Battery too cold for vehicle to operate warning display

[Lon12]

Hi,
First post.
Just reading the owners manual. I was quite surprised to see that this is a possible display from the vehicle. :shock:
I would have thought that with a ICE engine nearby they could borrow some heat to keep the battery warm.
Has anyone ever seen this message?
I live in a cold climate and do see below -30C temperatures at times.

 

[Leaf1]

I too was surprised by this. Obviously there is a need to protect the battery but, like you, I would have thought the existence of an ICE would allow you to drive the car.

 

[anko]

Chicken and egg? You need the drive battery to start the ice.

 

[maby]

Chicken and egg? You need the drive battery to start the ice.

Indeed... Also, the PHEV does not have any battery heating system installed, just a fairly basic battery cooling system. It was not designed with really cold climates in mind.

 

[Lon12]

Chicken and egg? You need the drive battery to start the ice.

Fortunately the North American version does have a battery heater that works when you plug the car in.
But my concern is that the manual says if the battery gets cold while driving you need to stop the vehicle in a safe place.
With all that extra heat from the ICE or even power from the 70 kW generator you would think they could keep the battery warm.