In the right corner it's....Sir Gawain! He is nephew to King Arthur, and an honorable knight of Arthur's Round Table. He is very popular with the ladies, and quite charming. He is loyal to his king and queen and keeps his promises.
To charge the battery, the alternator voltage output has to exceed a minimum charging voltage. This minimum charging voltage is 13.8 volts dc across the battery terminals, or at the output of the alternator. A single lead-acid cell starts to charge at anything over 2.25 volts.ince a 12 volt battery has six cells, any 12 volt lead-acid battery needs at least 13.8 volts to start to charge. This voltage will be enough to fully charge or maintain the battery on a trickle charge, but charging time will be very long at 13.8 volts.
Alternator charges the battery at a regulated 5 A/h. It charges at a much lower rate than specified on the batteries usually 1/10 of their capacity. This is because charging at full pin would overheat the battery, generate high levels of hydrogen gas and dramatically reduce the longevity of the battery. 61 A/h battery at 5A/h charge rate would fully charge from dead in 12.2hours. The alternator is capable of generating 1.96 Kw. If it did all day both the alternator and regulator would probably self destruct. The battery only purpose is to start the car and run accessories when the engine is not running. Once started the alternator runs the whole show.