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
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
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