Jump-starting has long been the most common method to revive a car’s engine when battery recharges are unavailable. Can you use a hybrid to jump start a car?
Any second car can be used for the process, but hybrids remain everyone’s favorite due to their impressive power output and motor performance.
My detailed guidelines will delve further into how to jump a car with a hybrid. Let’s get straight to it.
Can A Hybrid Car Give A Jump? How to Jump A Car With A Hybrid
Turn off both cars and find the hybrid’s 12V battery. Then connect the positive cables to the positive terminals.
Move on to the negative cables of your car’s battery: one connected to the hybrid’s negative terminal, the other connected to the floor.
Rev up your engine and take the car on long rides once it runs again!
The full guidelines are as below:
Step 1. Perform Safety Checks
Can a hybrid jump a normal car? Yes.
But before diving in the jumpstart, you should always remember that this method is by no means “friendly”; lots of danger is lurking around due to the expensive and powerful hybrid batteries.
Some safety tips to remember:
- Keep all your pets and children off the engines
- Ensure the location is safe for the jumpstart (no nearby electricity, cars, pedestrians, etc.)
- Wear gloves and protective clothing; handle the battery connection with extra caution.
If you feel unsure about the process, better play safe and consider towing the car to a nearby mechanic instead. Otherwise, proceed to the next steps below.
Step 2. Gather The Required Materials
Of course, no jumpstarting journey can be completed without the necessary tools. Two options are at play:
- Using jump-starting battery packs: If you prefer this option, remember to prepare a good battery jump starter as well.
- Using jumper cable: In case no battery packs are available, no worries. You can always return to the traditional methods!
Bring in a good “donor” car with well-powered batteries and several jumper cables, and you are good to go.
The rest of the guidelines will be tailored to jumper cables since they are more common, cheaper, and easily accessible.
But rest assured; jump-starting battery packs mostly go through the same steps!
If the jumper cables melt or malfunction, fix them before coming back here.
Step 3. Locate The Hybrid’s Standard Battery
This critical step partly explains why using hybrids is so different from gas-powered vehicles. A typical hybrid arrives with two batteries:
- One 12V, powering the car like any standard battery
- One higher-powered battery, harnessing the car’s regenerative braking to run electric motors within the vehicles – hence its “hybrid” title.
My Camry hybrid model is an example, using both 12V and higher lead-acid batteries.
And since the two are not the same, your top priority is to locate the right battery used for the jumpstart (the 12V one).
Though not every hybrid is the same, the 12V batteries are usually boxier and smaller, almost resembling a kid’s shoe box. You can find it under the hood or on the trunk’s cargo floor.
Also, like with any car, 12V batteries in hybrids have clear markings for the terminal locations; looking for the positive (red plus/ +) mark will help you identify them faster.
Step 4. Position The Hybrid
Now that the car battery has been located, it is time to position it properly.
Move your car and the hybrid closer but not touching – there should be a two feet gap between them. Ensuring the jumper cables easily extend to all batteries at the same time.
The cars’ batteries must have the same voltage (12V). Although 12V is the standard voltage for regular batteries, it does not hurt to check them again before you start.
Step 5. Turn Off The Hybrid
Both cars must be turned off for safety purposes.
Since your car is dead (meaning it has already been switched off), the only job left is to ensure the other car/hybrid is turned off as well before you hook the cables up.
Step 6. Connect Positive With Positive
First, ensure both positive (red) cable clamps are connected to the positive (+) terminals.
Do it on your dead battery first, then proceed with the working/functioning one. Confirm the clamp and the terminal are firmly attached.
Step 7. Connect Negative – Ground and Negative – Negative
This step is very important, so read carefully.
First, pick your dead car battery. Connect its negative (black) cable to the ground or the vehicle’s unpainted metal parts. Do not let the cable touch the negative terminal.
Once done, connect the (-) negative clamp to the hybrid’s (-) negative terminals. Do not pull or tug the cable; if it is not within comfortable reach, try bringing the two cars closer.
Some readers may wonder: why don’t we connect to the dead battery’s negative terminals?
Simple: when charged, the car battery will release lots of hydrogen gas. Any jump-starting spark – no matter how small – may ignite the gas and cause dangerous explosions.
To prevent the disaster from happening, connecting the cable to the metal/ground is clearly the best move.
Not to mention, once the ground cables are removed, this connection will be broken, significantly reducing the chances of sparking.
Step 8. Start The Hybrid
Now turn the hybrid on to kickstart the charge transfer. You might have to wait several minutes; if impatient, feel free to rev its engine several times to speed things up.
Step 9. Start Your Car’s Engine
After 5-7 minutes, start your car. Doesn’t work? Wait a few more minutes before trying again.
If the method still fails despite numerous tries, your car seems to suffer deeper issues that require towing.
Another possible reason is that the cables have not been set up properly earlier; try to use another cable set and see how it goes.
Consider contacting local mechanics (as in talking with them through your phone) to confirm every cable is correctly placed.
Step 10. Disconnect Your Cables Carefully
After the car is running again, disconnect every cable in reverse order:
- First, remove the ground cable clamps
- Next, disconnect the negative clamps for the hybrid’s 12V battery
- Then, uninstall the positive clamps from your vehicle battery
- Lastly, disconnect the positive clamps from the hybrid’s battery
Step 11. Take Your Car for A Ride
Quite an adventure you have had! I am sure you want nothing more than to drive home and rest – or go to work, office, school, etc.
Nevertheless, I still suggest taking the longer route than usual while you are at it, which helps charge the battery on the go. The longer the drive, the more unlikely your car needs to be jump-started again.
In certain cases, the jump-started boosts do not last long – even with a powerful, healthy hybrid charge. So remember to drop by a local car shop right when you can for further diagnosis.
Can You Use A Hybrid Car to Jump Start Often?
Can a hybrid jump start a normal car? Yes. But should you do it often? The answer is No.
You may risk damaging the hybrid’s electrical system. After all, its complex hybrid powertrain and system are never meant for off-factory usages like car jump-starting.
How Long Should A Car Run After Getting Jumped?
Can hybrids jump start a car? Now we all know the answer is Yes.
But as briefly mentioned above, you should take the car for very long rides (at least 30 minutes) so that the battery will continue charging itself along the way.
If you ride the vehicle for less than 30 minutes and then stop at your destination, the car will definitely need another jump-starting attempt when you start it again.
Conclusion
My guide has delivered descriptive steps on how to jump a car with a hybrid.
What sets hybrids apart from regular cars is that the former arrives in two battery types; you might need a few minutes to identify the 12V one.
But other than that, the steps are quite similar to any typical jumpstart process!