nominal capacity match likewise does not establish identical runtime or performance.

The PowerCell 8 manual gives about 24 hours as a two-channel reference. Treat that as a planning reference rather than a guaranteed duration. Camera model, recording mode, LTE or other accessory use, battery condition, temperature and shutdown thresholds all affect the footage you actually get.

The following figures are the model-by-model estimates published in our earlier review. They preserve that comparison for owners of those cameras; they are not new measurements or current benchmarks for later camera generations. The original table does not provide a complete common test method, so use its differences as context rather than a precise forecast for your car.

Chemistry, heat and battery care

LiFePO4 is the battery chemistry used in PowerCell 8. The manufacturer describes a cycle-life reference of about 2,000 cycles; it is not a promise that every pack will retain the same capacity for that many cycles. Charging, temperature and use conditions matter. We do not treat chemistry as a guarantee against damage or as permission to ignore the installation precautions.

The manual describes protection that stops charging or discharging if the internal temperature exceeds 80°C. That is an internal protection threshold, not an ambient operating temperature. Keep the pack away from direct sun, excessive heat and moisture. Stop using a pack that swells, smells unusual or suffers damage, and contact us rather than opening or modifying it.

For cold-weather use, follow the limits for your supplied unit. Do not infer automatic freezing-temperature charging protection from the LiFePO4 label or the temperature shown in the app. If that limit is unclear for your unit, have us confirm the appropriate charging conditions before relying on the setup.

Match charging to your driving and vehicle

Choose charging around how long you drive, not just whether you prefer a hidden cable. The documented main-pack references are approximately 100 minutes in nominal 5A socket/LOW mode and 50 minutes in nominal 9A hardwire/HIGH mode, with a suitable supply. Starting charge, supply conditions and expansion packs change the time needed.

For repeated short trips, a properly installed hardwire charging connection can replenish the pack faster than the socket arrangement. It still cannot guarantee a full recharge during a short commute. Compare your parked recording use with the driving time available to replace that energy.

The mode names are not the exact current-limit labels. The manual lists a DC12V to 17V charging input with maximum 8A in LOW and 13A in HIGH, and battery-charging limits at DC14.2V of 4.5A in LOW and 8.5A in HIGH. Use the supplied input parts and manual settings; do not select a circuit or cable solely from the nominal 5A or 9A name.

For hardwiring, use a suitable ACC-switched charging circuit and ground according to the pack and vehicle instructions. For socket charging, verify that the socket switches off when the vehicle is off. An always-live socket or constant-power circuit can keep drawing from the vehicle battery after parking. The pack does not make every vehicle connection ignition-switched.

The illustration shows charging input routes and the separate output route to the camera. Its fuse position is conceptual, not a location to copy in another vehicle. Secure the pack and protect the leads from seat movement and other hazards; have a qualified installer resolve an uncertain circuit or cable arrangement.

What the USB outlet can and cannot do

The separate USB outlet is rated DC5V, maximum 2A. It can serve a compatible low-power accessory such as a mobile device or suitable hotspot within that rating. It uses the same finite battery reserve as the camera, so an extra device reduces the energy available for parking recording.

A camera receiving USB power does not necessarily receive the ignition information its parking mode needs. Use the camera's exact supported power arrangement and hardwire kit for the intended parking behavior. The 5V/2A rating is a power limit; it does not establish a data-transfer function or enough power for a laptop.

Expand capacity with the supported hardware

For a supported capacity increase, the manual describes connecting a compatible Cellink NEO Extended battery through its IN/OUT Auto connector to PowerCell 8 EXT BATTERY with the extension's supplied cable. Match the exact extension and cable to your PowerCell 8 revision before connecting it. A BlackVue B-124E is a different expansion model. Do not connect one without explicit support for that exact combination.

The current product reference lists a 6,800mAh/87.04Wh extension, with nominal combined examples of 14,300mAh for one extension and 21,100mAh for two. These are capacity examples, not doubled or tripled usable runtime. Extra capacity also takes longer to recharge.

After connecting a supported extension, verify the total capacity displayed in the app against the installed packs and the manual. Correct capacity information matters to the time estimate; it does not remove the camera's own cutoff or parking-mode requirements.

Use the app to monitor the pack

Use Cellink Neo Plus to monitor PowerCell 8 over Bluetooth. Find the EGEN app through the Apple App Store or Google Play. The current US Apple listing requires iOS 12 or later. Check the applicable store listing for your phone before installing.

Power the pack on in the appropriate LOW or HIGH position, open the app and select the device code that matches the label on your pack. The display includes charge state, capacity, internal temperature, input/output voltage and current, and estimated charge or usable time. Connection depends on the phone's Bluetooth setup and app access; the battery does not need the app left open to supply power.

The manual's default settings password is 1234. Change it so another user cannot casually change the configuration. In HIGH mode, use only the manual-supported charging-current adjustment for the installed supply. If you add an extension, verify the capacity settings as part of that change.

The manual describes high-internal-temperature and low-input-voltage warnings, with charging stopping below 12V input and charging/discharging stopping above the internal heat threshold. Treat a warning as a reason to check the installation and conditions. Do not depend on a phone notification as the only protection or assume it will always arrive.

For PowerCell 8, use the Neo Plus instructions for your pack. The NEO name on an older comparison photograph does not mean every battery uses the same app or controls. Choose the complete battery setup by its capacity, charging and camera connection, rather than app appearance alone.

Choose the camera output and verify recording

For the camera connection, choose by the exact camera model, required voltage, connector and parking trigger. A socket output lead, unspliced lead or pre-spliced kit solves a different connection problem. The input lead used to charge PowerCell 8 is separate from all of these output choices.

A socket output lead lets you use the camera's suitable vehicle adapter. It can supply power without supplying a separate ignition signal to the camera. An unspliced output needs the correct hardwire-kit connections and a sound installation; it is not a universal ready-to-plug lead.

A pre-spliced Thinkware or VIOFO kit still needs an exact camera and hardwire-kit match. For BlackVue and other brands, identify the generation and supported adapter before ordering. USB-C shape alone does not establish VIOFO parking compatibility. Match the camera to its required hardwire kit and parking trigger.

After installation, verify the camera's parking-mode indication and review the saved parking files. Compare those files with the battery app estimate. A pack can still have charge when a camera or hardwire kit has stopped the recording; the app's remaining-time number is not proof of how long the camera recorded.

Questions before installation

Choose the setup that suits your parking needs

Our recommendation is to choose the complete power setup before buying an extension or extra cable. Start with the camera and the parking coverage you need, then choose the charging input your vehicle and driving can support. Once it is installed, check the recorded files. That gives you a better answer than capacity or an app estimate alone.

See the current PowerCell 8 specifications and options for the listed pack, and contact BlackboxMyCar with your camera model, vehicle charging method and any existing battery or extension model. We can help identify the cable and revision questions before you connect the parts.