With hybrid electric/gasoline cars being so new what do you think the lifespan is of the Escape Hybrid? I have a 2007 and it is running well still with 80k miles.

 

I was thinking about this the other day. The San Francisco taxis went over 300K. I should think that the FEH will last quite some time, if the normal gas and carriage parts are maintained.

The CPU software is programmed to test the battery every so often, and I suspect that the results of the test are used to program the SOC levels. So I believe that while the mileage may go down a bit as the battery ages, the battery itself will last a long time. Of course, it is warranted for 10 year / 150K or 8 yr, 100K at the least.

 

Like any vehicle, the lifespan of an FEH just depends on how much money you want to spend to keep it going. The bigger question is how reliable the FEH will be as it ages, and whether it will make economic sense to keep one longterm.

Most vehicles I've owned have suffered from electrical problems as they aged. My '88 S10 Blazer has lost electrical door locks, window motors, power door locks, ignition module, blower motor, but mechanically still runs well at 230k miles.

My concern about the FEH or any hybrid is the expensive electrical components that may fail as it ages, like that $4k HCU. Even with only 50k on my FEH all the problems have been electrical components or related, MECS pump, blend door actuator, moving forward while in Reverse. So I don't think the FEH is a vehicle to grow old with, but I'm willing to be proven wrong.

 

Of course there is no proof yet that the traction battery has a built in fountain of youth. I suppose like any other sealed battery their chemistry will begin to fail with age irregardless of miles.
It will be interesting to see if people develop DIY rebuilds or aftermarket rebuilds for the FEH batteries.

 

I would believe "cancer" (rust) will be an issue on many vehicles causing it to be traded/sold before electrical/mechanical issues are the reason.

 

Except that here in LA they seem to last forever, rust-wise.

 

Yeah no rust issues here in Vegas. I was thinking about the same question and I think the answer would be more dependant on time on the battery rather than mileage.

Is the 2012 battery pack the same as the 08 (or 05 for that matter)? I got a quote from my local hybrid indy mechanic shop where they said they would replace the complete battery pack from a salvaged junkyard vehicle for ~1200 installed. If my battery fails and I could get a 4 year newer battery with similar mileage then it would seem like a no brainer to do that repair.

 

If I am not mistaken, the 2010 and new Sanyo FEH battery had increased energy density. I don't have the exact reference at the moment. I wonder if a new FEH battery would slightly improve the MPG on the 1st generation vehicles?

 

Except you'd might have a real difficult time knowing how good each cell and fans of a junkyard battery would be.
The 09-12 battery pack is different than the earlier ones, it was made by different manufacturer, has different output voltage, etc.

You can read up on the Internet how people have rebuilt old Honda Insight and Toyota Prius battery packs. They basically take apart the pack, test each D- shaped cell, and solder in a new one as necessary. I suspect Ford battery rebuilds will go about the same if there is a market to do it.

 

[quote=D-mac;248471].
The 09-12 battery pack is different than the earlier ones, it was made by different manufacturer, has different output voltage, etc.



Wait a minute. Sanyo supplied the FEH battery pack from 2005-2012. Unless you are referring to the merger of Sanyo with Panasonic.