Do Car Batteries Recharge Themselves?

Batteries are one of the main areas of concern for most car owners who are conscientious about ensuring their vehicles remain in perfect running condition.

Vehicle owners often have a lot of questions related to taking good care of their vehicle's battery. One such question that opens a discussion on the topic is “do car batteries recharge themselves?” If they do, then how do they do it.

As battery experts, BPZ is here to assist and spread information about batteries so that our customers can better understand them and take proper care of them.

So let us address this query, as well as the topics related to it.

Do car batteries recharge themselves?

While the main responsibility of a vehicle battery is to provide the starting current needed to start the car, it is also responsible for powering all the other electrical components of the car, such as the headlights and the radio.

The short answer to this question is 'no'. Vehicle batteries do not recharge themselves, the alternator recharges the battery.

The frequent use of a battery causes it to discharge whilst it is in use but when we drive our cars, the alternator recharges the battery and compensates for the power lost during the discharge.

What's required to recharge your car battery?

The main requirement for a battery to recharge, is to use the vehicle regularly and preferably over longer distances. This will allow your car battery to be recharged by the alternator.

What could cause my car battery to not recharge?

If a car remains parked for long durations or is only ever driven for short distances then the car battery may not get the chance to recharge properly. As a result, one could experience a scenario where the battery discharges completely. Such an occurrence can also happen in extreme cold weather conditions, or if one leaves the car lights on by mistake. Another scenario that could lead to a dead battery is a failing alternator. In that case, even if the vehicle is being driven regularly over reasonable distances, the battery could still end up in a drained state.

What should I do if my car battery drains completely?

If your car battery is completely drained, it will require external help to recharge it. One approach is to jumpstart the battery. If you do this then it is advised to take the vehicle to a professional battery technician for an inspection.

The basics to jump-starting a car

1. Make sure both cars are turned off.

2. Connect one end of the red (positive) jumper cable to the positive terminal on the stalled battery.

3. Connect the other red (positive) cable to the positive terminal of the good battery.

4. Connect one end of the black (negative) jumper cable to the negative terminal of the good battery.

5. Connect the other black (negative) cable to a clean, unpainted metal surface under the disabled car’s bonnet. Somewhere on the engine block is good,do not connect the Negative cable to the negative terminal of the dead battery to prevent sparking and possible explosion due to flammable gases

6. Start the car that’s doing the jumping; run for 2 to 3 minutes before starting dead car.

7. Remove cables in reverse order.

8. Keep jumped car running for at least 30 minutes to give battery sufficient time to recharge.

It's then recommended that the car is taken to the nearest BPZ so we can inspect it and give it a proper charge. The jumpstart process is normally successful if there is some residual charge left in the battery.

Car battery chargers for batteries with no residual charge

In the absence of any residual charge, providing the battery has not remained flat for more than a couple of days, the only way to recharge the battery is to fully charge it using a smart battery charger. One can find a good quality charger from a reliable brand like CTEK and use it to charge the battery.

These chargers can be used to maintain car batteries by keeping them in a fully charged state. Over-charging of the battery does not occur due to the charger's built-in mechanism which monitors the charge level and stops charging once it reaches 100%.

For all your car battery needs visit a BPZ today.