{"id":15456,"date":"2023-04-28T11:22:15","date_gmt":"2023-04-28T01:22:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/batterytools.net\/?p=15456"},"modified":"2023-05-23T11:17:27","modified_gmt":"2023-05-23T01:17:27","slug":"can-a-battery-have-voltage-and-no-amps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/batterytools.net\/can-a-battery-have-voltage-and-no-amps\/","title":{"rendered":"Can a Battery Have Voltage and No Amps?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A battery is an electrical device that stores energy in the form of electricity and supplies it to a circuit. The voltage, current, and amps are all measures of how much power a battery has. But what happens when you have voltage but no amps? Well, let’s find out!<\/p>\n

Can you have volts but no amps?<\/h2>\n

The battery has two very important characteristics: voltage and amps. The volts tell you how much potential energy the battery contains, and the amps tell you how fast it can be drained. So it is impossible that a battery has voltage<\/a> but no amps. A 12-volt car<\/a> battery, for example, is capable of supplying a lot more power than a 9-volt alkaline battery because it has a higher voltage (12) and higher amperage (around 20).<\/p>\n

A volt is a measure of “electrical potential”, and it reflects the difference in electrical power between two points; typically, this would be measured in volts (V) or millivolts (mV). The amps quantify the amount of energy moving through a wire over time, and more car battery amps mean more electric power. You can’t have voltage without amperage because you need to have some movement for there to be electricity. Hence, doing any calculation with volts without ampers is like plugging something in to an outlet with no electricity.<\/p>\n

Voltage is an electrical term that describes the voltage of energy or charge between two points, whereas amps represent the rate at which electricity flows through a circuit. One cannot exist without the other; this means you can’t have volts with no amps or amps without volts. Dying feels like experiencing death because it leads to zero amperage within your body and once again makes it quite impossible to exist in voltage alone. It breaks down like this; you can’t be without both amperages (amps), but you also need volts (energy) in order to stay alive!<\/p>\n

This is crucial to know because if you get this wrong, then all the amps in the world won’t help you either! In order for a car battery or any other type of voltage source to produce power, it needs electrical resistance.<\/p>\n

Can a battery have 12 volts and still be bad?<\/h2>\n

A battery will have voltage even if it is bad. The voltage reflects a state of charge, which can be used to determine the health status of a battery. A 12-volt 100 amp-hours (Ah) lead acid<\/a> should read about 12 volts at rest and under load when attached to an electrical device such as a car starter motor or light bulb with a resistance of about one ohm.<\/p>\n

A reading of 11.98 volts in a lead-acid battery indicates about 50% charge, whereas 12.34 volts means the battery is fully charged and ready to provide maximum current for starting an engine or powering electrical equipment. The voltage will not be exactly 12.00 volts due to internal chemical processes occurring inside the battery, but it should read over 11.80 volts if any load is attached.<\/p>\n

Can a battery have voltage and still be bad?<\/h2>\n

Battery voltage is not an accurate indicator of a battery’s state of charge. It only shows the amount of energy available for cranking and has no bearing on how much energy remains to electrical power accessories, such as lighting and sound systems, after starting the engine. The best<\/a> way to determine if a battery can provide enough current (amps) to crank an engine and power electrical accessories is to check the battery’s reserve capacity (RC) rating.<\/p>\n

Batteries with a higher RC will be able to start vehicles under more extreme conditions than those with lower ratings. For example, if temperatures are below freezing or very hot, these batteries should have longer durations of cranking amps<\/a> compared to a battery with a low RC.<\/p>\n

Voltage is only one factor in determining the quality of a battery, and there are three major variables involved:<\/p>\n