A reformer disposed in the flow path of a reactant fluid includes: a catalyst unit capable of generating hydrogen from a reactant fluid containing an organic compound or carbon monoxide, by catalysis, and an electrically heatable heater unit. It is a complementary series of software control functions that allows the vehicle to operate with reduced noise and emissions where specifically needed, while phasing-in engine power where allowed. The method comprises the further step of, at a given time, passing the alternate control data from the source thereof, through the control data selector and to the memory arrays to control the redundancy logic of the memory arrays.