# Charging car batteries

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/charging-car-batteries/12959>\
**Category:** The Bunker\
**Created:** [November 18, 2016, 11:31am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/charging-car-batteries/12959 "2016-11-18T11:31:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 10\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Pumbletron](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/pumbletron/32/222_2.png) [@Pumbletron](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Pumbletron)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 11:31am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/charging-car-batteries/12959/1 "2016-11-18T11:31:55Z")

</div>

Heya!

I moved my savegame to a recent experimental, and it seems all the batteries in every car, truck and motorbike in the world are all dead. It also seems that regular batteries can no longer be used to recharge vehicle batteries. Can anyone tell me how I recharge a dead car/truck/motorbike battery?  
Thanks!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BeerBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@BeerBeer](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/BeerBeer)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 2:14pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/charging-car-batteries/12959/2 "2016-11-18T14:14:40Z")

</div>

Lovely…

- Install solar panels.
- Get lucky and find a car which engine is already running, and therefore its battery is charging. Lot of ifs here.
- Get lucky and find a 7.5kW generator in a garage somewhere. It uses gasoline to produce electricity. A bit rare find.
- Find a minireactor in an atomic mini-tank. It uses plutonium to create electricity. Must have the Vehicle Additions mod enabled.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Shadow86](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/shadow86/32/589_2.png) [@Shadow86](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Shadow86)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 4:14pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/charging-car-batteries/12959/3 "2016-11-18T16:14:45Z")

</div>

I’m fairly sure you can remove batteries from vehicles, so if you find one with some juice left in it, you can take said battery to your vehicle and either replace the dead one or (theoretically) use a jumper cable to transfer the power.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![AdonaiJr](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/adonaijr/32/5893_2.png) [@AdonaiJr](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/AdonaiJr)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 6:53pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/charging-car-batteries/12959/4 "2016-11-18T18:53:44Z")

</div>

Install a foot crank on your car (or make a new vehicle) and it doubles as an engine.

It doesn’t need wheels.

I made this a long ago, but I remember you need like:

Foot crank, Controls, Alternator, Seedle (or something else to sit on, though i’m not sure if it is mandatory) and battery to recharge.

Press ‘^’, “accelerate” and just ride your standing-bike-charger, pressing the 5 on numerical pad. You will get tired and out of breath, but the battery will recharge a little 😃

Edit: Also you can remove/install bateries once the vehicle is running. Some days ago I made the mistake to leave the lights on and went to sleep, only to find my vehicle with a dead battery. Later on I found a barely dead battery on another car, installed that on my own car, started it, and put the original back, all while it running. It worked flawless.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Pumbletron](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/pumbletron/32/222_2.png) [@Pumbletron](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Pumbletron)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2016, 6:35am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/charging-car-batteries/12959/5 "2016-11-20T06:35:55Z")

</div>

Thank you I will try these ideas out. 🙂

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jockc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@jockc](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/jockc)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2016, 7:47pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/charging-car-batteries/12959/6 "2016-11-20T19:47:46Z")

</div>

> [@Shadow86](#):
>
> I’m fairly sure you can remove batteries from vehicles, so if you find one with some juice left in it, you can take said battery to your vehicle and either replace the dead one or (theoretically) use a jumper cable to transfer the power.

I can’t figure out how to remove the battery from the car. Battery is not one of my options when I do remove, even though it shows the battery in the middle column.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Shadow86](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/shadow86/32/589_2.png) [@Shadow86](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Shadow86)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2016, 9:18pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/charging-car-batteries/12959/7 "2016-11-20T21:18:07Z")

</div>

> [@jockc](#):
>
> [quote=“Shadow86, post:3, topic:12959”]I’m fairly sure you can remove batteries from vehicles, so if you find one with some juice left in it, you can take said battery to your vehicle and either replace the dead one or (theoretically) use a jumper cable to transfer the power.

I can’t figure out how to remove the battery from the car. Battery is not one of my options when I do remove, even though it shows the battery in the middle column.[/quote]

First you have to move the cursor to the tile where the car battery’s installed. And then you can rem’o’ve it.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jockc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@jockc](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/jockc)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2016, 9:43pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/charging-car-batteries/12959/8 "2016-11-20T21:43:07Z")

</div>

> [@Shadow86](#):
>
> [quote=“jockc, post:6, topic:12959”][quote=“Shadow86, post:3, topic:12959”]I’m fairly sure you can remove batteries from vehicles, so if you find one with some juice left in it, you can take said battery to your vehicle and either replace the dead one or (theoretically) use a jumper cable to transfer the power.

I can’t figure out how to remove the battery from the car. Battery is not one of my options when I do remove, even though it shows the battery in the middle column.[/quote]

First you have to move the cursor to the tile where the car battery’s installed. And then you can rem’o’ve it.[/quote]

awesome thanks. That was the part I missing.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Codeslamer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/codeslamer/32/3433_2.png) [@Codeslamer](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Codeslamer)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2016, 9:51pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/charging-car-batteries/12959/9 "2016-11-20T21:51:38Z")

</div>

I wouldn’t see a battery powered car battery charger (if that makes sence) to be amiss in this game. It’s technically set in the future, and look at the car jumper things we got now. They fit in your pocket and can be charged of micro USB.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Greiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8797f3/32.png) [@Greiger](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Greiger)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2016, 10:20pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/charging-car-batteries/12959/10 "2016-11-20T22:20:31Z")

</div>

I’ve been noticing the problem too. It’s not so much that yer finding a number of cars with no battery charge it’s more like EVERY car is spawning with 0 charge. When you used to find one or two with 1% or so now and then. The only ones with charge are the ones with engines running and a functional alternator, or solar panels.

Hazarding a guess it probably has something to do with that 0 cents or all the cents bug with cash cards and lighters.