Abstract: A method includes monitoring one or more of an ambient condition or an operational condition of a vehicle system while the vehicle system is stationary and a propulsion system of the vehicle system is operating at an idle speed, determining whether the one or more of the ambient condition or the operational condition satisfy one or more reduced auxiliary or parasitic load criteria, reducing one or more of an auxiliary load or a parasitic load responsive to determining that the one or more ambient condition or the operational condition satisfy the one or more reduced auxiliary or parasitic load criteria, and subsequently reducing the idle speed at which the propulsion system is operating to a slower speed following reducing the one or more of the auxiliary load or the parasitic load.

Abstract: An electric drive system for a vehicle and method includes controlling a propulsion system of the vehicle to operate according to a first torque-speed relationship between a power generated by an engine and a speed of the engine. The engine is controlled according to the first torque-speed relationship during acceleration of the vehicle by motors that are powered by operation of the engine. The method includes determining that operation of the propulsion system has reached a steady state following the propulsion system operating according to the first torque-speed relationship and controlling the propulsion system to operate according to a second torque-speed relationship between the power and the speed of the engine. The second torque-speed relationship is reduced relative to the first torque-speed relationship such that the engine speed in the first torque-speed relationship is associated with a greater amount of power than in the second torque-speed relationship.