Your car’s battery is important for ensuring it operates properly, especially if you have an electric car. As such, it’s important to try and avoid battery drain. Knowing what tends to cause these batteries to drain the most can help you get the most out of them…
Battery Drain: Possible Factors
Car lights
Should you notice any battery drain, the first thing you should check is your lights. In the past, most people would notice weak or dead batteries after accidentally leaving their lights on. These could be their front headlights or their interior lights. As you’d imagine, leaving these on all day or night can quickly take up a lot of power.
However, many modern cars have taken steps to fix these issues. After a certain amount of time, they’ll automatically shut the lights off if the engine is off. Still, not every car has these features. As such, you should always make sure to turn all your lights off just in case.
Drastic weather
The weather can also play a role in battery drain. In particular, the temperature can influence how much of a charge your battery holds. If the temperature is quite hot, then your battery may struggle to perform. The same goes for if it’s extremely cold. In fact, it’s possible that your battery could even die due to the weather!
Like with modern cars and lights, modern batteries are more weather-resistant than their older counterparts. This improves their chances of being able to handle such drastic temperatures. Of course, this isn’t a guarantee that they’ll always work. Therefore, it’s good to keep your car or battery somewhere with a more-controlled temperature.
Driving issues
How you drive will factor into battery drain. You may think that this has to do with long, extended drives. In reality, many short drives can seriously take a toll on your battery. This is mainly due to your battery not being able to recharge as you drive.
Just starting your car alone takes a lot of battery power. This is why your alternator works to recharge your battery while your drive. Yet, if you take a lot of short drives, then your battery doesn’t have enough time to recharge. Try to be aware of this and take a long way home every now and then after a bunch of shorter trips.