[Jumper battery charging] Do i need to drive in order to charge the battery?

[Raf_Jumper]

Hello Everyone!


I am absolutely not knowledgeable with mecanics and cars.

I once owned an Opel Corsa in 1998 but since 2000 I do not have a car

This year I bought a "Citroën Jumper 2013 2.2HDI FG 35 L3H2 13"

I think that if I want to recharge my battery I have to drive a distance of about 100km/50miles, but is this still true with newer cars?

I know that some cars can charge their battery when the engine is idle, but I have no clue if it's the case for my jumper 2013? Can I let the engine idle for 1 hour to recharge the battery? or do I really have to drive 100km?



Thank you for the help!!!

[GiveMeABreak]

You really need to with recharge the battery with a battery charger or replace the battery if it's over 5 years old.

Idling the engine is not a good way to charge the battery and is not really allowed under the law to leave a vehicle idling unnecessarily. The vehicle will also be using current whilst charging, as well as using diesel.

So best charge the battery without the vehicle running.

[Raf_Jumper]

Thank you!

I think the battery is much less than 5 years old because the engine starts almost immediately

I want to work from the back of the van with my laptop and i wondered if it's possible to let the engine run idle in order to charge my laptop with an adaptor for the 12V lighter, at least when my laptop battery goes out of power

[GiveMeABreak]

Well it's better to plug the laptop in to charge when you're actually driving, so you're not idling the vehicle as it'll take at least an hour I'd expect to charge a laptop battery up.

[wheeler]

I think that if I want to recharge my battery I have to drive a distance of about 100km/50miles, but is this still true with newer cars?

I know that some cars can charge their battery when the engine is idle, but I have no clue if it's the case for my jumper 2013? Can I let the engine idle for 1 hour to recharge the battery? or do I really have to drive 100km?

Idling or driving won't really make much difference, the alternator output is limited/regulated anyway so when you rev the engine the output only goes up a little bit.
I would agree that a mains charger is a far better idea than just pointless driving.
How fast the battery charges up is massively dependent on the condition of the actual battery too.

[Raf_Jumper]

Thank you all !!!

[octinum]

The proper way, if you don't drive the car for long periods of time, is to get a charger and use that to charge the battery at home. I use a sub-$20 charger. It can supply 6 amps max, and it's good enough.

The reason they say you should drive is, idling is stupid unless it's a matter of life and death. Compare charging your laptop by running the car at idle with firing a surface-to-air missile just to light your cigarette. You throw the rest as pollution. Plus, the current that the alternator can generate depends on alternator revs. More revs, more current generation. Now, almost all modern cars have more than 3:1 crank-alternator pulley ratio (meaning the alternator rpm would be 3 times your engine rpm) so the difference is almost negligible for normal use. There may be applications where crank/alternator pulley ratio is much lower, where this claim makes sense.

If you really need that, get spare batteries either for your laptop or the car. Get a charger. Carry that battery in the trunk (watch for temperature!) and charge after use.