0:01Hey, today we're going to do a deep dive into the history
0:04behind a vehicle's alternator.
0:06Alternators were not always a thing when cars first started coming about.
0:10When the automobile in the 1800s, 1900s, they didn't really have any kind of electrical system.
0:16They used a magneto that was like a magnet for spark generation, but cars were hand cranked and their headlights were an oil lamp.
0:26In the early 1900s, maybe 1910 or so, they came out with what they called a generator.
0:32And a generator was similar to an alternator, it was driven by a belt or driven off the engine.
0:37It produced direct current, but they were big monstrosities, they were not really reliable and they were way inefficient.
0:44Today's cars have a lot more power needs, so back in like the 50s when
0:52radios came out, headlights, uh, defrosters, blower motors, stuff like that.
0:59They needed a higher power demand.
1:01The alternator was the answer to that.
1:04They were smaller, more compact, lighter, they produced a lot more power.
1:10Alternators started taking alternating current and they convert it through a rectifying bridge to direct current.
1:18Which your vehicle's electrical systems are.
1:22Today's cars 2000 and later are computer controlled.
1:28The alternators are turned on and off based on demand like electrical load.
1:36It helps save the batteries, it helps save fuel economy, does a lot more so that that
1:43alternator isn't constantly charging, isn't constantly wearing.
1:47Just an overall more efficient product, process to it.
