It’s a generator that’s connected by pulleys to your engine which is gasoline powered. It charges the battery, which powers the spark plugs and everything else electric in your car. The battery’s main load is to power the starter which initiates the engines turning, any power draw after that is pretty small and allows the cars battery to top up.
The alternator does not power anything when the car is off. The alternator changes the rotation of the engine into electricity.
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