What Is Car Battery Jump Starter?

With the rapid development of modern industry, cars have begun to enter ordinary households. As a part of daily life, cars closely surround us and provide convenient travel solutions. We’ve discussed car refrigerators before, so today let’s talk about another important portable automotive tool—the car emergency jump starter.

In our car life, have we not encountered situations where, due to long-term parking or enjoying a party with the car’s sound system, or using the car’s power supply for high-power devices such as barbecues and coffee machines, we find the car unable to start when we’re ready to hit the road again?

In such cases, our car’s lead-acid battery is in a state of undercharge, unable to provide the minimum starting voltage for our engine.

So, what is a car emergency jump starter portable?

A car emergency car battery jump starter, also known as a car jump starter, is a portable power source that integrates power supply and charging functions. Its main function is to provide an additional temporary power source to start the car when the car’s battery is insufficient to provide the voltage required by the car engine, causing the car to fail to start. Its basic principle is to temporarily act as a car starting battery, as shown in the diagram below.

With the rapid development of modern lithium battery technology, in addition to being widely used in electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries have also been rapidly applied to various consumer electronics and even power tools in recent years. Benefiting from this, our car emergency jump starters have become very portable and more versatile due to the use of lithium-ion batteries.

How to Use a Car Emergency Jump Starter Correctly?

In terms of usage, the emergency jump starter is very simple to use. Just open the car hood, find the positive and negative terminals of the car battery, clamp the positive and negative terminals of the emergency jump starter (red for positive, black for negative or ground) onto the car battery’s terminals, then press the car’s START button to ignite, and that’s it—simple and perfect.


TIPS: Automatic Start-Stop Function in Cars

Of course, if it’s a car with an automatic start-stop function, this feature effectively solves the problem of energy loss and emissions caused by idling during car stops, and now this technology is very widely applied. Most new car models from manufacturers like BMW, BENZ, VOLVO, etc., have already popularized it. For these cars, the negative terminal (black clamp) of our emergency jump starter should not be directly connected to the negative terminal of the power source, as this would cause a short circuit and burn out the car battery. Instead, it should be connected to a conductive iron part of the ground or the car hood. This is because car batteries with automatic start-stop functions have a battery management system on the negative terminal, and if the external power source’s negative terminal is directly connected, the car’s battery management system will short circuit and be damaged. Any iron part of our car body is a huge negative terminal.

FAQs:

  1. Can an emergency jump starter be used if a car often fails to start?

    It is recommended that after using an emergency jump starter, the car should be taken to the nearest repair shop to check whether the car’s lead-acid battery has reached the end of its life or if there are any leaks, and we need to repair it promptly.

  2. Are there different sizes of emergency jump starters, and do small cars and large trucks use the same type?

    Car emergency jump starters also come in different power ratings. For general small cars with 2L or 3L gasoline engines, we choose one with a capacity of 1500AH, 12V voltage, and a starting current of around 600A. Regarding how to choose a jump starter, I will arrange a special introduction, so please pay attention to our latest release.

  3. Are emergency jump starters safe, and will they damage the car battery?

    Currently, popular emergency jump starters on the market are designed with short-circuit protection, overcharge and over-discharge protection, overvoltage and overcurrent protection, temperature protection, etc. When selecting a product, just pay attention to the manufacturer’s instructions.

  4. Do emergency jump starters have other functions?

    Of course, they do, such as USB 5V, 9V charging ports to meet the needs of mobile phones and laptops, LED emergency lights (for dark environments or weakly lit outdoor areas). Some even come with air pumps, which can inflate tires in an emergency. This depends on the manufacturer’s design and product positioning.

  5. Will a jump starter start a completely dead battery?

    Emergency jump starters serve only as a temporary power substitute for the vehicle’s starter battery and cannot be used as a permanent starting power source. Normally, if the vehicle’s starter battery is functional, the car will charge it while the engine is running after being started with an external emergency power source, ensuring a normal start next time. If it is confirmed that the vehicle’s starter battery is damaged or not working properly, you should drive your car to a service station for replacement or repair of the vehicle’s starter battery.

  6. Do car battery jump starters work?

    When connected to the car engine’s power interface, the emergency jump starter acts as a starting power source providing voltage to the car engine. Once the car engine starts and is operating normally, the emergency jump starter will no longer continue to work; the engine will charge its own vehicle battery until it is fully charged, satisfying the requirements for the next engine start.

  7. How long does it take to charge a dead car battery with a jump starter?

    The emergency jump starter does not directly charge the vehicle battery; it merely serves as an external power source providing starting voltage to the car engine. When the emergency jump starter is correctly connected to the vehicle’s power terminals (refer to the content of this article) and the car engine button is pressed, the car will start immediately.

  8. What size portable car jump starter do I need?

    Typically, emergency power sources provide 12V/24V power voltage, with passenger cars generally using 12V and heavy-duty trucks and diesel engines using 24V, which is related to the design of the car engine’s starting voltage. When purchasing an emergency jump starter, ensure that its voltage matches the vehicle battery’s voltage. Additionally, consider the car engine’s displacement; for most engines with a displacement of 3L or less, a 1500A battery will suffice. For engines with a displacement exceeding 6L, a 2000A or even larger battery may be required. Refer to the product guide of each manufacturer for specifics.