Will Charging a Laptop in the Car Drain the Battery?

Working on the go is the new norm in modern workplaces. Almost all industries require their professionals to attend abrupt meetings even while in Transit. Thus, keeping your laptop’s battery charged is inevitable.

 Many have a common question: Will Charging a Laptop in the Car Drain the Battery? The truth is, yes, it will drain your battery.

When you are charging your laptop while you have stationed your car, its battery gets drained. In contrast, if your vehicle is running and you are charging your laptop. This doesn’t drain the battery.

Development in technology has made it possible to charge a laptop using the car battery. Certain cars even have wireless charging plates for charging cameras, tablets, and smartphones.

If you are charging a laptop in a regular vehicle, you must have special equipment. This article helps you understand how to charge a laptop in a car.

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Is It Safe To Charge a Laptop in a Car?

Yes, charging your laptop in a car is safe. All you need is to use an inverter. Also, observe safety; ensure you handle everything with dry hands. The inverter you select should be of high quality and specifications recommended by your car’s and laptop’s manufacturer.

Can I Charge My Laptop Directly From the Car Battery?

You will be required to have supporting devices to use your car battery to charge your laptop through the car’s electrical system. Below are five ways you can charge your laptop in a car. By use of;

1. A car inverter together with your laptop charger.
2. An adaptor
3. A car laptop charger.
4. A power bank.
5. A Type-C laptop charging USB.

An invertor together with a laptop charger.

Usually, a laptop requires Alternating Current (AC) to charge, but the car battery provides Direct Current (DC). An inverter helps convert DC power to AC power. Thus, the inverter will help provide the needed power to charge your laptop. You’ll insert the laptop charger into the inverter and have your laptop charger. The instructions below will help you use an inverter to charge your laptop in a car.

1. Purchase an inverter with power specifications matching your car’s and laptop’s manufacturer’s specs.
2. Connect the inverter’s power cable to the available charging slot in your car.
3. Plug in the laptop charger to the inverter AC port.
4. Connect the laptop charger to the laptop.

Ensure that all connections are correctly connected. The laptop should start charging.

Use an adaptor

An adaptor works almost similar to an inverter by convertor a car’s direct current to an alternating current. But an adaptor has the cable to connect to your laptop; thus, you will not have to use your laptop’s charger. Below are steps to help you use an adapter to charge your laptop from your car.

1. Purchase an adaptor that matches your car and laptop specifications
2. Connect it to your car’s power source
3. Plugin the adaptor’s connector into your laptop’s charging port.

The use of an adaptor is among the easiest ways of using the car to charge a laptop. All that’s required is the adaptor, and you can be assured of a full battery throughout your trip.

Use of a car laptop charger

In this method, you charge your laptop by plugging the charger directly into the car’s power outlet. A car laptop charger works identically to the normal laptop charger, just with a different power jack. It makes it possible to connect the laptop to the power outlet of the car, the lighter socket.

You can find a car laptop charger both in online and offline outlet stores, and they are affordably priced. Below is a guide on using a car laptop charger to charge your laptop.

1. While purchasing a car laptop charger, go for one that will fit perfectly in your laptop port.
2. While charging your laptop using a car laptop charger, connect one port to the car and the laptop port to the laptop.
3. The laptop should start charging; disconnect the charger on both ends when the laptop is fully charged.

Use of a power bank

Typically, a power bank will be used as a backup charger for your laptop. You, however, must carefully select the power bank to ensure its capacity can comfortably charge the laptop. Typically, a power bank’s capacity is measured in Watts (W) and milliampere-hour (mAh). A laptop battery will need a minimum rating of 40 watts to charge.

Below is how to use a power bank to charge a laptop in your car.

1. Buy a power bank with a minimum 40 W capacity rating.
2. Ensure that the power bank is fully charged before starting your car’s journey.
3. Attach the USB cable’s one end to your laptop while the other connects to the power bank.
4. If all cables are correctly connected, the charging should begin immediately.

Use of a Type-C laptop charging USB.

 A USB car laptop charger will also charge your laptop; it accurately supplies voltage from the vehicle’s battery to a laptop’s battery. However, the method is limited to only laptops with Type-C USB ports.

 Below is how to use a Type-C USB charger to charge a  laptop.

1. While traveling, ensure that you have a Type-C cable and a laptop with a Type-C port.
2. Attach the Type-C car laptop charger to your vehicle’s charging port.
3. After connecting the charger to the port of the car, connect the charger to the laptop using the Type-C USB cable.
4. Ensure that all connections are appropriately connected. The laptop should start charging.

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Can a 12V Car Outlet Charge a Laptop?

Yes, A 12 volts car outlet can charge a laptop. It’s usually a lighter sport on your vehicle, where you plug in your invertor. The location of the lighter spot depends on the vehicle, but mostly it’s near the car’s main panel in the stereo area. For vehicles that use sticks, it is situated close to the gear stick.

When the vehicle is running, and the inverter is plugged in, connect the laptop’s charging cable to the inverter and the laptop, and it will charge.

 It is important to remember that the inverter should only be used to charge your laptop when the car is running. If you charge on a stationary car, you risk draining the battery faster, and if left for long hours, this can drain the car’s battery completely.

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What Kind of Inverter Do I Need To Charge My Laptop?

 The most crucial aspect when choosing the appropriate inverter is its power output. An inverter power output is limited to a vehicle’s power outlet fuse. For example, a car’s lighter socket with a 12-volt 10-amp fuse will safely power a 120-volt, 1-amp invertor.

You should always refer to the car’s owner’s manual to see your car’s lighter socket fuse rating. Most cars have a 15-amp fuse, which can comfortably power a one ampere 120 volts AC inverter.

In conclusion, charging a laptop in a car is safe; you just need to ensure that you have the appropriate equipment and accessories, including inverters, chargers, and connectors. You should always ensure that the accessories in your chosen charging method are compatible and of high quality.

Using incompatible and wrong accessories can damage the car’s or your laptop’s power port. Thus, always be careful when selecting USB cables, a car laptop chargers, and the inverter. Always refer to your car owner’s manual and the laptop’s specifications for the rated power.