FWIW, I have left my charging cable and brick outside exposed to the elements and the afternoon sun since the start of the winter in Ottawa. So far no issues.
The outlander PHEV is not great on the highway due to the lack of a transmission that optimizes gear ratios. However, it more than makes up for the meh highway fuel economy with the stellar urban fuel economy.
Setting regen to B3 and above turns on the ICE only if the battery is above 60%, but in this case the ICE turns on only to activate the generator, so the extra charge from B3+ that the battery can't "absorb" at this charge level powers the generator as waste energy.
Your experiences are unfortunate and I can see the frustration from it.
All I have to say is that I have a different experience through an Ottawa winter. It operated in EV mode most of the time. I think I averaged 5.8L/100km which is about 42 MPG in the winter on winter tires that includes a...
Good question on whether when the ICE is shown as being turned on keeps the engine warm. The way I read the manual in anything above B2 when the drive battery has lots of charge, the ICE is driven by the generator, so the display shows the ICE is on. It may not be turning revolutions to be kept...
I interpret the wording in the manual to be near zero fuel is being consumed in this instance:
"If the shift lever position “B” (Regenerative Brake) is selected when the drive battery is near full charge, or when it becomes hot or cold, the engine is driven by the generator to consume...