Can You Charge an Electric Vehicle Without Starting the Car?
2 Answers
Yes, you can charge it. All vehicles are equipped with a generator, which produces electricity as soon as the car is started. Here are some related details: 1. Electric Vehicle Battery: A battery, also known as a storage battery, works by converting chemical energy into electrical energy. The commonly referred-to battery is a lead-acid battery, which mainly uses lead and its oxides as electrodes and a sulfuric acid solution as the electrolyte. 2. Charging Principle: The negative electrode is made of a lead plate filled with sponge-like lead, and the positive electrode is made of a lead plate filled with lead dioxide, with a 22-28% dilute sulfuric acid solution as the electrolyte. During charging, electrical energy is converted into chemical energy, and during discharging, chemical energy is converted back into electrical energy. When discharging, metallic lead acts as the negative electrode, undergoing oxidation and converting into lead sulfate, while lead dioxide acts as the positive electrode, undergoing reduction and converting into lead sulfate. When charging with direct current, lead and lead dioxide are generated at the two electrodes respectively.
I personally think it's feasible to charge an electric scooter when the car is not running, but you need to be careful. As a former auto mechanic, I've seen many such cases. The car battery stores electricity, and when the engine is off, it acts like a backup pool to power devices, including charging an electric scooter. However, the issue is that the battery has limited capacity, especially with high-power devices like electric scooter chargers, which can drain it quickly and might leave you unable to start the car. The normal mode is to charge the battery when the engine is running and the alternator is working. Repeated charging and discharging without the engine running can shorten the battery's lifespan and increase replacement costs. I recommend avoiding this practice unless it's an emergency. It's safer to start the car first before charging or use an external power source directly to avoid any mishaps.
