High Voltage Battery
These are High Voltage Battery Charge Level Indicator symbols. The image of a lightning bolt in a box or rectangle, is found on the instrument panels of some plug-in hybrid vehicles and is illuminated when the main battery’s charge is low. The image of cascading rectangles with plus and minus signs is found in some full electric vehicles.
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The vehicle needs to be plugged into a charging station or its gasoline engine needs to be operated to recharge the battery. Gasoline engine operation may not be possible in some vehicles until the main battery is charged via a charging station.
Many More Versions
Another manufacturer uses three versions with an outline in blue, yellow/amber or red. Blue indicates that the battery has a full charge. Yellow/amber indicates that the charge level is low. Red indicates that the battery must be charged.
And another uses this set of indicators. From left to right, the first image is in green with a check mark and indicates a full charge. The second in yellow/amber and a lightning bolt inside indicates the vehicle is being charged. And the third, also in yellow/amber, indicates a time has been set to begin charging. The inset is a clock face. The charge indicator will go to red if the charge level drops too low.
Note that the company — Ford — uses a nearly identical set of symbols to depict Hybrid Operation Modes. Those can be seen here.
Each manufacturer seems intent on creating their own set of charge indicators. This set shows a bar that moves right to left in a rounded rectangle, It changes color as the battery is drained and goes from yellow/amber/orange to red and finally adds an exclamation point as the the battery’s charge gets lower and lower.
Another set of images appear here. In Blue, the vehicle is charging. In Green, the EV is plugged in and ready to charge. In Red, charging is impossible. The indicator will also be blinking. The charge cable or battery may be over heated. The vehicle should be inspected by a competent technician.
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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.
These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.
Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.
The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY