As inflation and energy prices rise, solar power becomes an increasingly attractive option for those looking for free energy.
One way people are taking advantage of solar is with solar generators.
Archimedes famously said “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.”
Solar is like that, you can run anything if you have a big enough system. But it can be hard to estimate how big that system needs to be when it comes to solar, and that’s where we come in. Here’s what you need to know about running your car battery with a solar generator.
Yes, as an example the Optima 0.55 car battery draws 0.55 watts of power per hour of use. This means a larger solar generator like the Jackery 2000 can power it for 3 hours and 55 minutes on a full charge. Use our calculator on this page to estimate more or different devices.
Other devices will have different energy consumption characteristics, but this gives you a good idea.
To answer that question concisely we had to make a lot of assumptions. We chose the Optima car battery because it’s a commonly used battery in passenger cars in the USA. This also assumes that the generator is not running anything else simultaneously.
How Long Can a Solar Generator Power My Car Battery?
This really depends on which solar generator you have, but as noted, a larger unit like the Jackery 2000 can power it for 3 hours and 55 minutes on a full charge.
Use the calculator on this page to estimate which Jackery model is suitable for the devices you enter.
Assuming we stick with the Optima car battery as an example, below are the answers for several different models of Jackery solar generators. They are listed from larger to smaller capacity so you can see how they vary.
Jackery Models Powering Your Car Battery (Examples)
How Long Can a Jackery 1500 Power My Car Battery?
The Jackery 1500 can power the Optima OPT8014-045 car battery for 2 hours and 47 minutes on a full charge. Use the calculator on this page to estimate other devices. This assumes no other devices are drawing power from the generator.
How Long Can a Jackery 1000 Power My Car Battery?
The Jackery 1000 can power the Optima OPT8014-045 car battery for 1 hour and 49 minutes on a full charge. Use the calculator on this page to estimate other devices. This assumes no other devices are drawing power from the generator.
How Long Can a Jackery 880 Power My Car Battery?
The Jackery 880 can power the Optima OPT8014-045 car battery for 1 hour and 36 minutes on a full charge. Use the calculator on this page to estimate other devices. This assumes no other devices are drawing power from the generator.
How Long Can a Jackery 550 Power My Car Battery?
The Jackery 550 can power the Optima OPT8014-045 car battery for 1 hour on a full charge. Use the calculator on this page to estimate other devices. This assumes no other devices are drawing power from the generator.
How Long Can a Jackery 500 Power My Car Battery?
The Jackery 500 can power the Optima OPT8014-045 car battery for 56 minutes on a full charge. Use the calculator on this page to estimate other devices. This assumes no other devices are drawing power from the generator.
How Long Can a Jackery 300 Power My Car Battery?
The Jackery 300 can power the Optima OPT8014-045 car battery for 31 minutes on a full charge. Use the calculator on this page to estimate other devices. This assumes no other devices are drawing power from the generator.
How Long Can a Jackery 290 Power My Car Battery?
The Jackery 290 can power the Optima OPT8014-045 car battery for 31 minutes on a full charge. Use the calculator on this page to estimate other devices. This assumes no other devices are drawing power from the generator.
How Long Can a Jackery 240 Power My Car Battery?
The Jackery 240 can power the Optima OPT8014-045 car battery for 26 minutes on a full charge. Use the calculator on this page to estimate other devices. This assumes no other devices are drawing power from the generator.
How Long Can a Jackery 160 Power My Car Battery?
The Jackery 160 can power the Optima OPT8014-045 car battery for 18 minutes on a full charge. Use the calculator on this page to estimate other devices. This assumes no other devices are drawing power from the generator.
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Summary of Jackery Solar Generator Models Powering Your Car Battery
Jackery Solar Generator Models | How Long Can It Power Your Car Battery? |
Jackery 2000 | 8 hours and 38 minutes on a full charge |
Jackery 1500 | 6 hours and 8 minutes on a full charge |
Jackery 1000 | 4 hours on a full charge |
Jackery 880 | 3 hours and 31 minutes on a full charge |
Jackery 550 | 2 hours and 12 minutes on a full charge |
Jackery 500 | 2 hours and 4 minutes on a full charge |
Jackery 300 | 1 hour and 10 minutes on a full charge |
Jackery 290 | 1 hour and 9 minutes on a full charge |
Jackery 240 | 57 minutes on a full charge |
Jackery 160 | 40 minutes on a full charge |