On 03/05/2020 12:26, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
charles wrote:
In article ,
Andy Burns wrote:
The Natural Philosopher wrote:

There is no pint in having a 150A capable alternator to do THAT

Aren't such heavy duty alternators there for heated windscreens, bum
warmers, memory seats etc?

heated seats?

Brilliant devices. Work near instantly. Unlike the car heater.


The alternator on my car is 180A.

2x heated seats
1x heated steering wheel
2x heated mirrors
1x heated rear window
1x cabin heater booster
1x electric water pump
1x electric power steering

Plus dashboard/infotainment electronics and God knows how many
ECUs/processors elsewhere. 100% LED lighting.

The current for charging the battery is a small part of the current
drawn by the car. Full ECU controlled alternator with dynamic load
shedding and regenerative breaking.

Driving to work and back twice a day kept the battery well topped up and
the start/stop became active quickly as the engine/trans warmed and the
battery was charged enough. Driving short distances twice a week at
most, the start/stop never becomes ready. Not seen stop/start become
ready since I started working from home, a week before lockdown.