Can you charge battery while using it?

Can you charge battery while using it?

3 Answers. While it is true that you can’t actually charge and discharge a battery simultaneously, it is quite common to have a charging source, a battery, and a load, all connected in parallel so it looks like you are charging and discharging simultaneously.

Does alternator charge battery at idle?

Do Car Batteries Charge While the Engine Is Idling? The answer is ‘YES’, yes the car battery does charge while the engine is idling. Then the alternator is producing AC current, thereby charging the battery while your car is idling.

Can a battery be in the circuit while charging?

If by “use the battery” you mean “can the battery be in the circuit?” then yes. If by “use the battery” you mean “draw power from the battery while charging it?” then no. Charging is, by definition, putting power into the battery. This is the opposite of drawing power from it.

Can You charge a battery and draw power from it?

Charging is, by definition, putting power into the battery. This is the opposite of drawing power from it. You can’t do both, by definition. Under normal operation, where the battery is powering a load, conventional current flows inside the battery from (-) to (+), through the load, and back to the battery.

How does a charger work on a battery?

If the charging source can deliver more current than the load requires, then the excess current will be used to charge the battery. If the charging source delivers less current than the load required, then the battery will supply the extra current needed.

What happens when you charge and discharge a battery?

If the charging source delivers less current than the load required, then the battery will supply the extra current needed. This switching between charging and discharging will happen automagically as the charging source and load vary. If by “use the battery” you mean “can the battery be in the circuit?”