An electric machine is coupled to at least the respective alternating current output terminal or to a plurality of alternating current output terminals of the inverter. The electric machine has a rotor with a rotational speed that is capable of converting rotational mechanical energy of the rotor into electrical energy at the direct current bus terminals until the rotational speed declines below a critical speed. In response to the detection of an impaired state of the battery, a controller is configured to provide control signals to switch or toggle the corresponding low-side switch or switches to manage the charging and discharging of the direct current (DC) bus voltage between a minimum DC voltage and a maximum DC voltage that define a range suitable for providing energy sufficient to power an electronic data processor and control logic of the controller.