A jumpstart automotive battery cable is better known as jumper cables. These are heavy gauge (usually four or six gauge wire), with heavy duty clamps on either end that are color coded red and black, positive and negative. Normally, these cables will only be used long enough to provide enough charge to a dead car battery so that the two batteries will be able to start the vehicle with the dead battery. This is usually for no longer than 15 minutes. However, in a pinch, when you don’t have a charger available, you can leave jumper cables hooked up for longer, such as when the alternator in the car with the dead battery is suspect.
For more info, see Car Battery Cable Order: Which to Connect First