- The Hidden Risks of an In-Car Phone Charge
- Best Practices: How to Charge Phone in Car Safely
- Buy a Good Car Charger Adapter
- Use Good Cables
- Timing is Everything: Start the Engine First
- The Impact of Temperature on Battery Health
- The Safest Alternative: A High-Performance Power Bank
- Common Car Charging Myths Debunked
- Myth: Car charging will break my phone right away.
- Myth: The car’s built-in USB port is the safest choice.
- Myth: You have to let your phone battery run out completely before you charge it.
- Conclusion
Are You Damaging Your Phone? The Right Way to Charge in a Car
- The Hidden Risks of an In-Car Phone Charge
- Best Practices: How to Charge Phone in Car Safely
- Buy a Good Car Charger Adapter
- Use Good Cables
- Timing is Everything: Start the Engine First
- The Impact of Temperature on Battery Health
- The Safest Alternative: A High-Performance Power Bank
- Common Car Charging Myths Debunked
- Myth: Car charging will break my phone right away.
- Myth: The car’s built-in USB port is the safest choice.
- Myth: You have to let your phone battery run out completely before you charge it.
- Conclusion
Charging the phone on the move is quite popular these days. It is quite convenient, and it makes us stay connected on the move. But have you ever thought if it is detrimental to the phone's battery? The mode of charging the phone on the move greatly matters. This manual will discuss the demerits of charging on the move. It will also show the appropriate ways of maintaining the health of the phone's battery on the move.
The Hidden Risks of an In-Car Phone Charge
It might sound like a very safe action to charge the phone in the car, but it can cause some problem that harms the phone's battery in the long term. The voltage of the car is completely different from the steady voltage that is supplied by a wall socket inside the house.
The main problem is that the electrical supply is unstable. A car's power comes from the alternator, which is run by the engine. The voltage it produces can fluctuate as your engine speed fluctuates, and also when accessories such as headlights or the radio get activated. It provides the "dirty power" that will slowly harm your phone. A sudden jump or drop in power is often small, but it can slowly wear out the battery after many charges.
In addition, not many built-in car USB outlets are very good. Very few were designed with charging, let alone proper charging, in mind. Very few provide a high level of power, which is typically just 0.5 amps. Going that slowly, it can take more than four hours just to charge a high-end phone completely. This very slow charging makes your phone battery remain in the charging mode for an extended period of time, which generates constant heat and is not good on the battery health.
Best Practices: How to Charge Phone in Car Safely
You know the risks now. The solution is to use good habits and the right tools. Following these tips will lower the chance of damage and ensure you have a safe and good phone charge in the car.
Buy a Good Car Charger Adapter
The one thing that is more than handy to do is avoid the cheap adapters that can be purchased at service stations. You will require a high quality motoring charger that can be plugged into the 12V car socket. Get chargers that have quality brand names on them. These will usually be safety certified as UL, CE, or FCC. These ratings simply mean that the adapter will have protections from excessive voltage, excessive current, and overheating.
When shopping, make sure to seek out an adapter that has more than two charging ports. This will come in handy if you have riders or if you need to charge something else. Also, check the box it came with or the charger itself for the words "PD" (Power Delivery) or "QC" (Quick Charge). These will show that the charger is built to accommodate today's fast-charging phone. A quality charger will also usually be robust and relatively heavy, which usually shows that it has better internal construction to protect your phone.
Use Good Cables
A bad cable can make your whole charging setup bad. A worn-out, broken, or cheap charging cable cannot handle the power from a good adapter, often because the wires inside are too thin. This slows down charging a lot, and it can also be dangerous because the cable can get very hot. You should never use a cable that is visibly frayed or has wires showing near the ends. You should always try to use the cable that came with your phone, as it was designed to work perfectly with your device. Or, you can buy a certified cable from another company (look for "MFi-Certified" for Apple phones). These cables are made correctly to handle faster charging safely, and their connectors will fit snugly into your phone, which helps create a stable connection.
Timing is Everything: Start the Engine First
A car's engine needs a big burst of power to start. This can make the power level in the car's system jump up. If your phone is plugged in then, it can get hit by that power surge. This can damage your phone.
To stop this from happening, you should make it a habit to start your car before you plug in your phone. Also, it's a good idea to unplug your phone before you turn the engine off. This simple step makes sure your device is only plugged in when the car's power is steady.
The Impact of Temperature on Battery Health
Heat is the biggest enemy of lithium-ion batteries. A car can get very hot inside, especially when it's parked in the sun. The temperature inside a car can get much higher than the safe temperature for most phones.
Charging a battery makes its own heat. When it is also hot in the car, this makes the battery get worse faster. This can permanently lower how much charge your battery can hold. Don't leave your phone charging on the dashboard where the sun can hit it. You should put it in a shady, cool spot like a cup holder or a mount on an air vent.
The Safest Alternative: A High-Performance Power Bank
If you want the best protection for your phone, the best solution is to put something between your device and the car's power. A good power bank is perfect for this. Don't plug your phone right into the car. Instead, you can charge the power bank from the car's 12V socket. Then, the power bank will give a clean and steady charge to your phone.
This method keeps your phone completely safe from any power changes or electrical problems from the car. For power you can trust on the go, the EcoFlow RAPID Pro Power Bank gives you big capacity and smart power to safely charge any device. It works like a middleman and makes sure your phone only gets clean power.
Common Car Charging Myths Debunked
There are many wrong ideas about charging. Let's fix some of these wrong ideas about charging your phone in the car.
Myth: Car charging will break my phone right away.
Fact: This can happen in bad cases with a bad charger, but the damage is usually slow. It's the repeated stress from bad power and heat over time that hurts the battery.
Myth: The car’s built-in USB port is the safest choice.
Fact: This is usually not true. Like we said before, these ports are often weak and give a slow charge. A good adapter in the 12V socket is almost always a better and faster option for new phones.
Myth: You have to let your phone battery run out completely before you charge it.
Fact: That was a rule for old batteries. New batteries work best when they are kept between 20% and 80% charge. Charging them a little bit often is better for their long-term health than letting them die completely.
Conclusion
Learning how to charge phone in car safely is not hard. If you buy good chargers and cables, watch out for heat, and use good habits like plugging in after the car starts, you can get rid of almost all the risks. For the best protection and ease, using a power bank as a go-between is the best way. These easy steps will make sure your device stays charged without hurting its battery long-term. Need a great charging partner? The EcoFlow RAPID Pro Power Bank is made for fast, safe power no matter where you go.