Can You Start the Car While Charging the Car Battery?
2 Answers
You can start the car while charging the car battery. Precautions for battery charging: In cold weather, check whether the electrolyte is frozen before charging the battery. Do not charge a frozen battery. Before charging, check the electrolyte level. Do not charge if the electrolyte is insufficient. During the charging process, measure the density and voltage of the electrolyte approximately every hour and check its temperature. Precautions for starting the car while charging: When starting the engine, the large current required mainly comes from the battery itself. When the battery is not fully charged, it will not provide enough starting current, making it difficult to start the car. The charger has a current limiting function. When the battery voltage is very low (during startup), the charger's current is limited to a certain range to prevent the charger from overloading and burning out. After the car starts, the car battery voltage rises to about 14V. At this time, the charger will consider the battery fully charged and will reduce the charging current until it stops charging.
I've been driving for decades and encountered many battery issues. Generally speaking, you must never attempt to start the car while the battery is charging because it's too risky. If you connect the charger to replenish the battery but impatiently turn the ignition key, it may cause sparks or short circuits. In severe cases, the battery could overheat or even explode, damaging the charging equipment and potentially injuring your hands. Once, my neighbor did this and ended up burning out the car's wiring, costing a lot to repair. The correct approach is to wait until the charger's indicator shows a full charge, disconnect all connections first, and then start the car normally. Remember to regularly check the battery's condition and use a multimeter to measure voltage to avoid sudden failures affecting travel safety.
