Maintaining the optimal performance of your electric vehicle (EV) battery is crucial for its longevity and efficiency. Like any battery, an EV battery’s performance can degrade over time, and sometimes the car’s battery management system (BMS) may not accurately reflect its actual capacity. This is where a Plug In Diagnostic Tool For Electric Car Battery becomes invaluable. This guide will walk you through the process of resetting the battery capacity estimation on a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, ensuring your vehicle accurately gauges its battery health and range.
Before you begin this procedure, it’s essential to ensure the drive battery is as depleted as possible. Ideally, aim for a state of charge below 30%, or as indicated by just a single bar on your dashboard. For precise monitoring, apps like PhevWatchdog can be helpful to ascertain the battery’s state of charge. A practical approach is to drive your car until the internal combustion engine (ICE) engages, signaling low battery. If you need to expedite battery discharge, you can use the car’s air conditioning or heater with the windows open.
Once the battery is sufficiently discharged, park your Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV near a charger, as the process may take several hours. While older procedures suggested up to 12 hours, newer guidelines indicate it could take anywhere up to 72 hours, depending on factors like battery temperature and whether your car is equipped with a battery heater.
Do not connect the charger at this stage. First, plug in your diagnostic tool for electric car battery into the OBD-II port and put your car in ready mode. If you have any charging timers configured, disable them to prevent interference with the reset process.
Next, open your diagnostic tool’s Android application and navigate to the “ALL SYSTEMS DIAGNOSTIC” section.
Initiate the VIN decoding process by clicking on “VIN Decoding.” Allow the application to identify your car model and download the necessary Mitsubishi software if prompted.
After successful VIN decoding, proceed to access the battery management system functions. Select “System Selection,” then “BMU” (Battery Management Unit), followed by “Special Function,” and finally “Battery Maintenance Function.”
Within the “Battery Maintenance Function” menu, locate and select “BATT. Capa. Estimated Info. Reset.” Confirm your selection to initiate the reset of the estimated battery capacity information.
Following this, select “Control Information Reset” and confirm this action as well. It’s possible that your ICE might start shortly after the last reset. If this occurs, turn the car off and then back on in ACC (Accessory) mode.
Return to the BMU screen and choose “Read Data Stream.” From the data stream options, select “Battery Current Capacity” and confirm. The diagnostic tool should now display the original, factory-specified battery capacity (e.g., 38Ah in the example). If the tool still shows the old, potentially degraded capacity, repeat the reset procedure until the original value is displayed. You can also observe the “Battery Remaining Capacity” in this screen, which indicates the current state of charge.
Once you have verified the reset and confirmed the original battery capacity is displayed, turn off your car and connect the charger. The battery should commence charging, and you should observe the charging indicator illuminating on your dashboard.
Finally, return to the “BMU” menu, navigate to “Special Function,” and select “Battery Auto Capacity Measured.” Initially, “Execution Status” should indicate “Not Run” (or “Complete” if a Battery Auto Capacity Measurement has been previously performed). Click on the “Perform” button and confirm. You should hear the AC system and cooling fans activate as the diagnostic tool initiates the battery auto capacity measurement process. The “Execution Status” will then change to “Executing,” and “Capa. Measured Discharge Current” should display “Ok,” confirming the procedure is underway.
By following these steps with your plug in diagnostic tool for electric car battery, you can effectively reset the battery capacity estimation in your Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, ensuring more accurate readings and potentially improving your understanding of your battery’s health and performance. This process is a valuable part of EV battery maintenance and can contribute to the longevity and reliability of your electric vehicle.
