If you use your laptop in car, you will know the importance of knowing how to charge a laptop in car. The most common ways to charge a laptop in a car is by using the car inverter, a type-C USB cord or a car laptop charger.
You cannot afford to keep your laptop discharged, especially if you come from the medical industry including nursing students.
Moreover, if you use laptops for trading or simply carry your laptop with you all time, like me, you will understand the need to know how to charge your laptop in a car.
This guide will answer all your queries about ways you can charge your laptop in a car.
Ways to Charge Laptop In Car
The first and most common answer I give when asked how to charge laptop in a car is to use the car inverter. Apart from this, you may get a laptop car adapter or simply use the type-C USB port to charge your laptop.
Before I explain the steps required to charge your laptop in car, you must note that cars use DC energy while laptops require Alternating Current flow to charge.
Hence you cannot directly use just any charger to charge your laptop; else, it will damage your device significantly.
Fact Box: Do you know how many watts does a laptop use? A standard laptop’s wattage can range between 50W-300W, depending on its usage and load.
Let us look at each way in further detail:
1) Use Car Inverter
Car inverters are the best and most common tool used for charging your laptop in car. They are a cheap and long-lasting solution. They are easy to use and come with multiple plug-in options. As a drawback, they are bulky.
Here is how to use a car inverter to charge a laptop in car –
Step1: Begin by connecting the Car inverter to the car’s mobile charging plug.
Step2: Plug in the laptop’s charger to the car inverter.
Step3: Connect the laptop with its charger.
And, that is it. Your laptop is now charging, and you can continue with your work without worries.
2) Get a Laptop Adapter
Another easy and efficient way to charge your laptop in your car is via a laptop charger or adapter. It will work just like a mobile charging adapter, but for a laptop.
They are very handy and convenient to place in your car. A laptop adapter can come in variations or in combination with multiple input cords. This gives you an extra edge to use multiple devices with one adapter.
3) Charge your Laptop with the C-type USB Port
If your laptop has a type C charging port, you may be the luckiest. Many cars today come with an in-built C-type plug-in that supports charging laptops.
So all you need is to connect your type-C charging cable and then plug it into your laptop and continue charging.
Yes, that is all you need. However, always remember to carry the Type C cable with you.
4) Keep a Power Bank Backup
Power banks are acceptable means of charging laptops with a Type-C charging portal. They, however, are the slowest option of all and won’t be efficient for long.
You must follow these steps while using a power bank:
Step1: Switch on the power bank and connect the type-C USB to it.
Step2: Attach the other end of the cord to the charging portal of your laptop.
Remember, it is best to leave the laptop to charge for a while if you are using a power bank. As continuing to work with such a low power supply will damage both the laptop and the power bank while draining more battery than it is charging.
FAQs on Charging Laptop in a Car
Charging a laptop in a car will only drain the battery if the car is at rest. If the car is moving, no battery drain will occur.
Usually, it is safe to charge laptop in a car for a considerable amount of time. If you are doing small chunks of tasks, unlike gaming, downloading heavy files, streaming, etc., it is safe to charge your laptop in car.
You can charge your laptop for 8-10 hours, and still your car will be sufficiently charged to take you places. It is so because a car engine has the power of 600 Watt-hours while a standard laptop uses around 60-80 Watts.
If you use the cigarette lighter without starting the engine for a very long time or forget to turn it off after use, it will drain battery from your laptop.
Conclusion
The best way to charge your laptop in car is either using a car inverter or a laptop adapter. However, leaving your engine off while charging for too long can harm your car. It is best to switch it on for some time, for every 30 to 120 minutes.
Now keep charging your laptop while having a nice ride!
