On the road with a dead laptop? Your car can charge it!

If you are like me, you will take your laptop wherever you go – yes, even on vacation.

But it comes with the problem of finding a place to load it when there are no alternating power outlets for miles. Yes, even laptops fed by Snapdragon X long -lasting are sometimes short of juice.

When the battery of my laptop was exhausted during travel, it was super annoying, especially when I am camping and the only source of food in sight is my faithful set of wheels.

So, now when I go, I prepare to use the power of my car to recharge my laptop. Here’s how you can do it too …

Is it possible to fully load a laptop in a car?

Yes, but how fast it invoices depends on the laptop model you have and its draw. There are a few things you should also know about the load to avoid damaging your car’s battery.

Most laptops need between 30 and 70 watts to load. This means that they need much more power than mobile phones. Fortunately, the medium car battery, which has around 600 power wattheures, and recharges when the engine is up to height, is up to it.

On this last point, however, ideally, you will want to load your laptop when your car is running rather than when it is idol, to prevent too much energy from the battery. Car batteries are not made for a long drain of persistent power when they are idols, which can damage and / or flatten them.

Pexels: Daniel Andraski

It is unless you have a deep cycle battery installed in your car which can Facing the power discharge over a long period. But it is not advised. Deep cycle batteries are more commonly used in motorhomes and can damage your car electronics and cancel your car warranty if you install one.

Another tip to prevent your car’s battery emptying is that you don’t have to load your laptop for more than two hours in a row.

Correction: you could And get away with it. Again, you may not be as lucky and end up flattening the battery, and you would not want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with a partially loaded laptop And A flat car battery.

Ways to load your laptop in your car

Method 1: directly via a USB-C cable

Most cars are delivered with one or more USB-C ports these days. If your car has one with sufficiently high power and your laptop also has a USB-C port with power delivery, you can charge your laptop with a USB-C cable. (See our overview of the best USB-C cables.)

To do this, simply connect one end of your USB-C cable to the USB port of your car and one end in the USB-C port of your laptop and you should immediately see the flash on the battery icon of your laptop in the Windows taskbar, which means it loads.

This method is not the fastest way to load your laptop in your car, so if you are in a hurry, you may want to try another method.

Belkin

Method 2: The charger of your laptop and an inverter

Another method is to use a power inverter and the charger of your laptop. You need an inverter or an adapter (see below) with your charger because the car batteries are being powerful DC (direct current), while the charger of your laptop is designed to use AC power.

The inverter acts as the Go-Intermediate, converting the current to Ce power that the battery of your laptop can store. Once your charger is attached to the inverter, you can connect the inverter directly to the supply source of your car.

Power inverters are available online purchase in stores like Amazon. Many people choose this route if they have several devices to load, because the inverters are generally delivered with several E / O ports to connect.

The inverters are delivered with different supply dimensions because they are made to load different devices, but for a laptop, you will generally want to buy one with a power between 150 W and 300W.

Also be aware that you don’t want to leave a inverter connected to the exit of your car overnight, because again, it could drain the battery.

Aucarauto

Method 3: an adapter and loader of your laptop

Why use a power adapter instead of simply using the USB-C port of your car to load your laptop in your car?

Well, your USB ports can already be busy, and you do not want to continue to exchange charging cables between your different devices. Or ports may simply not have the required power to load your laptop.

If this is the case, an adapter should solve your problem. You can take one online for not much money.

Most car adapters connect to the intake of your car cigarette. One of the advantages of using an adapter is that you don’t need an additional cable – you can simply connect your laptop charger at the end, then in your laptop, and Bob is your uncle, you charge!

As a inverter, the adapter will also securely convert the CC current by alternating current, and most will provide an amp less than a inverter. This is a good thing because it means that it will not be as much a drain on the battery of your car.

Simply note that you will have to find an adapter with a power rating high enough for your specific laptop model.

Replenishment

Method 4: a food bank or a solar device

The power banks are very versatile load devices with the benefit of mobility, in that you can use them to load your laptop in your car, but take them wherever you go (even inside your tent during a camping trip). In fact, you don’t even need to connect one to your car’s outlet.

You will just need to make sure that your electricity bank is fully loaded before leaving on the road. Also check before buying one that is compatible with your laptop model.

Solar panels and / or foldable solar cover also charge a laptop, and some are really accessible, coming with USB-C / PD or other USB ports so that you can load directly at the rear without the need for a secondary battery pack.

The drawback is, you will of course need sun exposure to produce electricity and there can sometimes be a learning curve before you can successfully use them.

These devices find a good house on the roof or hood of your car (but can be placed anywhere), once you have reached your destination and you have to charge. Nor do they draw your car’s battery power supply, so it is by no means.

These are the main options to load a laptop in your car. Make sure you investigate more and find a configuration that works for you.

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