A method of controlling the charging of a low-
voltage battery (12) of an
electric vehicle (V) via a high-
voltage battery (14) of the
electric vehicle is described. In a first operating state of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle is on, energy is transferred from the high-
voltage battery (14) to the low-voltage battery (12) via a DC /
DC converter (16) of the vehicle. A request for turn-off of the vehicle is detected, and in response to the turn-off request, the vehicle passes from the first operating state to a second operating state of the vehicle, wherein the electrical apparatuses of the vehicle are off except for the high-voltage battery and the DC /
DC converter, and a
timer is initialized. In the second operating state of the vehicle, energy is transferred from the high-voltage battery to the low-voltage battery via the DC /
DC converter, and the
timer is increased at a
constant rate. The vehicle passes from the second operating state to a third operating state of the vehicle, wherein all electrical apparatuses of the vehicle including the DC / DC converter are off and the charging of the low-voltage battery is interrupted, in response to at least one of the following conditions: (i) the
state of charge (SOCLV) of the low-voltage battery reaches a minimum safe value; (ii) the
timer reaches a
timeout value; (iii) a fault in the low-voltage battery is detected; (iv) a fault in the DC / DC converter is detected; and (v) the
state of charge (SOCHV) of the high-voltage battery decreases below a threshold value. A request for turn-on of the vehicle is detected and, in response to the turn-on request, the vehicle passes from the second or third operating state to the first operating state of the vehicle.