How long does a Toyota Prius battery last? How much does it cost to replace one?
Also, if there are any major repairs and/or parts needed for a Prius?
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There are two batteries in the Toyota Prius. Which one are you asking about?
In the US, the entire hybrid system (which includes the hybrid battery pack) is warrantied for 8 years/100,000 miles.
If you are in a California-emission state, the hybrid battery pack in a 2004-2009 Prius is further covered under the CA emissions warranty for 10 years/150,000 miles. (But that is just the hybrid battery and certain emissions components, not the entire hybrid system...) Last I heard the upcoming 2010 Prius will have a longer warranty.
That's a full warranty (not pro-rated). No cost to you for parts or labor.
(But just because the warranty is over, doesn't mean that the item will fail! You don't see bumpers falling off at the end of the 3 year/36,000 mile bumper-to bumper new vehicle warranty that is on most vehicles...)
If for some reason you do need to replace the hybrid battery out of warranty, do note that your Toyota dealer should offer you a $200 rebate/bounty on it, so that it gets properly recycled.
Used Prius hybrid battery packs (such as from wrecked vehicles) have been selling for less than US$1000 on eBay. Why pay a dealer the price of a new pack for a used car? Alternately, an individual bad cell could be replaced, but Toyota dealers usually prefer to replace the whole unit as it is easier than a cell by cell basis.
The price for new Prius hybrid batteries has recently come down. They used to be priced in the US at $2985, but now for the NHW11 model (US 2001-2003 model years) it is $2299 and the NHW20 model (US 2004-current model years) is $2588. pressroom.toyota.com… (Dealer labor charges (which price varies depending on where you live) for moving an approx. 100 lb. hybrid battery pack could easily add up to another US$1000 depending on your dealer and their competence...)
Average life span? no one really knows. There just hasn't been enough of them failing for us to tell you how long they'll last. (It is still a rare occurrence, even for the US Prius which have been out for almost 9 years now, with many over 200,000 miles without any hybrid battery issues...)
To quote Toyota's press release:
pressroom.toyota.com…
pressroom.toyota.com…
<quote>
How long does the Prius battery last and what is the replacement cost?
The Prius battery (and the battery-power management system) has been designed to maximize battery life. In part this is done by keeping the battery at an optimum charge level - never fully draining it and never fully recharging it. As a result, the Prius battery leads a pretty easy life. We have lab data showing the equivalent of 180,000 miles with no deterioration and expect it to last the life of the vehicle. We also expect battery technology to continue to improve: the second-generation model battery is 15% smaller, 25% lighter, and has 35% more specific power than the first. This is true of price as well. Between the 2003 and 2004 models, service battery costs came down 36% and we expect them to continue to drop so that by the time replacements may be needed it won't be a much of an issue. Since the car went on sale in 2000, Toyota has not replaced a single battery for wear and tear.
Is there a recycling plan in place for nickel-metal hydride batteries?
Toyota has a comprehensive battery recycling program in place and has been recycling nickel-metal hydride batteries since the RAV4 Electric Vehicle was introduced in 1998. Every part of the battery, from the precious metals to the plastic, plates, steel case and the wiring, is recycled. To ensure that batteries come back to Toyota, each battery has a phone number on it to call for recycling information and dealers are paid a $200 "bounty" for each battery.
</quote>
However, the Prius' 12v accessory battery (like every other car has) is used to power the accessories (lights, fans, radio, alarm, etc.) and the computers. Unlike other cars' 12v accessory batteries, though, it is not used to start the car (so it is physically smaller and therefore easier to drain), but it does start the computers. The computers open a relay that hooks up the 200+v hybrid traction battery, and it is really the hybrid traction battery that starts the gasoline engine (using an electric motor). It is possible to drain the 12v accessory battery (leave the headlights on overnight, leave the car undriven for over 2 weeks, etc.), just like on any other car. With age (5+ years, usually) or repeated drainings/misuse, you'll probably need to replace it eventually. AGM style, small physical size, and odd posts, mean that you'll probably have to go to the dealer, $150 - $300 (depending if you need an adapter).
there's a lot of myth, urban legend, and misinformation out there on hybrid vehicle batteries and vehicle production, thanks to a flawed marketing paper by CNW and a poo
Source(s):
You may do better to ask some actual owners:
priuschat.com (among many other sites) |
