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Old 07-03-2011, 04:11 PM   #2 (permalink)
Piwoslaw
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Warsaw, Poland
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Svietlana II - '13 Peugeot 308SW e-HDI 6sp
90 day: 58.1 mpg (US)
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"Programmed battery charging" in this case means that the alternator's field is disabled by the car's computer when the battery is charged, reducing engine load. The field is powered up when engine braking, or when the battery's voltage drops.
This is becoming common (Škoda, BMW, and many more), not only in "green" models.

It's pretty much an alternator kill switch, which hypermilers/ecomodders have been using for years, only automated so the driver doesn't worry about it.
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[Old] Piwoslaw's Peugeot 307sw modding thread
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