Chevrolet Sonic Owner's Manual: Battery Load 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 bring the charge back up. When the state of charge is high, the voltage is lowered slightly to prevent overcharging. If the vehicle has a voltmeter gauge or a 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 needed for very high electrical loads.

A high electrical load occurs when several of the following are on, such as: headlamps, high beams, fog lamps, rear window defogger, climate control fan at high speed, heated seats, engine cooling fans, trailer loads, and loads plugged into accessory power outlets.

EPM works to prevent excessive discharge of the battery. It does this by balancing the generator's output and the vehicle's electrical needs. It can increase engine idle speed to generate more power, whenever needed. It can temporarily reduce the power demands of some accessories.

Normally, these actions occur in steps or levels, without being noticeable. In rare cases at the highest levels of corrective action, this action may be noticeable to the driver.