My wife and I recently ordered a Toyota Prius hybrid. A friend who I told about it asked about battery replacement cost, saying he'd hear they were expensive. I had to admit I did not know, but none of the increasing number of favorable reviews I'd read mentioned the issue. So, I checked.
Hybrid Blog has a set of links from Toyota, MSNBC and HybridBlog's research director, which agree that the NiMH batteries are expected to last the life of the vehicle, even though they may be warranted for only 8-10 years or 80,000 - 100,000 miles. Toyota reports that they've had some that have run hundreds of thousands of miles without deterioration. The Energy Department stopped testing them after 160,000 miles without deterioration, according to those sources.
More at: HybridBlog: HybridCenter Q&A: So what about those batteries? (Oct. 20, 2006).
More good news from HybridBlog for those who want to get a fuel economy hybrid and also want to "buy American" ... Toyota's "family size" 2007 Camry hybrid will be produced in Kentucky, and they plan to make 60,000 per year. Nissan plans to compete with its similarly sized Altima hybrids to be built in Tennessee, using Toyota's older generation hybrid drive now used in the Prius. Source: HybridBlog: New Hybrid Sedans Show Sales, Policy Successes (Oct. 20, 2006)
Posted by dougsimpson at October 22, 2006 06:55 PM