Have you ever thought about using a marine battery to power your car when your car battery dies? Many car owners have thought about this question, and we’ll answer it for you below.
Can I use a marine battery to power my car?
Yes, but the reality depends on a number of factors, including voltage, battery performance, capacity differences, size, weight, output configuration, CCA ratings, and more.
Voltage: Batteries are generally matched to the voltage of the car battery in order to be able to be used easily in a car weight, and to match the voltage of the other equipment in the car. If you want to use a marine battery instead of a car battery, then the voltage is the first step to check the marine battery. The marine battery has to match the voltage of the car battery for the car to work. So when you are choosing a marine battery, you have to choose the appropriate voltage release of the marine battery first.
The performance of the battery: the main performance of the car battery is explosive in a short period of time, the car needs this performance to release a lot of energy in an instant when starting. But it is the deep cycle that is the main performance of a marine battery. This marine battery performance makes marine batteries less suitable as car batteries.
Capacity: Boats have more resistance to be used on the water and require more power to be used during traveling, which generally increases the capacity of a marine battery. However, car batteries are not directly to provide power for the car during traveling, they only need to start the car, use electricity briefly when the car equipment is used or the car is accelerated, so the general capacity of car batteries will not be too large. If you will boat battery to provide power for the car, then the capacity of your boat battery is not too big to reduce the burden of the car.
Size: The space on the boat will be bigger than the space in the car, so the size of the boat battery can be used bigger, and in order to have enough power, the size of the boat battery will be bigger in order to store the power. However, the space in a car is limited, so the car battery will be smaller than the marine battery, and if the marine battery is to be used in a car, then the marine battery will have to fit tightly into the battery compartment of the car.
Output Configuration: Due to the many different equipment’s on the boat and the car, there will be a difference between the output of the marine battery and the car battery, which is mainly reflected in that the marine battery will be connected with the lighting equipment and the emergency communication equipment. The main difference is that a marine battery will be connected to lighting and emergency communication equipment, while a car battery will be connected to the starter ring and ignition coil. To use a marine battery in a car, you may need other devices to convert the outputs.
CCA rating: The CCA rating is the ability of the battery to start the engine at low temperatures. Typically, when the cold winter months come, the water freezes over and the boat is not in much use. So, a marine battery will have a lower CCA rating. However, cars are different. Whether the weather is cold or not has nothing to do with the driving of the car, and the car will still be used in cold weather, so the CCA rating of the car battery will be higher than that of the boat battery.
From the above series of analyses, it is clear that using a marine battery is a less efficient battery for starting a car. Unless your marine battery matches the car battery you need in terms of voltage, battery performance, capacity and many other aspects. If you can find such a marine battery after so many requirements, then you can absolutely just use the car battery. If you can, it is not recommended that you use a marine battery to power your car because you will have a better choice.
What are the implications if I use a marine battery in my car?
The life span of a marine battery is drastically shortened: if you install a marine battery in your car after changing the output of the marine battery. At the beginning of a period of time, you may feel that the battery is recharged a few times and the marine battery is enough for the daily use of the car. However, as time goes by, the incompatibility between the marine battery and the car’s charging system will lead to undercharging or overcharging of the marine battery, resulting in a drastic reduction in the service life of the marine battery.
The cost of after use will be higher: Because of the incompatibility between the car’s charging system and the marine battery, the life of the marine battery will be shortened and not available for your use. You will also need to change the battery, but if you are still using a marine battery. It is unlikely that you will only change the battery once, and you may have to change the battery many times in the later stage, so in the long run, it is better for you to choose the car battery directly.
Affects ease of use: Because marine batteries have a lower CCA rating, if you use a modified car in cold weather, your car may experience problems that prevent it from starting, seriously affecting your ease of travel.
Affecting the warranty of your car: the car manufacturer may not be allowed to remove the original battery for installing other batteries. In the event that other problems arise during your later use of the car, the car manufacturer may simply refuse to repair the car on the grounds that it is your modified marine battery. This may then cause more damage.
Conclusion
While the large capacity of marine batteries has led many car owners to mistakenly believe that installing a marine battery in your car will reduce the number of times you have to recharge it and provide you with convenience. But in reality, marine batteries are not suitable for powering your car. For different types of batteries will be used for different purposes, car batteries require batteries that are capable of bursting with a strong current in an instant, a marine battery lacks this property.
