The laptops are a portable option to carry around and quite feasible for outdoor use, the fun fact is you can also take the machine with you for trips and holidays, however, the charging is the biggest issue for many while traveling in the car.
Over the years technology has grown a lot and we have many opportunities to charge laptops without a charger, if you travel a lot then you must have questions in your mind either Can you charge laptop in a car our quick answer is below.
Additionally, you must know those effective ways that help you to keep away from the headache of charging, in this article we are also going to discuss How to charge a laptop in a car.
Moreover, there are a few methods you can apply before going for a long ride and you can easily plug the laptop into the car without charging brick so let’s understand tips and tricks usable in your car.
Can you charge laptop in a car?
Yes, you can charge a laptop in the car, there are many ways to charge your laptop in the car while traveling you just have to determine your preferred preference and you need to disburse on equipment, like the accessories such as an inverter, power bank, USB port, etc.
Besides you do not need all of them anyone can do your job, however, battery charging in the right way is essential for device longevity and safety we will cover everything, and read more about how to charge a laptop in a car.
Also Read: Why my laptop battery draining so fast
How to charge laptop in car?
1. Charge the laptop with a Power bank
We all aware of the power bank and its benefit to charging up equipment’s on the go, be it tablet or mobile yet not many know that this small tool can be used for charging a laptop’s battery.
However, Power banks that are usable for mobiles are not compatible with this method and it’s not recommended to try it on a computer.
As laptops require more power so ideally, you need a power bank with a minimum of 12v to 19v power overall laptop battery uses a wattage of around 50watts yet you can manage 40-45watts.
However, a few challenges you can face while implementing this like charging up to 40watts power bank would be very slower than usual, so you need to be specific while taking a final decision on the power bank.
Additionally, before purchasing a power bank, you also need to check if your laptop has USB type C or thunderbolt support, as you have to connect the power bank with either one of them to start charging overall it’s a very effective method for how to charge laptop with car?
Some of the best laptop power banks in the market are Baseus Power Bank with 65W 20000mAh and Krisdonia 50000mAh Laptop Power Bank.
Both are very affordable and easy to use on laptops, and also optimal for use with other electronics accessories, lastly during traveling always keep the power bank fully charged.
Also Read: How to charge laptop with HDMI
2. Laptop Charge with USB port
This is the most effective tip on “how to charge laptop in the car” all you need to ensure, the device includes a USB type C port and also check either car has a USB facility.
Most likely your vehicle must have USB support however there’re chances older laptops may not have USB type C ports.
This is essential to complete the connecting procedure, for instance, if both have USB ports then all needed is a connectable USB type C wire.
It is easily available in the market at a very affordable budget, just get one and connect that’s it, it is done laptop is ready to charge for unstoppable working.
3. Charge the laptop with an Inverter
Don’t have USB type C ports to follow the above techniques, no worries you can still charge a laptop in a car.
The tool you need is your laptop’s charger and most importantly car power inverter you must include to charge up the machine.
The good thing is power inverters for cars are not that costly you can get the top quality device for 25 to 50 dollars.
It’s essential to adapt the car’s Direct energy (DC) power to Alternating Current (AC), this will sort out the issue of converting DC to AC current and makes it compatible to charge the laptop.
However, the process is easy yet at the beginning, it’s confusing, and can make mistakes, first join the wire of the inverter with the available mobile charging slot in your car.
And following you just have to attach the laptop original charger with the inverters chargers, read more below about how to connect the laptop charger in the car.
Now connect the laptop charging slot with the remaining side of the connection of the laptop charger.
That is it you are done and the laptop starts to charge immediately however check once, and if any issue occurs follow the steps again.
4. Use a car laptop charger
This is another method you can employ to charge your laptop without using the USB port of your car, it works pretty effectively for those who are not having the latest features in their car with a USB connection.
However, it is tricky as well like choosing low-quality laptop car chargers can harm the durability of the device.
The charger for a laptop in the car is very economical in budget thus it’s the most affordable option, suggest you get a compatible charger that connects the laptop’s power source easily, now attach the laptop with a connecting source to your car so that you are done with attaching.
5. Use Adaptor to charge the laptop:
If none of the above sounds interesting or feasible to charge a laptop in a car then an adaptor is for you, not difficult at all, and a not risky method.
Join the adaptor USB type C port to the existing source in your car and connect it to the laptop, and the machine starts charging,
The adaptor is a user-friendly tool to take with you anywhere you go, it fits into a backpack easily, and reads more about charging laptops from the car.
Can You Charge a Laptop with a Car Cigarette Lighter?
It’s not suitable to charge a laptop directly to the car cigarette lighter, you need a few pieces of equipment to connect your device through the lighter socket.
Overall, it is possible through an inverter or car laptop charger as these both allow you to join sockets with Cigarette Lighter.
However, the socket equipped with 12v power is suitable to give your machine enough resources to charge the laptop yet the battery takes a long time to get full due to the lower power source.
Does using a cigarette lighter drain the battery?
This is depending on how your car operates modern vehicles offer you much better functionality and yes, it’s true once you shut down the car, immediately cigarette lighter stops operating.
However, charging the laptop is not a very power-hungry process yet avoid working on the laptop while charging in the car, as it can use more power at the same time your car battery can drain a lot quicker.
Additionally, keep checking the laptop battery and avoid overusing the socket especially if the car does not have an automatic shut-off function, also try to charge the device when the engine is on and not closed.
How long will a car battery power a laptop?
On average, the battery supports over 3-5 hours of backup easily however a lot relies on laptop wattage usage and of course what type of work you do on your device, tasks like gaming, editing videos, designing, and rendering easts up a lot of battery life.
Typically 45 watts machine ensures a little over 4 hours of battery power, whereas a 65watts laptop supports around 4.5 to 6 hours.
How do I charge my MacBook in my car?
The Apple Macbook usually delivers a pretty long battery life above 12-15 hours on normal use, yet if you traveling for holidays you need to charge at some point.
I do not recommend charging macs with an inverter rather you should buy a car charger that is specially designed for charging Macbook models you can contact apple stores and customer services to know more about car chargers.
Is it safe to charge a laptop in the car?
The short answer is yes charging a laptop is safe in your car, yet you must use the right sources to charge especially while using an inverter or power bank, overall car charging won’t damage the machine.
How to charge a laptop with another laptop?
This is not recommended to charge the laptop battery with another laptop as the functionality of every laptop is different, and the process is time-consuming as well.
So a better way to charge your machine with other methods ideally using the original adaptor is always safe and also charges the laptop pretty quickly.
Will charging a laptop in a car drain battery?
Yes, it can drain your car battery faster especially if you charging your laptop while the car engine is off therefore suggestion is always to charge it while the car is operating.
The best way to charge it is with a car inverter and if your vehicle has a cigarette socket then it’s even better, also you need to carefully choose the right adaptor to attach the car inverter but make sure your car is in movement while applying the procedure.
Final words:
In this article we have discussed how can you charge laptop in a car with the best 5 techniques you can follow to charge a laptop while traveling.
Overall I always recommend using a laptop’s original charger yet occasionally its fine to try different ways to charge it especially if you have no other resources.
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