hybrid car owners...

[malta blue]

Someone told me that they hyb rid car battery will die after 4-5 years and the oost to replace the battery is $7500. :wow: Has anyone heard of this?

[NMDemDist2]

1. i have heard that although the batts last a bit longer than 4-5

7-10 years is what I heard

[hippywife]

2. I found this info:

http://www.hybridcars.com/faq.html#battery

How often do hybrid batteries need replacing? Is replacement expensive and disposal an environmental problem?

The hybrid battery packs are designed to last for the lifetime of the vehicle, somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 miles, probably a whole lot longer. The warranty covers the batteries for between eight and ten years, depending on the car maker.

Battery toxicity is a concern, althoug today's hybrids use NiMH batteries, not the environmentally problematic rechargeable nickel cadmium. "Nickel metal hydride batteries are benign. They can be fully recycled," says Ron Cogan, editor of the Green Car Journal. Toyota and Honda say that they will recycle dead batteries and that disposal will pose no toxic hazards. Toyota puts a phone number on each battery, and they pay a $200 "bounty" for each battery to help ensure that it will be properly recycled.

There's no definitive word on replacement costs because they are almost never replaced. According to Toyota, since the Prius first went on sale in 2000, they have not replaced a single battery for wear and tear.

[DCKit]

3. On the off chance you'll ever check this thread again....

Both Toyota and Honda hybrids never try to charge their batteries to 100%. I've heard 80%, but that might not be accurate.

Charging to 100% is far more time consuming and it takes more energy to stuff that last bit of energy into a battery, so they've gone for the sweet spot. The urban legend of NiMh battery memory has been pretty much dispelled by the performance of both companies batteries.

Plug-in hybrids will probably charge to 100% since both time and energy are more readily available from a wall plug than from engine charging or regenerative breaking.

Finally, the new nano-cathode lithium ion batteries will be smaller, lighter, pack more energy, charge faster (better for regenerative breaking too) and go farther than NiMh batteries, but don't hold your breath for prices to come down. The Li batteries in the Tesla (200+ mile range) are currently about $30K.