After more than 100,000 miles, hybrids keep saving fuel
Hybrid reliability keeps cruisingI was just reviewing the latest Toyota Prius testimonial about a 130,000 mile Prius that is still averaging about 50 miles per gallon on the highway - a pretty common story for older Prii. And it isn't just the Prius, the Honda Civic hybrid has been just as reliable. In fact, some hybrid owners have put more than 200,000 miles on their hybrid vehicles, yet they've had to do little more than change some oil and replace their tires. Hybrid batteries - the big fear - have remained very reliable, especially since the 2nd generation Prius was launched.
Some believe that once automakers start producing millions of hybrids, more problems are inevitable, but thus far, the reliability of hybrid cars has been quite stellar, especially on those hybrids that have been around the longest.
For more hybrid reviews, or to add your own hybrid testimonial, go to hybrid vehicle testimonials and reviews.
Labels: honda civic hybrid, Hybrid Vehicles, toyota prius
posted by Dahcredyns at
7:46 AM
8 Comments:
Hi this is the very right article of the kind that readers might want to see more often than political oil-dependence propaganda.
I was concerned about batteries myself and had found out that Toyota predicts some 130-150 thousand miles of battery life. In that, there are few hybrid cars that got more without decreasing their performance. You should've probably say, that even in case of occasional and rare battery failure it doesn't break completely: usually only a single section should be replaced. For greener people it might be interesting to know that due to high nickel prices these batteries are perfectly recycled.
Thus far battery problems have been a non-issue and that isn't just according to hybrid reviews on this site, but Consumer Reports, for example.
Recently, however, the battery packs for GM's mild hybrids, such as the Vue, Aura and Malibu hybrid, did experience a serious manufacturing defect. So, the potential for battery problems does exist, however, it would almost certainly be realized early in the life of an affected hybrids - as it was in gm's case - and it would be fully covered under warranty.
Perhaps, they are covered, but I haven't had a good answer from a dealer, nor any of my friend new that. Many people think that batteries should be replaced completely in 3-4 years.
So it is a good idea to make people believe that their cars will be as fuel efficient in 10 years as it is at the moment of purchase.
The warranties on the batteries vary by auto manufacturer and by state - some states actually extend the warranties of hybrid batteries, such as California. I'm not aware of any battery warranty under 5 years.
Ultimately, the batteries are intended to last the life of the vehicle. In fact, most of the batteries will outlast the vehicles. They might degrade a little over time, but battery failure, especially after 3 to 4 years, is a myth.
Still, if you buy a hybrid vehicle today, and drive it for 10 years, you might want to replace the batteries anyway, but not because you have to, because you want to.
Ten years from now battery technology will be cheaper and more powerful. Thus, in 10 years, you might be able to convert your 10 year old hybrid into a 100 mpg+ plug-in hybrid vehicle for just a few thousand dollars, which could even include a new battery warranty.
I believe indeed that a battery may not work more than 5 years. We'll see what will happen in the next years. However, something must happen in this area. Maybe no longer need batteries. :-)Who knows ...
There have been fleets of hybrids on the road for 10 years already. The first generation Prius and the Honda Insight, for example. These vehicles have not had major battery problems. There has been some degradation in some batteries, but failure, if and when it happens, has been extremely rare. In fact, it's been a non-issue.
More important, Toyota has improved upon that battery in the second generation hybrid, which has now been on the road for close to 5 years already. Many of those vehicles have been on the road for well over 100,000 miles, and the far majority of owners are extremely satisfied and ready to buy another prius when needed. Again, that has been confirmed by Consumer Reports as well.
Not that your article wasn't interesting (cause it was), but I just have to say: Prii! That's hilarious!
i have to admit that i didn't coin that term. when the prius first came out it was actually commonly used in the media. today not as often.
however, as i took a few years of latin in college, i'm fond of the word!
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