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Hybrid Vehicles The Great Hybrid Battery Debate
669 messages, Last post on Apr 06, 2009 at 2:32 PM
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quote-"If you exceed 90%, or drop below 60%, you stress the battery and cause damage."-end quote If that is true, then my 2004 HCH is damaging it's battery every day. I drive city miles only (very few exceptions in the first 4 months) and my battery charge indicator is ALWAYS hovering between 5% and usually around 20% unless I get on a long road with no red lights and set the cruise for a while, then I can get it up above 75%. |
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The charge indicator is calibrated like this: _ 90% | | | | | | | | - 60% So you're only seeing the top 1/3rd of the battery. It's not really empty. . However, you are correct that city driving will stress the battery. Also the engine. And the oil. And the transmission fluid. And the exhaust/catalytic converter. City driving is bad all around. I recall my first car completely rusted out after only one year. It never got hot enough to burn off the moisture! After learning that expensive lesson, I would never shift above 3rd to ensure my engine got nice-and-hot every day & burned off excess water/pollutants from the oil/exhaust. |
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quote gagrice-"the circa 1997 Japanese Priuses would be all over the news for a rash of battery replacements. There may be a lot of bad batteries. I cannot read Japanese so would not know."-end quote Gary, think about it for a second: In today's world, news gets around. The Japanese press would have picked up on any rash of failures since Toyota is one of the world's largest companies - that would NOT have slipped under the radar. On top of that, with Blogs and how much focus people have placed on the Hybrid cars, ANYTHING like a story of that magnitude WOULD have come to our attention by now.
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Replying to: larsb (Nov 18, 2004 6:14 am) |
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Replying to: railroadjames (Nov 04, 2004 6:45 am) I did some research. Toyota's charge indicator is calibrated like below, and only uses 30% of the battery's range: _ 70% | | | - 40% Honda uses 60% of the battery & its charge indicator is calibrated: _ 80% | | | - 20% Notice that both avoid under-or-over-charging the battery, to avoid damage, and extend battery life = engine life. No replacement needed. Troy |
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Automakers hope that the growing popularity of hybrids will entice other companies to build the battery packs, increasing competition and ultimately reducing the price, which now can run as high as $5,000 If they cannot keep up now with the small production. What is the outlook for the time when your hybrid needs a new battery? Will you have a 2 month wait till they get a spare? Does Toyota & Honda USA have a supply of spare batteries in stock? http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2004-11-21-hybrid-batteries_x- - .htm |
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Replying to: gagrice (Nov 22, 2004 10:55 am) I have been told that you may replace the battery a small section at a time, for about $150.00, if and when the battery fails///told to me by a Toyota manager. I found no reference in the USA article about $5000.00 for a battery, or any shortage...Toyota has been adding production an a high rate which was not anticipated and thus caused the battery pack backup....All the conjecture really is just that;;;conecture, and what if's....
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Replying to: bjrich (Nov 22, 2004 12:10 pm) read the 8th paragraph. The whole article is about battery shortfalls. My experience with batteries tell me you may be able to exchange one cell at a time. However they usually go bad at about the same time, so you may be spending a lot of time replacing one cell every few weeks. |
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Hybrid Vehicles The Great Hybrid Battery Debate
