Jump starting a car that has a dead battery simply means connecting it temporarily to an external source of power (like using another car’s battery) with the aid of certain types of cables also known as jump leads.
So, you might be wondering if you can jump-start a car with a Tesla. As a general rule, Tesla batteries are not made for jump-starting another car. The 12-volt Tesla batteries are not like the regular internal combustion engine 12-volt batteries in other vehicles. Tesla has a negative and a positive terminal that is only meant for jumping the Tesla or charging the 12-volt battery.
Do you know what happens when you try to jump-start a regular non-electric car with a Tesla? You would be draining a major part of the current in the Tesla and Tesla batteries are not produced for that. When the Tesla batteries get drained, it will trigger vehicle alerts and blow a fuse. Also, the moment the 12-volt system in your Tesla is completely drained, it will be very difficult for it to back up the high voltage system it has thus preventing your car from moving. If you don’t want to struggle with having two of your vehicles being down, then you should try to avoid jump-starting your regular car with your Tesla.
Can you use a Tesla to jump-start another car?
If you find yourself in this kind of situation, there are other ways you can help the owner of the non-electric vehicle. But before we tell you about them, below are reasons why you should not try to jumpstart another car with your Tesla.
The major reason why you should not try to jump-start another vehicle with your Tesla is because of the way the Tesla engine is designed. A Tesla is an electric vehicle and it usually has a low-voltage battery in it, it doesn’t have the normal high-level internal combustion engine in other non-electric cars. That means a Tesla’s engine is not strong enough to jump-start another car. If you try to do it, you will damage the engine of your expensive Tesla.
You can use the engine of a normal non-electric car to jump-start your Tesla because the engine of a normal non-electric car is strong enough to start a Tesla without damaging its engine.
To do that, you will start by opening and taking off the two eye covers of your regular car. After opening it, reach out for the black and red wires. Pick the cables from your Tesla and fix them to the power source of the non-electric car. Ensure you hook the black wire of the Tesla to the black wire of the non-electric vehicle and the red wire of the Tesla to the red wire of the non-electric car. This will give you access to the hood for you to jump-start the Tesla. After doing that, kindly wait for some minutes before you start the Tesla. As soon as your Tesla starts running well, remove the cables one after the other. Avoid stopping until you get to your destination so that your battery will not give you an issue again.
How you can help to jump-start another car
It will not be nice if you ignore someone with a non-electric car that needs help with jump starting his car if you have a Tesla. There are other ways you can help without damaging the engine of your Tesla. Here are some of them.
Always carrying a lithium-ion starter in your Tesla would help a lot if you meet someone on the road that needs help with jump-starting his non-electric car. This tool is like a small battery with cables attached to it that helps in jump-starting a car. It is very small and quite expensive but it is durable.
If you can’t afford to buy a lithium-ion starter, you can help the owner of the car to flag down another car that can help jump-start his car.
If you have a roadside car service, calling them to come help jump-start the other person’s car would be great. Although it might take a long time.
Or if it is too late and you can’t call a roadside car service for help or you don’t have a lithium-ion starter, you could offer to drive the person to his destination.
Steps for jump-starting a non-electric vehicle with a Tesla
According to the Tesla Model 3 owner’s manual, you should not jump-start a non-electric vehicle with a Tesla. This is because it could affect the 12-volt battery or the DC/DC converter in the Tesla.
But you could still try it out by following these steps but you would be doing it at your own risk.
- Step one: Drive the Tesla model 3 and the non-electric vehicle closer to each other.
- Step two: Open the front part of your Tesla, you will find a 12-volt battery there, after removing the shield covering it. You can remove it using your hand, it is very easy.
- Step three: Your Tesla Model 3 has a positive and negative terminal. That is what you would use to jump-start your non-electric vehicle.
- Step four: Use a cable to hook up the positive terminal of your non-electric vehicle with the positive terminal of your Tesla. Also, hook up the negative terminal of your non-electric vehicle with the negative terminal of your Tesla. You don’t need to turn your Tesla on before it doesn’t have an on and off switch on its bed.
- Step five: Your Tesla will start charging your non-electric vehicle immediately. You might need to give your non-electric vehicle with a dead battery a few minutes to come up before turning it on.
The process is very simple. You don’t need to stress yourself so much.
Will jump-starting cause damage to a Tesla DC-DC Converter?
Yes, it can. It was written in the Tesla Model 3 owner’s manual that jump-starting could cause damage to a Tesla DC-DC converter. So, if you attempt doing it, you would be doing it at your own risk.
Conclusion
Whether you own a Tesla or not, you should know how expensive that car is and the high quality it has. If you own one, you must learn how to take care of it very well. Adhere strictly to the instructions written on the manual of the Tesla model you own–avoid doing things that the manual clearly warns you against.
The Tesla manual pointed out that you should avoid using your Tesla to jump-start another vehicle. If you do it, it would be at your own risk. You might end up damaging your Tesla 12-volt battery and its DC-DC converter.