Laptop with car power inverter

Technology and Gaming Help and Support
#1

Hello!

I’ve tried searching the Internet and couldn’t find an answer to my question so I decided to ask here.

I have a power inverter for the car’s cigarette lighter and I am going to be hooking my laptop up. I know that using the laptop will increase gas usage while it’s hooked up (I won’t be driving while using my laptop :3).

However, let’s go into Hypothetical Land for a moment. Let’s say I were to go on a long road trip. Let’s also say that I were to use the laptop for the entire trip. Again, all hypothetical. Would doing this drain the battery?

I don’t know how the battery/gas consumption works in a car. Does the fuel charge the battery or what? I know it’ll drain the battery quickly if the engine is shut off, but let’s say I only left the laptop connected while the engine was running. Would the battery drain? Also, what are the consequences of doing this for extended periods of time?

Thanks! :slight_smile:

#2

When the car is running all of the power is coming from the alternator. This is why the battery in your car never runs out (with the exception of when it is very cold or old). Whenever the engine is on you are charging the battery and providing excess voltage that is used to run all of the systems components. The increased electrical strain on your system caused by charging a laptop would be astronomically small compared to other factors when calculating your gas millage.

#3

Yep, when you’ve started your car you can take the battery out and throw it away, all power comes from the alternator. That’s why your battery charges.

You could turn the alternator with your hand when nothing’s running, but as you load it by using your ancillaries it becomes harder and harder to turn. So the engine has to work harder to turn it, using more fuel.

If your battery did run flat you can either jump it or bump start it (unless you have an automatic, I know you Amercans like them :stuck_out_tongue: )

#4

Laptops don’t consume much power, I’m sure you would not notice the gas consumption difference. But to compensate stuff like this, drive more smoothly and switch to higher gear faster and more often. Actually you would save much more fuel that way than the fuel you lose because of your laptop!

#5

As long as your power inverter can supply the necessary wattage (not PEAK wattage, but constant wattage) for your laptop, and you use it while the engine is running, you won’t have any effect on the battery and you won’t use noticeably more gasoline than if you just left the engine running without a laptop plugged in. Firetime’s answer, as well as most of the others in this thread should explain this pretty well.

#6

Good economic driving advice. My fuel today was £1.26 per litre. For you Americans, that’s just over $9 a gallon

#7

Thanks, everyone, for the illuminating and educational posts. It was really helpful.

Also, taxi_evil, that last post of yours wasn’t really relevant to the conversation. If you’d like to discuss fuel prices, we can go to the Massdebating Hall. :slight_smile: [/SIZE]

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