Title, why can we drive for hours and hours on end, with headlights, radio, a/c, etc. (besides stopping for gas, bathroom breaks) But when we leave a light on for as much as an hour, the car battery will pretty much die instantly.
In: Engineering
When the motor is running the car battery is being constantly charged by the alternator which is run by a fan belt.
Your cars battery, for the most part is used to start the engine. Then your car runs off of the alternator, which also charges the battery. So. While your driving your not actually actively using your battery.
When your car sits and is not running the alternator is not in use. So your battery is what keeps things going, and since the alternator isn’t on to charge it up, it’s being depleted continuously which leads to the battery dieing.
As for how long it takes to deplete the battery, that’s dependant on the batteries capacity as well as it’s age and how well the battery had been taken care of
The battery is used to start the car. Once the car is started, the alternator takes over powering the electrical components. When the engine is turned off, the battery is the only thing capable of powering those components so that’s why a battery will die if you leave your lights or radio on while the engine is off.
The alternator!
While the motor is running, the alternator is also on the move, producing an electrical current that keeps the battery charged up.
Once you turn off the motor, the alternator stops producing that extra charge, and the battery can run out of power.
This is also why jump starting works. It provides enough power for the battery to start the motor, then the alternator will be able to keep the battery powered up.
There’s a part in the car called an alternator that takes energy from the engine when it’s running and transfers that energy to the battery to keep it charged, which is why you don’t run out of battery power when you’re driving. If the alternator goes bad, the belt on it snaps, etc., then you definitely can run out of battery power after driving a little bit.
A healthy car battery won’t “die instantly” just by using it for an hour or so, but it’s not designed to be drained over many hours (for instance, leaving the lights one) at once.
your car is not feed by your battery, it is feed by your gas. the battery is refueled by the motor which is feed by the gas.
when your motor is turned off, the battery is not being refueled, therefore it runs out.
sorry my english
This is because while the engine is running it not only drives the wheels, but turns an electrical generator called an alternator. This produces electricity to operate the electrical systems of the vehicle as well as recharging the car’s battery. Effectively while the engine is running you are not using the battery for electricity but rather gasoline.
Your car has an alternator (electricity generator) that is driven by the engine. As long as the engine is running, the alternator powers all electric things plus charges the battery. When the engine is off, you start using your battery.
Your car has a part called an alternator. This is essentially an electrical generator which is run off the engine. It constantly recharges the battery and runs electrical components when the engine is running.
If the engine is off, the battery quickly drains, but if it’s running your car is just using it as a capacitor to even out voltage spikes essentially
While the engine is running, a device called an “alternator” (or a generator in older cars) is recharging the battery and powering the electronics.
The battery itself is normally only responsible for starting the engine, and then it recharges. It’s designed to deliver a lot of power very quickly to crank the engine, it’s fairly inefficient at more menial work like powering the headlights.
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