Is there a method to equalize the charge across all cells of the HV battery? Is this done automatically?

replace the battery.

After digging back through the dead brain cells - short answer is yes. --- Don't ask me how to do it with modern automotive battery cells. All of my experience has been with WWII vintage diesel electric batteries. It involved many hours of charging with individual cell acid height and specific gravity reading taken and compared.

A new battery is $2000-$2500 so it would be my guess that the OP would want to extend the battery as long as possible.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ni-MH_Battery_01.JPG

2001? even the most efficient deep-cycle technology cannot run this amount of time, even if NEVER in storage~

like monkeyin' around with somethin' that will probably catch fire, with the slip of a hand...no, it's worth a hospital bill to not mess around with storage batteries...they are human-being unfriendly!

Bob-Roy... My job was to monkey around with storage batteries. I was trained to do so. Others have the same training and apply their knowledge to automotive applications. A mechanic repairs a metal box that contains explosions. A slip of the hand can result in injury. That's why there is training and safety regulations. --- You're the one who wants to battery power a Volkswagen. You're going to have to learn this stuff.

My volkswagen bug caught fire, and was completely destroyed when I loaned it to my lead-singer for a spell because of tryin' to fit a group 24 under the backseat, my other vw caught fire on the freeway 'cause an improperly installed car-stereo....so a history of VW's and fire and have taught me NEVER own a VW!

why do these threads always get so far off track?