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Car charger question

chris l

chris l

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I have a spare car parked on the drive, used occasionally.

I believe that there are chargers able to charge the car battery by connection through the cigarette lighter socket

I have a couple of power pack units and I was wondering if there's a lighter socket adaptor, or if anybody has experience of a suitable power pack unit,
preferably a smart unit to keep the battery topped up.

Alternatively, any solar panel that would plug into the cigarette lighter to keep it topped up?
 
I'm not an automotive electrician - but I would imagine the cigar lighter would need to be live when the vehicle is switched off in order to charge the battery.
All the cars I've had in the last 10 years isolate the cigar lighter when the ignition is off.
(Some cars have additional accessory sockets in the boot for example - these are probably more likely to be fed directly from the battery)

Of course it's very simple and cheap to add your own somewhere in the vehicle with a direct connection to the battery - it's what I've done to my motorcycle.
 
I had a Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid which would suffer a flat 12V battery if left for much more that a week(a known problem with some hybrids) so I bought a NOCO GB40 booster pack, it was dead easy to use and would start the car despite the flat battery. It was powerful enough to start a 2.3l diesel motorhome too.
 
There's a lot of choice and it'smostly Chinese and the quality is variable. If you want something to keep the battery topped up and in good condition then I can reccomend the Optimate, I used one on my bikes but they will manage a car just as well. They aren't the cheapest but I would say the best. They come, or at least did, with a socket which you can leave permanently attached to the battery and just plug in the charger when the car is going to stand for a while.
 
The battery for my car is in the boot. I park it suitably and connect the charger directly to the battery. I put the boot on the first click and lock the car.
 
To be honest, you'd be far better off just buying a decent modern charger with a trickle function. And a USB power bank type jump starter just incase you need it.

I've tried plugging a small solar panel into the fuse box and to be honest it's absolutely naff.
 
As above sockets in the car are normally only live with the ignition on.

A mains powered maintenance charger is the best bet, but assuming that's not an option parked on the drive some sort of solar trickle charger would probably work.

Depending on what the car is a battery isolator could also be an option instead.

I have four vehicles that aren't daily drivers (an old car, a ride-on mower, and two tractors) and they've all got flyleads attached to the battery terminals to attach a mains charger.
 
Thanks for all the contributions; I need to establish whether the lighter socket stays live!

My options are a bit limited, as it's a Smart and the battery is under the passengers feet, behind a styrene block....

I might run another direct, fused, socket to somewhere easily accessible...
 
chris l said:
Thanks for all the contributions; I need to establish whether the lighter socket stays live!

My options are a bit limited, as it's a Smart and the battery is under the passengers feet, behind a styrene block....

I might run another direct, fused, socket to somewhere easily accessible...
Click to expand...

On my motorcycle/s I fit short cables directly to the terminals of the battery permanently, Optimate charger will then plug onto these cables - no bodywork in the way on a bike of course but possibly a charger cable would fit through the door aperture even with the door shut?
 
Check the fuse box, if there is one inside the car, find a permanently connected one and buy a piggy pack fuse block, that should give you the battery side.
Example item on the bay 134724525775
Then connect to the chassis and you have -/+ via a fuse, and if you are using a solar that can stay connected (provided the panel is small enough to not stress battery, or has a charge controller)
 
chris l said:
I have a spare car parked on the drive, used occasionally.

I believe that there are chargers able to charge the car battery by connection through the cigarette lighter socket

I have a couple of power pack units and I was wondering if there's a lighter socket adaptor, or if anybody has experience of a suitable power pack unit,
preferably a smart unit to keep the battery topped up.

Alternatively, any solar panel that would plug into the cigarette lighter to keep it topped up?
Click to expand...
If it is relatively modern it will have an OBD (onboard diagnostics) socket somewhere under the dashboard. I have a solar charger that connects using that, I think a lot of solar chargers can be connected that way.
I use one of these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AC1LLQY?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

Cheers
Don
 
chris l said:
That's a brilliant idea!
Does that precise unit plug into the OBD port, I can't tell from Amazon's spiel?

Yes it does. Ordered, thank you..
Click to expand...

Convenient to use, but a very low charge rate (2.4W means under 0.2A, even in direct sun). This will help offset parasitic drain / self discharge to some extent (anything is better than nothing), but it's way below normal permanent trickle charging (1A or so).
 
Byronic said:
On my motorcycle/s I fit short cables directly to the terminals of the battery permanently, Optimate charger will then plug onto these cables - no bodywork in the way on a bike of course but possibly a charger cable would fit through the door aperture even with the door shut?
Click to expand...

Yup I use a wall-mounted Accumate on my old car - they supply a flylead with ring terminals that the battery clamp bolts go through. The battery is now 22 years old and still going strong so it has paid for itself many times over (never mind the convenience of having a fully charged battery at all times!). The battery is behind a trim panel in the boot:

AccuMate 3.webp


AccuMate 2.webp


Ctek provide similar leads - I fitted those to my tractors.

This all relies on having mains power of course.
 
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