gouthro2002
New Member
12 volt lithium 100ah battery charging from cigarette lighter. Can i do it?
Charging lithium battery from car
- Thread starter gouthro2002
- Start date
Ampster
Renewable Energy Hobbyist
It all depends on the voltages on the cigarette receptacle and the Lithium battery voltage. Different Lithium batteries have different voltages, so you need to measure some voltages or you might charge the wrong battery. Also if the voltages are a lot different the Amps flowing may be too much for the fuse on the receptacle and blow the fuse.
photon_trap
New Member
Sure, output will be limited to 10 amps or so. You just have to find a charger with 12v input, such as :
https://www.impulseelectronics.com/automotive-dc-12-volt-to-14-6-volt-lithium-battery-charger/
A better approach would definitely be to ditch the cig lighter, hard wire it using appropriate wire gauge
and a more capable connector like an Anderson otherwise you could EASILY reduce your vehicle
to a pile of ashes. This is no joke.
https://www.impulseelectronics.com/automotive-dc-12-volt-to-14-6-volt-lithium-battery-charger/
A better approach would definitely be to ditch the cig lighter, hard wire it using appropriate wire gauge
and a more capable connector like an Anderson otherwise you could EASILY reduce your vehicle
to a pile of ashes. This is no joke.
gouthro2002
New Member
Remember, i am writing in the Beginners Forum! I dont want to reduce the car to ashes. Anyway, i am not using the battery to run a fridge or anything like that. I just want to take advantage of charging it while I am driving. It is for a trolling motor. I will look at what the charger and battery say and see if it will work. The cigarette lighter, i think, in my situation might be the best choice.
Thanks joe
Thanks joe
gouthro2002
New Member
I will post a picture of my equipment. Maybe that will help
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gouthro2002
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I looked at my parts and it is not the charger that is 5A, i think, but the inverter that fits into the cigerette lighter. So, i need a larger inverter, i guess
You can’t pull more than 10A @12V from a cigar plug.
A Victron Orion 18A might work. Has to be wired in with fuses and a connector - an anderson as mentioned is a good option.
Doesn’t make a lot of sense to make 120V first for a conventional charger.
A Victron Orion 18A might work. Has to be wired in with fuses and a connector - an anderson as mentioned is a good option.
Doesn’t make a lot of sense to make 120V first for a conventional charger.
There aren't many options if you connect to the cig port. It probably has a 10A fuse. Therefore you're limited to about 6 or 7A charging (after efficiency losses).
A better option is to connect a cable with fuse to battery and charge with an adjustable dc/dc. This one is good for 20A. You will need a 30A fuse at the battery.
1500W dc/dc
A better option is to connect a cable with fuse to battery and charge with an adjustable dc/dc. This one is good for 20A. You will need a 30A fuse at the battery.
1500W dc/dc
pollenface
Solar Addict
I just got a 20A lifepo4 capable dc-dc charger with MPPT input.
I have about 5m of 6awg running from the starter battery.
I have about 5m of 6awg running from the starter battery.
gouthro2002
New Member
It’s all a little bit of Greek to me. But, i gather that the cigarette lighter is not a good option and that i should look for something else.
Joe
Joe
Pierre
Somewhere down South
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2019
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- 1,130
Remember that Li batteries draw large amps when discharged and the current / voltage need to be regulated . As mentioned above , a decent DC to DC converter with settable parameters , connected to the starter battery via a fuse is your best option. The Victron Orion DC/DC 12/12-18 comes to mind. You need to be able to set the absorption and float voltages for Li chemistry.
The cool thing about the Orion charger is the BT app and infinite settings for charging, right from your smartphone.
Mine is in a motorhome with a 230A lifepo4 battery, it just flat works perfectly.
Most of my charging is solar, but for nighttime or cloudy/rainy days it’s a big help. Average driving time is five or six hours, so about 100Ah is do-able.
Mine is in a motorhome with a 230A lifepo4 battery, it just flat works perfectly.
Most of my charging is solar, but for nighttime or cloudy/rainy days it’s a big help. Average driving time is five or six hours, so about 100Ah is do-able.
OffGridForGood
Catch, make or grow everything you can.
100Ah battery, Cig outlet may need 20 hours operation to supply 100Ah = too slow, unless your favourite fishing spot is very far...
A bit outside of your comfort range, but good advice already stated is a dedicated DC-DC charger connected with a suitable fuse to the main auto battery (we are all assuming a 12V Lead acid battery system (not a 360v EV) - your alternator is providing the charge to the lead acid, which is feeding your trolling motor battery. At 30A you still need about 3hrs+ to charge the trolling motor.
Options - charge the battery, from the grid, before your trip.
-Get a second battery, charge both before a trip, use a small solar set up to charge one while you use the other,
Look at the portable solar generators (Jackery, Ecoflow, Bluetti) - these may be handy for camping too.
gouthro2002
New Member
Thanks for the excellent advice and explanations. For the moment I can charge from the grid and will probably just do that. I just thought that this might be an option. It is also nice to understand what is happening there and to be able to try one of those other options mentioned should the need arise. Thanks for all the input
Joe
Joe
Solarisium
New Member
There’s a wealth of information and experience shared here on this forum thanks to the community!
I certainly learned a lot reading this thread!
photon_trap
New Member
Just like I said earlier, Cig lighters are undesirable for multiple reasons. You need a hard wired DC-DC charger or accept the fact that charging will be really slow
