Phantom green bars with cold mornings

Cold weather forces your ICE to run more to produce heat for itself and the cabin. While it is running, it charges the battery. With our cold winters here we often see green on the battery monitor. That doesn't explain why you have green at start-up, but that could be just one of the funny things that happens before the computer gets a good read on the SOC.

Tom

 

I'd like to contribute that if the fluctuating outside temperatures are actually making their way into the batteries and cooling or warming them, a part of it is probably the effect of temperature itself on apparent power levels. You'll see the same thing in cell phones or even in batteries. I've seen it in cell phones and even alkaline batteries; you can duplicate the same sort of results by running your mobile phone dead and then throwing it in the freezer (in a ziploc baggie, of course). suddenly the phone thinks the battery has much more power remaining.

the prius has pretty sophisticated software that maintains the batteries at a 30% - 70% charge level to avoid fatiguing them; the car literally doesn't like the idea of "topping off" the hybrid battery system and is smart enough to avoid it whenever possible.

~ dan ~

 

Cold neighbor in WI

 

Sandra, I suggest that you start a new thread concerning this issue. I'd be willing to bet it would have a lot more exposure and get a few more responses. Windows frozen solid... Is any kind of grease used in this application? If so, consider using gear grease for an old differential. Is water getting into the door and immobilizing it?

Any way you look at it, that's a weird problem. You people who live in areas that actually have weather must have to deal with a lot of random strange stuff, and I bet it's all normal to you

Good luck