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Battery Load Management
The battery load management feature is
designed to monitor the vehicle’s electrical load
and determine when the battery is in a heavy
discharge condition. During times of high electrical
loading, the engine may idle at a higher
revolutions per minute (rpm) setting than normal to
make sure the battery charges. High electrical
loads may occur when several of the following are
on: headlamps, high beams, fog lamps, rear
window defogger, the climate control fan at high
speeds, heated seats and engine cooling fans.
If the battery continues to discharge, even with the
engine idling at a higher rpm setting, some
electrical loads will automatically be reduced.
When this occurs, the rear window defogger may
take slightly longer to clear the glass, the
heated seats may not get as warm as they usually
do and the climate control fan may cut back to
a lower speed. For more battery saving
information, see “Battery Saver Active Message”
under DIC Warnings and Messages on page 239.
Electric Power Management
The vehicle has Electric Power Management (EPM)
that estimates the battery’s temperature and state
of charge. It then adjusts the voltage for best
performance and extended life of the battery.
When the battery’s state of charge is low, the
voltage is raised slightly to quickly put the charge
back in. When the state of charge is high, the
voltage is lowered slightly to prevent overcharging.
If the vehicle has a voltmeter gage or voltage
display on the Driver Information Center (DIC), you
may see the voltage move up or down. This is
normal. If there is a problem, an alert will be
displayed.
The battery can be discharged at idle if the
electrical loads are very high. This is true for all
vehicles. This is because the generator (alternator)
may not be spinning fast enough at idle to
produce all the power that is needed for very
high electrical loads.
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