Sponsored content: ANCEL supplied the BS400 and sponsored this review. The observations and opinions are my own.
My old truck, Swede, sometimes sits for weeks between drives. That made it a good place to try the ANCEL BS400 Super Starter, a device designed to stay under the hood and provide starting assistance when you turn the key.
For this ANCEL BS400 review, I connected the unit to my 1962 Chevrolet C10 and tried it after roughly two weeks parked. Swede fired up. The app also gave me a look at the electrical system that I do not normally get from an old truck.
There is an important qualification: It was around 70 degrees, and the battery was healthy. This was a hands-on look at the setup and a starting demonstration, not a dead-battery rescue or a winter torture test.
What the ANCEL BS400 does
The BS400 uses supercapacitors to store electrical energy and release it quickly when the engine needs to crank. ANCEL says the unit charges from the vehicle battery and provides a short burst of starting power. It needs energy to charge; it is not creating electricity.
The permanent-installation approach is the part that interests me. With a portable jump starter, you have to find it and connect it when you need help. The BS400 is designed to remain connected to the truck. For a vehicle I do not drive often, having that system already in place is appealing.
Swede has a Chevrolet V8 with electronic fuel injection. It is an old truck with some modern equipment, and it can spend several weeks sitting while I am away or driving something else.
Getting it connected under the hood
The kit I unpacked included the starter unit, instructions, positive and negative leads, removable alligator clips, zip ties and fabric ties. The basic setup was straightforward: I showed the leads connected and the unit online and charging.
Swede has plenty of room under the hood. I looked at locating the unit beside or behind the battery and using its mounting slots. At that point in the demonstration, I still needed to finish securing it and tidying the cables.
That is worth considering before buying one. Check compatibility with your vehicle, available mounting space and a secure route for the cables. My old C10 offers room to work, but a more crowded engine bay could require more planning.
What the app showed me
The Bluetooth app displayed information about the starter and vehicle battery, along with charge status, starting and discharge information, a history section and a device list. I walked through those screens before starting Swede with the unit connected.
One clarification matters here: The 96% and 94% readings discussed in the video are charge levels, not battery-health scores. I would not read those percentages as proof that a battery has a certain amount of useful life remaining.
For me, the useful part was having more information available about what was happening with the system. That is especially welcome on an older vehicle that spends time parked.
Starting Swede after it sat
With the BS400 connected, I switched on the fuel-injection electronics and cranked the engine. Swede started, settled into an idle, and I gave it a little throttle during the demonstration.
I was pleased with how it fired up for an old truck. However, I did not run a controlled comparison with and without the BS400, measure cranking current or deliberately weaken the battery. I cannot attribute a faster start to the device based on this demonstration alone.
The conditions also matter. Roughly two weeks parked on a mild day with a healthy battery is different from trying to start a truck in freezing weather or with a failing battery. Those situations were outside this test.
Where more testing is needed
I did not test forced-start operation, USB charging for an emergency, water resistance or extreme-temperature performance. I also did not run a long-term study of battery or starter life.
The BS400 should not be treated as a replacement for a bad battery or a worn-out charging system. As I explained in the video, the purpose is to help those systems. An underlying electrical problem still needs attention.
The bottom line
I like having the system in place on an older truck I do not drive often, and I found the app helpful. Swede started successfully with the BS400 connected, and the setup gave me useful information about the starter and battery.
That is the takeaway from my time with it so far. The convenience of an installed starting aid makes sense for my use, provided the vehicle is compatible and there is a suitable place to mount it. Proving how much assistance it provides with a weak battery or in winter would require additional testing.
More information: ANCEL BS400 Super Starter
