What is the word on what to expect from the big batteries in hybrids like the Prius? How long do they last? How much does it cost to replace them? Are the replacements as good as what came in the new car?
- posted
13 years ago
Prius Batteries
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13 years ago
Hang on a minute. I'll call a dealer and check the price for you. I have a telephone.
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13 years ago
Ideally as long as the car. In the real world the NHW11 (01-03) model had a somewhat rare problem with the terminal seals on the battery modules leaking a little and causing loss of water from the electrolyte and/or buss bar corrosion over time. The NHW20 model fixed that problem and the packs are holding up very well There is even speculation that Toyota is using the NHW20 modules when they build replacement NHW11 packs but I haven't heard anything for sure yet. As far as other makes of vehicle go I don't know.
Less than $2000 for the pack plus whatever your local dealer charges for labor and minus $200 if you let them keep the old pack as Toyota has a "bounty" on them.
As I said they are either just as good or possibly better than the old one.
As I said I don't know about other makes but Toyota keeps the NiMh pack between 40 and 80 percent charge at all times. This is to avoid the gas production at either end of the scale and allow higher charge and discharge currents without excessive heating. They have peak currents of 100 amps to and from a 6.5ah pack.
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13 years ago
the Prius and other Toyota hybrids have packs of batteries - instead of a few huge batteries, it has a bunch of smaller ones. Due to the charging algorithm Toyota uses, they have been lasting over 200,000 miles, with many over 300k miles. The replacements are as good as what came new, the cost is anywhere from $2,000 to $4,000 but dealers don't even stock them because they fail so rarely.