I talk to new people about hybrids not too infrequently and many of them aren't convinced about their greatness. They say that the batteries cost $5,000 to replace and cannot last the life of the car. They say the environmental impact of making the cars and the disposing of the hybrid batteries offsets the environmental gain the car provides during its low emissions life. Any thoughts on this?

The question of most concern for me is are there any known hybrids where the battery had to be replaced *after* the warranty expired? What is the warranty? Isn't it 10 years or 100,000 miles? Surely Hondas and Toyotas are known for going 200,000 miles easy? What are some of the most miles on the odometer some hybrids on the road have today?

 

For what it's worth, got 86,000 miles on my Insight and it been just replacing tires, oil, etc....

 

First generation Prius Taxis have gone 200k+ miles without any problems.

The batteries don't end up in landfills, they do get recycled by the manufacturer and even if they do land in the dump, they aren't nearly as toxic as normal lead-acid car batteries.

 

The HCH synlube thread had some folks quote $2-2.5K for battery replacement on the Insight. To me, this figure is in line with what I would expect to have to pay for a new transmission or major engine work. The battery is just one more major part in the powertrain, with all major parts carrying similar pricetags. The difference this time, of course, is that batteries definitely do lose their ability to "do work" over time, whereas engines and whatnot may or may not.

On the topic of powertrain component costs, I'm interested in the cost of a new IMA. Anyone, anyone?