Electric Power Management
The vehicle has Electric Power Management (EPM) thatestimates the battery’s temperature and state ofcharge. It then adjusts the voltage for best performanceand extended life of the battery.
When the battery’s state of charge is low, the voltage israised slightly to quickly bring the charge back up.When the state of charge is high, the voltage is loweredslightly to prevent overcharging. If the vehicle has avoltmeter gage or a voltage display on the DriverInformation Center (DIC), you may see the voltage moveup or down. This is normal. If there is a problem, analert will be displayed.
The battery can be discharged at idle if the electricalloads are very high. This is true for all vehicles. This isbecause the generator (alternator) may not bespinning fast enough at idle to produce all the powerthat is needed for very high electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when several of thefollowing are on, such as: headlamps, high beams, foglamps, rear window defogger, climate control fan athigh speed, heated seats, engine cooling fans, trailerloads, and loads plugged into accessory power outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive discharge of thebattery. It does this by balancing the generator’s outputand the vehicle’s electrical needs. It can increase
engine idle speed to generate more power, wheneverneeded. It can temporarily reduce the power demands ofsome accessories.
Normally, these actions occur in steps or levels, withoutbeing noticeable. In rare cases at the highest levelsof corrective action, this action may be noticeable to thedriver. If so, a Driver Information Center (DIC)message might be displayed, such as BATTERYSAVER ACTIVE, BATTERY VOLTAGE LOW, orLOW BATTERY. If this message is displayed, it isrecommended that the driver reduce the electrical loadsas much as possible. SeeDIC Warnings and Messageson page 4-67.
Inadvertent Power Battery Saver
This feature is designed to protect your vehicle’s batteryagainst drainage from the interior lamps, trunk lamp,glove box lamp, or the garage door opener. When theignition is turned off, the power to these features willautomatically turn off after 10 minutes. Power willbe restored for an additional 10 minutes if any door ortrunk is opened, or the courtesy lamp switch isturned on.
4-33
