Does Leaving The Car Running Charge The Battery. Yes the car will charge at idle and as molgrips says its not good to run the car at idle especially in from cold start in cold weather. Electrical engineer Author has 263 answers and 8777K answer views.
Can you charge your car battery leaving the engine running on your driveway. Be sure to drive your car for about 30 minutes before stopping again so the battery can continue to charge. But there are a few cases where it is probably wise to remember to unplug them each time.
Leaving your car engine running while the car is stationary can charge the battery but since the cars engine is idling low rpm the charge rate is low.
The car battery will be managed by the alternator that supplies electricity to continue charging. It will trickle charge the battery as long as the charging system is working correctly. You would have to allow your car to idle for possibly several hours to completely charge your battery. Also if you have any appliances switched on such as lights radio or other accessories there is not enough power left over to significantly change the batterys state of charge.
