Automotive Minute: Giving your Vehicle a Boost
By Bob Brown Dual RSE, HEV, Professor, Motive Power Technician
What does ‘boosting a vehicle” mean? Can it be done on my car?
Boosting a vehicle, also commonly referred to as jumping or jump starting, all refer to a vehicle with a dead battery. It could be caused by leaving the vehicle’s lights on or other devices that drain power, but most often it is due to a bad battery.
Today’s newer vehicles have a battery run-down feature that will shut off interior or headlights left on after the vehicle is turned off to protect the battery. The most common causes of a dead battery or a battery with not enough power to start are a worn-out battery or a vehicle that has been parked for too long without being started.
Batteries typically last 3 to 5 years. But some vehicles left parked for a long period of time, like 30 days, can drain the battery as well. A little side note about batteries, sometimes they warn you before they fail. For example, a car will crank or turn over slower than usual. Still, other times, completely out of the blue, they will just die without warning.
How do I know if I need a boost?
In most cases, you come back to your vehicle, sit down and turn the key/push the button as usual, but nothing happens, or you hear a clicking sound, and the engine won’t turn over. At this point, you need a boost (a boost of energy from a good battery) to help your weak battery. Once the vehicle starts, the charging system will take over, and you can drive. This one event indicates that you need your battery and charging system tested. Often, when you shut the vehicle off again, it likely won’t start.
Can I give someone a boost / Can my car even be boosted?
Without getting into a lot of details, if you drive an EV you CANNOT boost a non-EV vehicle as you would damage the electronics on the EV system and lead to an expensive repair.
If your vehicle has a gas or diesel engine you can boost anyone with some generic precautions.
If you drive a Hybrid or Plug In Hybrid you would need to verify in the owners manual if you can boost another vehicle, often it’s the same as an EV.
Why you can’t boost with an EV?
The battery in a modern EV is much smaller than the one in an engine-powered vehicle.
A traditional car/truck uses a large 12Volt battery that puts out tremendous power for its size, while the EV only needs a small battery to ‘turn on’ the larger battery, which powers the car.
Also, while some EV’s use a small 12Volt battery, some have higher voltage batteries, some Tesla’s use a 16V battery and the Cybertruck uses a 48V battery so they cannot be used to boost anything!
If my car is able to boost or be boosted, what is the process?
For some people, the only real option is to call the CAA/tow truck and have them come out to boost you. For those with booster cables or someone who stops to help with their own, the process is relatively simple.
Often, the best place to verify where and how to boost will be listed in your vehicle's owner’s manual; it will include details on how to boost safely, with pictures on where and how to do it.
Money Saving Tip: For those that don’t have CAA or booster cables and or can’t rely on a Good Samaritan to come along, you can purchase a small portable booster pack like a NOCO GB140, at places like Canadian Tire or online. They are a GREAT portable booster, these little devices can boost your car, truck, boat, tractor etc. For the price, they are cheaper than paying for a tow truck and no waiting hours for a boost. These devices hold their charge for up to a year and can be stored in your glove box.
Have an automotive topic or question you'd like to see covered in another episode of Automotive Minute? Reach out to bob.brown@mohawkcollege.ca
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