Can You Start A Car With One?
https://www.motor1.com/news/790720/iphone-charger-starts-car/
Publish Date: 2026-03-21 18:00:00
Source Domain: www.motor1.com
A New York UPS driver says his vehicle wouldn’t start, so he found a creative way to get it running. It involves something you probably have on hand right now.
In a video, he demonstrates his unconventional method of starting his car.
“You wanna know how deep in the trenches I am?” @silverwithak asks, holding up the cable. “I’ll put you on. Let me show you how I turn my car on now.”
He then shows the open hood in front of him and reaches into the engine bay, pointing toward the starter solenoid.
“Now you grab one side right here,” he says, referring to the charger. “You put that little [expletive] right there.”
He presses the metal tip of the charger against the solenoid terminal, which causes the engine to immediately turn over. “And we going with an iPhone charger,” he says.
He adds in the TikTok’s text overlay, “Just throw the whole car out big bro.”
Some viewers found the situation entertaining.
“The Kia boys could never,” one wrote. “Got nothing me! Hahahaha,” @silverwithak replied.
Can You Start A Car With An iPhone Charger?
While it may look like an unusual hack, what’s happening here is surprisingly simple.
The part he’s touching is the starter solenoid, which is responsible for sending power from the battery to the starter motor. Normally, a driver will trigger that process when they turn the key or press the start button.
In this case, that signal isn’t getting through for a reason @silverwithak doesn’t reveal.
When he presses the metal end of the charger against the solenoid terminals, he’s effectively bridging the electrical connection manually and sending power directly to the starter. This forces the engine to crank.
It’s the same basic idea as using a screwdriver to jump a starter, just with a much less conventional tool.
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