A jump starter is a piece of equipment that is meant to give a short, powerful burst of energy to your battery in order to get the engine to turn over. After your battery is successfully jump started, you should let your car run for at least 30 minutes so the alternator can recharge the battery.A battery charger, however, is designed to deliver a slow, steady, much lower level of energy to safely recharge a battery from depletion or to perform regular battery conditioning for peak performance.