Batteryless Jump Starter: Pint-Sized Power that Packs a Punch
When you find yourself on the side of the road or in a parking lot with a dead battery, having a jump pack at the ready can come in handy. While everyday battery-powered jump packs may work great, they require lengthy charge times to remain powered up, and they’re big and bulky. Today’s batteryless options offer the same power to start your vehicle in a substantially smaller package. They also require far less charge time to get you back on the road. Here’s a look at some of the benefits of a batteryless jump starter.
Smaller Pack, More Power
Batteryless packs are so much smaller in size due to their complete lack of a battery. Instead of large, heavy lead acid batteries or even space-consuming lithium ones, a batteryless jump pack uses a series of ultra capacitors to start your car. Solid-state capacitors are smaller and lighter and can discharge at higher amperage, so they pack quite a punch for something so small.
Capacitors use another power source to charge and then release all of their energy in one burst. By using a string of ultra capacitors, these tiny packs can generate as much as 300 amps at 12 volts, which is more than enough to start your car right away. Note that most of these units are designed for use with modern 12 volt systems, and should not be used with older 6 volt charging systems.
Faster Charge Times
With a batteryless jump starter, you won’t be traveling around with your jump pack charged up. It only needs to charge on your car’s nearly dead battery in order to jump it. As long as your battery has enough voltage to power the headlights dimly, it can charge the batteryless pack. After a few minutes, it’ll be ready to go.
What do you do if your car’s battery is completely dead? Rather than asking for a jump, you can plug a batteryless jump pack onto another person’s car battery. If no one is around, you can always charge the batteryless pack by plugging it into a wall outlet. Once it’s charged from the outlet, you’ll be ready to jump your car and be on your way.
A dead battery is a common breakdown issue that nearly everyone encounters at some point. While a set of jumper cables or a battery-powered jump starter can get the job done, they take up a lot of room in your car and can be heavy. Batteryless jump packs provide enough juice for your jump in a package that weighs far less and can fit easily in your glove box or wheel well.
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Erich Reichert View All
Erich Reichert has been an editor and on-air personality in the radio control car hobby for 12 years. A certified car nut since birth, he has written for internationally published titles such as RC Car Action, RC Driver and Xtreme RC Cars, as well as Stuff Magazine, Road and Track and Super Street. He's covered everything from product reviews and tech articles to high-profile lifestyle pieces and celebrity interviews. Erich found his passion for writing after a successful career as an art director, working with brands such as Pepsico, NASCAR, MTV, Nintendo, WWE, Cannondale Bicycles and HBO. He's also a father, an avid hockey fan and an FIA race license holder who enjoys hiking, playing drums and movies.
My question is whether any of there lithium ion “jump starters” are safe to use on a 6 volt battery?
Unless otherwise spelled out in the user manual, most batteryless jump starters are rated for use with 12 volt systems only.