by Gabrielle DeSantis

We’ve all been on the giving or receiving end of a jump start at some point in our lives. Sometimes you’re stranded in a parking lot hoping some good samaritan will come along. Other times you are the good samaritan with a handy pair of jumper cables. But chances are you’ve jumped or been jumped by a gasoline car. Electric vehicles make things a bit more complicated since the entire car is also the battery. Is it possible to jump start a gas powered car using an electric car, and can they jump start you?

Can you jump-start a gasoline car using an electric vehicle?

The short answer? No, you can’t. If you’re just looking for advice, there it is. But if you’re curious as to why then take a seat, because you technically can jump-start a car with an EV, but definitely shouldn’t.

For starters, it’s important to understand that electric cars and gas cars both have 12-volt batteries in them, but they’re used for very different reasons. The 12-volt battery in a gas car powers the starter motor, which takes a lot of juice. But the 12 volt battery in electric cars simply has to “switch on” the car and power your onboard equipment. Specifically, the sensors that monitor your lithium-ion battery pack.

Analyzing the charge and range of your electric car takes significantly less power than actually starting a gasoline car. Before starter motors there were physical cranks that had to be turned with so much force, people would often break their wrists trying to start the car. That’s why the 12-volt batteries in electric cars are typically smaller than the ones in gas cars.

And many electric car owner’s manuals explicitly state that jumping another car using your EV can cause damage and void warranties. And while some people might do it in a dire emergency, it’s best to keep your EV away from jumper cables.

Can you jump-start an electric vehicle using a gasoline car?

Now let’s flip the script for a moment and ask the opposite question: can you jumpstart an electric car? And yes, the 12-volt battery in electric cars can die. And no, you can’t jumpstart an electric car to give it extra range. In fact, according to Kelley Blue Book, you should never try to jump your car’s lithium-ion batteries. But if the 12 volt battery in your electric car ends up dead, most gasoline cars on the road today can give you a jump.

The process of jump-starting your electric car doesn’t differ all that much from jump-starting a gasoline car. The order you clamp the jumper cables in doesn’t change either. The way I like to remember it is: Red to Dead, Red to Alive, Black to alive, Black to dead. It’s easy because Red to Dead rhymes, but be sure you put it on the positive terminal of the dead battery first, then the positive terminal of the charged battery, then the negative terminal of the alive battery, and finally, the negative terminal of the dead battery.

And after your EV starts up again, take off the clamps in the reverse order (Black to Dead, Black to Alive, Red to Alive, Red to Dead). You never want to cross your jumper cables, which can be dangerous for both the cars and you.

How to prevent dead batteries in the first place

All these complicated issues could be prevented if the battery didn’t die in the first place. Of course, all car batteries will bite the bullet, getting old and deteriorated as time goes by. But there are simple measures you can take to keep your car’s battery healthy and alive.

The most overlooked problem is the interior cabin lights. We’ve all forgotten, so here’s another friendly reminder to turn those off when you’re done. Unplugging your USBs, even if they’re not charging anything, is also a good practice. Not only does it keep the battery safe, but having chargers and electronics lying around the car makes it a more lucrative target for thieves. Don’t give them any incentive to break in.

And if your battery is starting to die, you’ll surely notice. It’ll take longer for the engine to crank or electrics to whirr to life. Your headlights may flicker and dim. Even your car horn may sound quieter. Consider purchasing a 12-volt battery tester, that way you never find yourself stranded and can jump on replacing the battery before it becomes a problem. But for the safety of you and your car, never use an EV to jumpstart a car, even if it seems like the nice thing to do.

RELATED: How You Know Your Car Battery Is Really Dead?

The post Can You Jump Start a Car Using an Electric Vehicle? appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has changed life for many people, including approaching car safety. For over a year, everyone in America wore masks, worked from home, and only traveled when necessary. It appears that while we’re slowly getting back to normal, many people are still choosing to stay at home.

The coronavirus pandemic caused a lot of cutbacks

Anyone who chose to travel during the coronavirus pandemic noticed a drastic drop in traffic. Many people wanted to stay home, while others didn’t have a choice but to head out. Holidays didn’t happen for many families in 2020 as many remained in quarantine and could only see their family over apps such as Zoom and FaceTime. Even everyday travel came to a standstill. With businesses like movie theaters and restaurants closed down, many towns and cities suddenly found themselves looking like ghost towns. 

In an unusual twist, some people who did have the option to work from home decided to buy a camper and hit the road. In fact, it’s still difficult to buy a camper due to the insanely high demand, and some people are actually traveling to Canada to buy one.

However, not everyone had that option or chose to spend time at home with their loved ones. Just how much did the travel drop during the coronavirus pandemic? The AAA did a study, and here’s what it found.

Travel came to a standstill during the coronavirus pandemic

The AAA Newsroom stated, “While the dramatic change in traffic patterns was widely noted last year, new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s New American Driving Survey (2020) provides compelling month-by-month data that examines the types of trips and the characteristics of the people who altered their driving habits. According to the research, the average number of all daily personal car trips plunged 45% in April 2020 and 40% for trips by all modes of transportation combined.”

So, as it turns out, traffic slowed down more than we thought, though it wasn’t quite 50%. To break that down a little further, AAA reports that day trips were cut back from 3.7 in April 2019 to 2.2 in April 2020. 

It comes as no surprise to learn that the biggest group to cut back on travel was those over 65. They had the highest risk of catching the coronavirus. Plus, the fact that many were already retired made it an easy decision. However, the real surprise was that young people between the age of 16-24 cut back on travel. This is the age when people are learning to drive, taking their first road trip with friends, and backpacking across Europe. That they chose to remain close to home spoke volumes about the true impact of Covid-19 on travel.

Things aren’t back to normal yet

As eager as we all are for things to return to normal, that hasn’t quite happened yet. While the spread of coronavirus is slowing down thanks to people getting vaccinated, it’s still being spread. Hospitalizations seem to be down, at least for the moment, as many people are venturing out.

However, this doesn’t mean that things are pre-pandemic levels yet. Many people have gotten used to staying at home and have found that cooking for themselves isn’t nearly as bad as they thought. Still, others have found that streaming a Disney movie at home is much cheaper than going to the theater.

Things probably won’t stay like this forever. For those who hate rush hour traffic and all the scary driving habits of others, the thought of having to live through that again will doubtless bring a sense of dismay. For the rest of us who are eager to hit the road again, it’s welcome news.

RELATED: A Shocking Amount of People Died in Traffic During COVID-19 Lockdowns

The post Yeah, We Figured: Driving in America Dropped by Nearly Half During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic appeared first on MotorBiscuit.