Today’s cars require some charge from the battery to get the engine started. For the electric vehicles (EVs), the same battery provides the juice needed to drive the car from one point to the other. What happens when your car’s battery fails to deliver the expected power? The answer is simple. Your car won’t start.
Cases of a failing batteries are common because batteries are prone to get spoilt. Besides, the battery may bail on you if the car is left unused for an extended period. I can’t recall the number of times I woke up to a flat battery.
The experience isn’t a thing to celebrate about, especially if you’ve got an early meeting or you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully, technology has come to our rescue. Currently, if your car’s battery runs empty, you have got two options. You can choose to use a jump starter or a charger to bring the vehicle back to life.
What are the differences between a jumpstarter and a car’s battery charger? A jump starter is designed to provide the instant energy needed to start the car on behalf of the battery. On the other end, a charger inputs charge in a cell, the same way a phone charger would do.
Also, a jump starter is more portable as opposed to a battery charger. Also, a charger takes time to revive a battery while the jumper can get you back on the road within no time.
The topic of car battery charger vs. jump starter is wide. You can’t analyze the two gadgets using a single paragraph. Before, we proceed; you need to what each device is.
What is a Jumper?
Often, jump starters are termed as battery boosters. They are common and are used to ‘jump start’ a car without putting any charge on the battery, as opposed to a battery charger. Jumpstarters are generally connected to a power source or another vehicle to perform their duty. The jumpers have come to the rescue of many drivers out there.
We both know that your battery failing is never a good thing, especially when it happens on a dark parking lot or a deserted road. Luckily, with the jumpers, you can borrow some charge from another car, and within no time, you’re back on the road.
Click this page to find out the 10 best jump starters.
What is a Battery Charger?
A battery charger operates in the same manner in which a phone charger does. That’s it’s connected to a power source and connected to the battery to top up the charge. The charger is designed to help convert AC from the electricity into DC needed by the cell.
Click this page to find out the 10 best car battery chargers.
6 Differences Between Them
1. Battery charger takes more time to get the job done. As said earlier, a car’s battery charger functions similarly as a phone charger. You connect the charger once the battery is out and boom it puts in the juice. The process of adding some juice requires some time. Some chargers can take six hours while others need a whole day to fill your car’s battery to the capacity.
Today, you will find different chargers in the market with various outputs. When it comes to battery chargers, the higher the production, the lesser the time it takes to charge a battery.
Whatever the output, a battery charger can never offer an instant solution for your empty battery problems. Jumpers are your immediate remedy in case you require urgent power to get the car moving. A jumper doesn’t charge the battery. Instead, it provides the charge needed to start the engine. Therefore, if you’re looking for a quick power solution, a jumper is a must consider.
2. A jumper is more portable as opposed to a charger. A battery’s jump starter is simple in design. It’s merely wired, and that means it’s easily transportable. In simpler terms, a car jumper is easy to carry around in the boot of your car.
On the other end, a battery charger is more complex and a bit heavy. Therefore, carrying the charger may prove difficult as it may even end taking too much of your space as compared to a jumper.
Today, you can find jumpers that can easily fit in your pocket or the glove compartment. This portability is the reason why most drivers tend to choose the jump starters as compared to a charger.
3. Car battery chargers are quite expensive. Car battery chargers are designed to provide many years of service. They are, therefore, a long-time investment. The fact that the chargers are meant to last long is the reason as to why they come with a high price tag.
As compared to the jumpers, chargers are a bit expensive. One thing that you should understand is that their price tag matches their use.
4. Battery chargers require electricity. Imagine your battery bailing on you in the middle of a deserted highway at night. Like in the horror movies, this adventure never ends well. The happening exposes you to many risks such as robbery and even kidnapping.
In the middle of nowhere, you can rarely find a power supply. Therefore, your so-called savior, battery charger, can be of any help at this exact moment. A car battery charger requires to be connected to electricity supply to top up the battery.
A jump starter is the only thing that can come to your rescue at this exact moment. Apart from the power from electricity, jumpers can use energy from other sources.
For example, you can jumpstart your car using the energy from another car’s battery. This hack is so common, and that means you can rarely get stuck in the middle of nowhere because there will be other road users willing to help.
5. A charger guarantees to fill your battery to a full capacity. Like in a smartphone, a car battery charger ensures that your battery is charged to the total capacity. This, therefore, means that the charger will provide the energy needed to operate the vehicle in case you’ve got a problem with the alternator and charging.
On the other end, a jumper only provides the charge required only to start the engine. Therefore, if your alternator has some problems, it means the jumper can’t be of much help because the battery will remain in its deflated state.
6. A jump starter provides a higher output. The big difference between the common car charger and a jumper is their power output. A jump starter has a high power output as compared to the chargers.
For example, the jumper’s output range from 700 to 300 amps. It’s for this reason that jumpers take a flash of a second to give the amount of energy needed to start the engine. On the other end, chargers tend to have a lower output, and that’s why they can take even a day to fill a 12-volts battery.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Jump Starters and Car Battery Chargers
1. Jump Starters
Advantages:
• Jumpers are convenient to use. This gadget is compact, and that means that they are easy to carry around.
• Have high power output. Car jumpers are designed for higher performance. These tools can deliver up 3000 amps which are more than the energy needed to bring your car’s engine back into life.
• Jumpers are a quick power solution. A car’s battery jumper doesn’t focus on topping up the battery. The tool provides the instant power needed for the vehicle to start.
• Doesn’t entirely depend on the energy from electricity. Today, you will come across jumpers which store some electric power for use while starting. Therefore, you don’t necessarily need a power source to get your car started.
As long as the jumper is loaded, it can be used to start your car more than 1000 times. If the jumper is out of the charger, it can be connected to another car’s battery and still perform the same task of starting the engine.
Disadvantages:
• The size of the jumper is proportional to the output. The sad part is that the jumper’s power output is directly proportional to its bulkiness. Therefore, if you’re looking for a jump starter with high production, you must be ready to deal with its bulkiness.
If your car is the model that asks for more power, you will have to opt for a bulky starter, which is never a pleasant experience.
2. Car Battery Chargers
Advantages:
• Ensures that your battery is charged to a full capacity. A car battery is designed in a manner that ensures your battery is filled to its full capacity. Some battery chargers are even designed to shut down once the battery is full.
Charging the battery to a total capacity helps minimize the cases of the battery running out on you. Also, this mode of charging helps prolong the battery’s life span.
• Easy to use. Like a phone charger, a car battery charger is easy to use. You only need to attach the battery, and you’re set to go.
Disadvantages:
• Can be very expensive. Acquiring a battery charger can cost you a reasonable sum of money as compared to a jumper. A car battery charger is said to be costly as they are a lifetime investment.
Conclusion
Choosing between a car battery jumper and a charger can be confusing. If you’re not a car enthusiast, you may assume that the two gadgets perform similar tasks, which isn’t true. This article provides you with some significant differences between the two. Read through the piece before making the final decision. You can thank me later.
Sources:
1. Car Battery Charger vs Jump Starter: What’s the Difference? – RXTooler
2. Jump Starter Vs. Battery Charger – It Still Runs
3. Pros And Cons Of A Car Battery Charger Vs. Jump Starting A Battery – ZerosTurbo
