How long to Prius batteries last and what happens to the used batteries?

robes42

How long to Prius batteries last and what happens to the used batteries?

kb

1. lifetime of the car















2. id assume recycled.

Ken in Concord, NC

They're designed to work for the life of the vehicle. They are warrantied for 8yr/100,000 miles in most states and 10yr/150,000 miles in states with California Emissions. There are over 1-million Prius's on the road currently with many of them having over 200,000 miles with no sign of battery deterioration. If you do ever have to replace it (so far history is saying that is VERY unlikely unless you have an accident) Toyota pays $200 for every battery pack that is returned to them for recycling.































Hope this helps.































Ken

unplugged-Pro-Peace

very long.































as people have said, they have an 8 year warranty on them.































did you know that toyota used to make SOME fully electric rav4's? they had simillar nickel batteries to the prius and there are some electric rav4's with more than 200 000 miles and the batteries are still working fine. so if the batteries in a fully electric vehicle will still work after 200 000 miles, the batteries in a hybrid will last even longer because the batteries won't be used as much in a hybrid as an electric vehicle.















































after the battery is dead, it gets recycled just like any battery in a car. so no it doesn't go to a landfill, the metals in the battery have value so its recycled.

mrvadeboncoeur

There are two batteries in the Toyota Prius. Which one are you asking about?































In the US, the entire hybrid system (which includes the NiMH 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. http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/t...spx?ncid=12067 (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:















http://pressroom.toyota.com/photo_li...ml?id=20040623















http://pressroom.toyota.com/Releases...T2004062345528















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.































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 with 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).

professorprius

Hi,































there is some excellent information here, but there are things to clarify.































1. While it is true that almost every Prius (and Camry Hybrid, Highlander Hybrid, RX400h, and all the rest) are still operating with the original nickel metal hydride (NiMH) hybrid battery and hybrid components (electric motor generators, Power Split Devices, inverters, etc.), there have been some NiMH failures that fall outside the warranty period, even the extended 10 year/150,000 warranty that some states require.































There have been approximately 3% of all Toyota/Lexus hybrids that have had to have their NiMH replaced due to failure/owner abuse or attempted modification.































Now, that is 3% out of over 1.8 million Toyota/Lexus hybrids on the road in over ten years, so the number is real, although not substantial by any means.































Comparing that rate to any other manufacturer's components, 3% is very small. But it is worth being up-front about it.































2. While the pricing noted for complete a new NiMH stack is correct, the labor costs are not accurate.































If a NiMH had to be replaced, it would be done at the top electrical labor rate for Toyota by a technician trained in hybrid repair. The time to replace an entire NiMH is 2 to 2.5 hours at that labor rate. Today, when I called a local dealership in the Chicago Region where I live, the rate is $93.93 per hour.































That works out to about $235.00 at 2.5 hours of labor. There will be ancillary charges for minor materials, but those should be detailed and explained to you, if you want.































Any dealership that tries to charge an exorbitant amount, let's say $1000 dollars beyond the price of the actual NiMH stack, is attempting to pad the bottom line with over $700.00 in additional charges and Toyota should be notified as we take a very dim view of such practices.































3. The NiMH battery is not the 12 volt lead acid battery. The 12 volt system is completely separate from the NiMH system, they are not linked.































You will have to eventually replace the lead acid battery. It's normal life is 5-7 years of calendar age or a driving equivalency at 12,000 miles per year, or 60-80,000 miles roughly (probably longer, most do last longer than 60-80k).































Hope this helps.