How Long Does It Take to Charge a Car Battery While Driving?

Have you ever needed a jump start after the battery died? You should keep the engine running for a while to make sure you have enough charge to start the battery unassisted. Here’s how long you can expect to charge a car battery after a jump.

How Does the Charging System Work?

The car battery uses a bit of power from the engine to charge itself. The longer you use the engine, the more juice the battery gets, until the battery is topped off. Most new models of vehicles use an alternator to charge the battery.

When the engine is running, the alternator generates electricity. This electricity triggers a chemical reaction inside the battery, returning it to a charged state. The serpentine belt connects to both the crankshaft and the alternator pulley. As the crankshaft spins, this motion turns the alternator pulley. The alternator pulley is connected to an electromagnet, which generates electricity as the alternator pulley spins.


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This may sound like a complicated setup, but it is important to understand how your car works since that will help you take care of it better. This is a helpful guide to learn more about your car battery and the charging system on your vehicle.

How Long Does It Take?

The alternator pulley will always spin while your engine is running, even if you’re idling. You can keep the engine on in a parking lot and the engine will slowly charge the battery.

How long the battery takes to charge while driving will technically depend on how much charge the battery had to begin with. The answer to this question will vary depending on how old the battery is, how long the engine has been off, and whether the alternator is functioning well.

When you find that your battery is giving trouble, it could be because your alternator is not providing the battery with the required voltage to charge it. With a fully functioning alternator and a healthy battery, it should not take long for the battery to charge while you are driving.


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If you are driving on an open road and your engine RPM is consistently higher than idle, it should not take more than 30 minutes for the battery to charge enough to start the car again. If you are driving within the city and have to make frequent halts at stop signs or in traffic, the engine RPM will naturally be lower. In that case, it may take over an hour for the battery to charge.

Either way, it should not be a problem as long as your alternator is working healthy. If your alternator is fine and your battery has not expired, your car should not give you trouble.

Driving your car is the best way to charge your battery. Any other method is what you may need to use in the case of an emergency or when your battery is dead and you need to jump start the car. Trickle chargers are also a valid way to charge your battery, but they work very slowly. You will often need to leave your car connected to a trickle charger at least overnight to have enough charge to start the vehicle.

How Frequently Should You Start Your Car to Keep the Battery Alive?

The primary way your car battery charges is by drawing power from the engine when it is running. This means that the battery is likely to die out if your car is sitting in the parking lot without being used.


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Your car may use a small amount of electricity to power various systems, even when your car is completely turned off. Examples of systems that may use battery are security systems, aftermarket alarms, GPS, clocks, stereos, amps, and infotainment systems.

For most mid-range cars that do not have too many gadgets and in-built features, you should be able to leave your car unused for a month without the battery dying out. However, higher-end cars that have several gadgets may drain the battery in two weeks, or even less.

If you’re going to leave the car parked for a while, consider storing your car properly to make sure it’s ready when you need it.

One of the main factors that decide how long your battery will lose charge is the age of the battery. How old is the battery and when does it expire? Often, the climate can also impact how quickly a battery loses juice. Batteries don’t like the cold.


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While you may not always have use for your car, especially if you live in a city where you do not need to use the car for the everyday commute, it is important to start the car to charge your battery.

Even if you take the car out for a spin for a few minutes on the weekends or simply turn the engine on and leave it on idle in the parking lot, it can help keep the battery alive. If you use your car very infrequently, it would be advisable to run the engine for at least 20 minutes to be on the safe side. Bring the car up to operating temperature about once every two weeks.

Precautions

There are two things you should remember about your car battery. One, that if you have jump started your car in case of a dead battery, you need to give the battery a chance to charge itself before you turn the car back off. Otherwise, you might need another jump the next time you start the car.

The other thing is that there is such a thing as overcharging your car battery. If the battery overcharges, it will heat up, therefore causing long-term damage. The electrolyte makeup of the battery, which causes the electrochemical reaction which charges it, can also corrode from overcharging. In the vast majority of cases, trickle chargers and the voltage regulator in your ECU are both designed to prevent overcharging.


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Wrapping Up

Many people don’t pay a whole lot of attention to the car battery until the car fails to start. However, it’s important to remember that batteries have a shelf life, and need to be replaced on a regular interval. Check the stick on the battery to see when the battery was manufactured. If your battery is more than four or five years old, consider replacing the battery if you’re having a hard time keeping it charged.

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