Can A Laptop Be Charged In A Car? (7 Methods)

One of the most important features of laptops is being able to take them anywhere. However, there are times when there is no power outlet nearby to charge them, and some laptop models don’t have long battery autonomy.

It is possible to charge a laptop battery in a car. There are several ways to do this, the most common ones being through a power inverter, car charger, or portable battery bank. In addition, the USB connection can also be included.

Below, we’ll take a closer look at the most common methods of charging a laptop battery in a car. In this way, you will have enough autonomy for long trips, even when you forgot to charge your laptop before leaving the house.

Contents

Tips for charging a laptop in a car

Today, many people use laptops for work, study, or just for entertainment. Therefore, they take them to many places because they are tools that greatly facilitate the execution of activities.

However, one of the most common problems with laptops, especially the cheaper ones, is that their battery does not last long. So maybe after a long trip, the battery is low and there is no time to charge it in case it needs to be used just when arriving at the destination.

Of course, the most logical thing would be to charge the laptop at home and leave it with a full battery during the trip. But there are circumstances where it is not so easy, and the battery can be discharged just at the least opportune moment.

Therefore, we explain the most practical and simple tricks to charge the laptop in a car:

1. Use a power inverter

A power inverter is a small electronic device that has the ability to change the input voltage. It can change the direct current to a voltage that goes out with an alternating current. In short, it can transform the 12 V or 24 V of the power input.

Usually, these inverters can be connected to a power outlet to connect other devices. Likewise, it’s common for the inverter to be connected to the vehicle’s battery, which would be in charge of providing the electrical energy.

2. Laptop car chargers

Believe it or not, laptop chargers for vehicles have already started to become popular. Just as there are chargers for phones, there are also chargers for laptops, which are generally very affordable products.

3. Power Bank

This device is a portable external battery that is used not only for laptops but also for all kinds of devices. Only a USB cable is required, which will be connected to the device from the computer.

Obviously, this portable battery needs to be fully charged before leaving the house. On the other hand, its autonomy depends on both the capacity and the power required by the laptop or other device to be connected.

4. With a mobile phone charger

This is one of the most interesting options and also one of the great forgotten ones because it’s not very common. In case you didn’t know, it’s possible to charge a laptop with a mobile phone charger, as long as it’s USB-C. The advantage is that USB-C has become the standard and most devices have it.

All you need to do is to connect a USB-C cable to your computer and connect the phone’s charger head to the other end. In turn, this connector will be connected to the cell phone automobile charger.

5. With only USB cables

This is an alternative to the previous case, in which you will only need USB cables. In this situation, two things can happen. First of all, your laptop is a bit old and doesn’t have a USB-C port. If so, what you can do is buy a USB-A to USB-C adapter, connect the laptop to the adapter, and the adapter to the cell phone automobile charger.

But on the other hand, there are also cars, especially the newer ones, that already have their own USB port. In cases like these, you just have to connect the laptop directly to the input, without requiring adapters.

6. In the sound player

Practically the same as in the previous case and it’s a relatively simple procedure. Now, you should know that it works in some cases, but not in others. Especially it’s something practical when the USB connector is type C.

In any case, the audio player in most vehicles has USB ports, where pen drives are normally inserted to listen to music. Well, instead of connecting a storage drive, you’ll be plugging in your laptop.

7. Have a second battery

In case of really long trips, or in case you don’t have access to any of the previous methods, a good option is to have an additional battery. You only need to replace the battery once it’s dead, but of course, when the laptop is discharged, you won’t be able to do anything else.

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Important clarifications

One thing to keep in mind is that for these strategies to work, the car must be on all the time. You can make the electrical part of the vehicle work without having to turn it on completely, but this creates a problem.

When a car battery is used without the engine running, it discharges too quickly. Therefore, the best way to prevent vehicle battery failure is to have the car running.

This means that ideally, you should only charge the laptop when you are moving in the car.

In any case, we hope you will use these recommendations and find them useful.