Can you jump-start a car with a lithium battery? That’s very confusing, especially if you are new to jump starters and batteries. As you know, lead-acid batteries are generally used in cars and other vehicles. They are less efficient but cheaper, making them suitable options for cars. However, these batteries can go dead if not used for a long time.
Many car owners believe that lead-acid batteries cannot be revived with lithium batteries. However, this is a myth and entirely wrong. Modern jump starters come with small lithium-ion batteries. These jump starters can easily power dead batteries and jump-start cars. In this article, we will discuss lithium batteries and their capabilities for jump-starting. Â
Can You Jump-Start a Car with a Lithium Battery?
The answer is YES! Lithium-ion batteries can jump-start a car. However, this question is confusing. Is it about the lithium battery jump starter or the lithium battery present in the donor vehicle? In both cases, the lithium batteries will help jump-start the car or any other vehicle.
As you know, jump-starting can be done using two methods. The first one is to use the dedicated jump starter device. The lithium battery inside the jump starter provides electrical energy to the dead battery. In this way, the dead battery, upon receiving electrical energy, cranks the engine of the car. There is one more way to jump-start the cars. How?
Some modern vehicles use lithium-ion batteries instead of lead-acid batteries. These lithium batteries are more powerful, safer, and efficient. You can use a donor vehicle with such lithium batteries to jump-start the car. How? In this case, the lithium battery of the donor vehicle is connected to the dead battery.Â
The red clamp of the jump starter cable is attached to the positive terminal of the battery. Similarly, the black clamp is connected to the negative terminal of the dead battery. Now, when the donor vehicle is switched on, it provides power to the dead battery. Right? Upon getting this power, the dead battery starts to charge.Â
If you start the engine of the vehicle, it will start. How? Because it will get electrical energy from the dead battery (connected with the battery of the donor vehicle). The donor vehicle’s lithium battery will provide electrical power to the dead battery, jump-starting the car. Similarly, the jump starter device with a lithium battery will also jump-start a car.Â
Can you jump-start a lead-acid battery with a Lithium Battery?
Yes, you can jump-start a lead-acid battery with a lithium battery. However, you’ll need a jump starter to do this. Remember, using lithium batteries to jump-start lead-acid batteries is not safer and should be avoided.Â
As I said earlier, modern jump starters come with lithium batteries. These lithium-based batteries are compact but have higher energy density. So, their usage in jump starters makes them portable yet very effective. You can use these jump starters to jump-start the lead-acid batteries. The reason is that jump starters come with advanced BMS systems.
This BMS (Battery Management System) helps control current and other parameters. The jump starter can successfully jump-start the lead-acid battery. However, you should use a lithium battery to jump-start the lead-acid battery. Why? Because these batteries don’t have any controllers. They operate at a higher voltage than the lead-acid batteries.
When connected with lead-acid batteries, lithium batteries can provide more current. However, the lead-acid battery cannot handle this higher current surge. Due to this, the risk of fires or explosions increases. Remember, both of these batteries have different chemistries. Therefore, you should not use lithium batteries to jump-start the lead-acid batteries.
Can You Jump-Start a Car with a Lifepo4 Battery?
Yes and NO. It depends on how you use the LiFePO4 battery.
There are jump starters in the market that come with LiFePO4 batteries. Right? These jump starters have been designed to provide higher current surges with their batteries. This higher current (thousands of amperes) can easily crank the car’s engines. So, we can jump-start a car with a jump starter that has a LiFePO4 battery.
However, you cannot jump-start using a LiFePO4 battery directly. Why? The reason is that the LiFePO4 battery features a deep cycle and a very slow discharge rate. They cannot provide a higher current surge upon need. Instead, they release slowly and provide a steady current. This constant current is not enough to crank the car’s engine. Therefore, the LiFePO4 battery cannot jump-start a car directly.
How to Jump-Start a Car with a Lithium Jump Starter?
In the section below, I explain the steps involved in jump-starting the car with a lithium jump starter:
- First, you’ll have to connect the clamps of the lithium jump starter to the dead battery of the car. Each lithium jump starter comes with two clamps. One of those is red, while the other clamp is black.
- You should connect the red clamp of the lithium jump starter to the positive terminal of the battery. However, the black terminal should be connected with the unpainted part of the car. You should not connect black clamps to the negative terminal of the battery. During jump-starting, this connection causes a spark that can lead to fire.
- Once the jump starter is connected, the next step is to switch on the jump starter. Almost all the modern lithium jump starters come with a button. Press this button and the jump starter will start providing electrical energy to the battery.Â
- You should allow the jump starter to provide energy for at least 30 seconds before starting the car. These 30 seconds will ensure the dead battery gets some energy. After that, you start the car’s engine as you usually do. The dead battery will now start the car’s engine. You will begin to, and you should keep the engine running for over 20 minutes.Â
- Once the engine of the car starts, you should remove the lithium jump starter. It is key first to remove the black clamps and then remove the red clamps from the positive terminal of the battery. This will ensure the safety of both the battery and the jump starter. The engine of the car should be kept on so that the alternator charges the dead battery of the car.
Is Buying Jump Starters with Lithium Batteries Worth it?
The answer is a big YES!
Lithium battery jump starters are very powerful and compact. Above all, they are highly portable due to their compact design and lightweight nature. The use of lithium batteries ensures they provide enough current despite being small in size. As I said earlier, lithium batteries have higher energy density. It means that they can offer more energy even if their size is smaller.Â
During use, the lithium batteries in the jump starter provide a sudden surge of current. This current is good enough to revive the dead battery or crank the car’s engine. From a power perspective, lithium batteries are safer compared to lead-acid batteries. You won’t face any leakage of electrolyte in lithium jump starters.Â
The jump starter with lead-acid batteries is less efficient. These batteries have lower energy density, affecting the performance of jump starters. One may argue that jump starters with lithium batteries are generally expensive. That’s true – however, you get better performance from lithium jump starters. Due to this, the trend of lithium battery jump starters is rising. These are worth the investment and should be preferred over conventional jump starters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a lithium battery to jump-start my car?
Yes. You can use a lithium battery to jump-start your car. However, I recommend using a lithium battery jump starter instead of directly using lithium batteries.
Can I use a lithium battery as a starting battery?
It depends on the conditions of the battery. Yes, if the battery is not dead, but discharged, you can charge it using another lithium battery.
Can you wake up a lithium battery with a jump start?
Yes. Dead lithium batteries can be revived using the lithium battery jump starter. However, make sure that the jump starter provides enough power to wake up the lithium batteries.
Can a dead lithium battery be revived?
If the battery is damaged and dead, it cannot be revived. However, if it was discharged, you can revive it using the jump starter or battery charger. Remember that damaged batteries can never be restored, no matter how strong a jump starter you use.
Conclusion
Are you stuck in a remote area with no assistance? If so, you can jump-start your car using either a lithium battery or a lithium battery jump starter. It is noteworthy that using a lithium battery to jump-start the car is not safe. You should not use the lithium battery to jump-start the car. Instead, I recommend using a lithium battery jump starter. These jump starters will revive the dead battery of your car. As a result, you’ll be able to jump-start your car.Â