How does Starting & Charging work?
Your car relies on a few key components to turn on, and to stay charged. It begins with the battery, which provides the requisite power to get the engine running. When you turn the ignition, electricity is sent from the battery to the starter motor. The starter motor cranks the engine a few times, which gets it up and running.Â
Once the engine is running, power is sent to the alternator, which is where the electrical devices in your car get their power from. A voltage regulator is responsible for making sure that some of the power in the alternator is funneled back to the battery, which keeps the battery fully charged. That way when you turn off the engine, you can still use the electrical components for a while, and the battery will be charged enough to start the car again.