How to Charge Your Car Battery Without Using Electricity

Many drivers have experienced the frustration of having a flat battery. It seems to always happen when you are late for an appointment and need to be somewhere urgently. Or, when you are due to pick someone up who is waiting for you.

Even worse is when you find your car unable to start but you are miles from nowhere, perhaps on a camping trip. Maybe you return to your vehicle late at night in a deserted car park only to find you left the lights on all day and the battery is drained.

While a car not starting can be one of the signs that your battery is coming to the end of its life, normally it just means that the power has been drained and the battery needs recharging.

What if there was a way to maintain the battery’s power level no matter where you were?

How can you charge your battery without electricity?

It is no secret that many forms of renewable power are being explored today. Sometime in the not too distant future, reserves of natural fuels will run out. One day there will be no more gas, oil, or coal.

When coal runs out, electricity will not be able to be produced in the same way that it has been for more than a hundred years. One of the most sustainable, alternative ways to produce electricity is through solar power.

You may be aware that there are now a number of uses for solar power that anyone can put to use. There have long been houses using solar power to provide energy for their homes, but there are also solar security lights, and even solar watches.

You can now add solar car chargers to this list, and these let you recharge your car battery without electricity.

Are these solar car chargers effective?

Solar car chargers are extremely convenient. Think about that camping trip that was mentioned above. Even if you were camping completely off-grid, with no one else around, you could use a solar car charger to maintain your battery’s power.

They work very effectively as trickle chargers to maintain the battery’s charge, and they can be attached easily and safely. Some solar car chargers will attach directly to the battery, but others conveniently supply power through the cigarette lighter.

While many of the older solar car charges would struggle to charge a dead battery, the newer, more modern versions are far more effective. However, they are most effective as trickle chargers.

Solar car trickle chargers can be left attached to vehicles when they are left parked for a long time. This stops batteries from becoming drained, even in winter.

Solar car chargers are likely to be slower than electric versions, but on the plus side you can use one of these anywhere, and they are less likely to overcharge a battery.

How does the cost add up against regular charging?

Solar car battery chargers themselves cost similar prices when compared to traditional electrical types. A starting price for a low-wattage solar car charger might be around $20 rising to $30 for a 10W version.

There are differences in cost in other ways though. Trickle solar chargers can help to maintain the battery’s life and extend it. They may have several features that help to prevent reverse discharge and other unwanted effects.

According to Consumer Insurance Report, depending on the amperage, a car battery could take up to 30 hours to fully charge. This doesn’t matter to you as you will use free energy from the sun to power the battery. You will save money on battery replacements as yours will last longer, and you will save on electricity bills.

Do they only work on car batteries?

Calling these devices, solar car chargers, is a bit of a misnomer as many of them are designed to work on all manner of vehicles. You might not find them too useful for large commercial vehicles that need a higher amperage from their batteries, but there are many other uses though.

In fact, they can be used on almost any vehicle’s battery to help maintain its power levels. Solar power is being used in more ways now and is especially popular with RV owners. Not only can they help maintain battery effect, but they can also use solar power to keep the heat on in an RV, even when living in it full time.

You can attach some solar car chargers to the following vehicles:

  • Snowmobiles
  • Boats
  • Recreational vehicles
  • Motorcycles
  • Tractors
  • Jet-skis

Summary

Solar power isn’t one hundred percent environmentally friendly. There are some concerns over the mining process for the essential minerals used in solar panels.

However, Advanced Science News reports that manufacturers are finding ways to make solar panels even more eco-friendly. And, solar energy is far, far better for the environment than coal-fired electricity.

If you want to make sure you never return to a flat car battery, then a solar power car charger might be your answer, wherever you are.