A vehicle electrical system comprises a generator which provides electrical power to an electrical load. The generator includes two field coils. A first switch circuit is coupled with the first field coil and a second switch circuit is coupled with the second field coil. A control device, included in the electrical system, operates the first and second switch circuits to regulate the generator output voltage and, in the alternative, to further reconfigure and/or deactivate the switch circuits based on their operating states. The generator maybe further coupled with an electrical energy absorbing device and the control device maybe further configured to operate on a switch, coupled with the electrical energy absorbing device, in response to a shutdown condition, RPM, rate of change of RPM, and voltage transient.