I have been reading a lot of articles about the rechargeable batteries that are in hybrid cars. Many people state that they have a 7-10 year life and that replacing them will cost several thousand dollars.

Is this a true statement? Have not tried to see what the batteries cost, but they can't last forever and I have been wondering if there will be a huge cost for me down the road as I keep my cars for a long time.

This would obviously affect resale value because nobody would want to buy a car that will need new rechargeable batteries in the near future.

Am I way off base here?? Are we going to see a lot of HAH owners looking for batteries in 7 or so years??

I have a 2005 HAH (no NAVI) by the way - love the car as well!

Thanks in advance for the help.

You might want to just ask this in a general forum as it applies equally to all hybrid cars, not just the HAH. My opinion is that economies of scale, and also further research, will cause battery costs to drop drastically over the next 5 years or so. If that is true, by the time you need a replacement pack it won't cost that much. Maybe we can hope for $500 or $1000.

All cars if you keep them a long time can end up needing expensive repairs. Yes, the battery is just one more thing that can wear out, so it is sort of a minus, but maybe the hybrid assist will mean the engine gets stressed less (for example when speeding up), so maybe it needs less repairs? I don't know, I guess we will see.

FWIW, you wont be alone, I plan on being there and seeing what happens.

I havent looked behind the seat as yet to see what the batteries look like but there is always the chance they can be replaced by someone who is handy enough.

One of the hybrids I read about use standard 'D' size cells with solder tabs. If this is the case and if our HAH do in fact use 144 volts the cost of 120 batteries would not/should not actually cost that much. Even if the cells cost 2 dollars each, that would only be 240$ total for battery cost.

Its the labor that will cost, if it is not able to be done by someone thats capable.

Has anyone looked at their HAH batteries yet? Is there an easy way to get a peek at em? Any pics or links to see a pic? I am interested in checkin them out.

I don't have any of the links, nor do I remember the source, but I've read some articles that have claimed that the batteries in the Prius have lasted much longer than anticipated with very few battery failure related replacements.

I plan on being a long term HAH driver as well. At the rate of yearly mileage, I'll be at 80K (the 8 year/80K miles battery warranty) in only 4 1/2 years. At that point, I have faith the HAH will take me at minimum another 20K-40K miles and 2-3 years without any hiccups. I've already put a little money into a savings account for my potential battery replacement. By the time my HAH needs it, I'll have the money to do it.

If that idea intrigues you, most people have a 5 year loan on their car. When you make that last car payment, start paying the same amount of money as your car payment into a separate savings account! Only two payments should more than cover the cost of the battery replacement. Or, when you get a big income tax return, set aside about $1K into that separate account. If you never end up needing that money, and you eventually sell the car, you'll at least have that $1K to use as a down payment on your next car!

Also, to note, the money I have set aside is not just for my battery replacement. I put that money into that account to pay my $1,000 deductible just incase I ever do have an accident. By raising my deductible from $500 to $1,000, I'm saving roughly $200 per year. I figure, if I go accident free for at least three years, then raising my deductible starts to save me money each passing year even if I do have to pay the $1,000 in the case of a claim. And, the $1,000 is earning 4.(something)% in interest. Yeah, not much, but better than nothing I suppose. Just an idea. Hopefully, someone else will find value in it.

Oh man, when did I go soooo off topic?!

<Best Tank Economy!><Best Tank Endurance!>

Just thought I'd let y'all know that there'll be another person joining you to buy those replacement batteries. I have a tendancy to keep cars 8-10 years (and in the case of my first honda going on 16). Seems to me a Honda won't let us down. Just wish a few more people agreed with us on how great this car is. My car and I just celebrated our first year together, 12,000 miles and 32 miles to the gallon, even with LA traffic. I love this car.

I most likely will keep my car at least 7-10 years. I believe in imports for their quality & reliability. Used to love Mazdas but didn't like them since Ford bought some shares in them. My '88 626 lasted me 500 000kms before it decides to quit at the end of last year. Hopefully, my two Hondas can last as long, if not longer.

Wow! Congratulations!

I don't recall the exact date. The 26th of August comes to mind, but I'm not sure. So, I'm nearing my one year anniversary as well. And, today I hit the 20K mark. I'm averaging 31 mpg here in metro Phoenix.

<Best Tank Economy!><Best Tank Endurance!>

Some things to consider:

1) The Honda IMA is an assist to a gasoline engine, while the Toyota Synergy moves the car without the engine (at low speeds). I would expect that the Honda IMA battery is not as stressed as the Toyota battery. I'm equating stress with current draw (amps -> electromotive force). So less stress equals longer battery life.

2) A Honda salesman commented to me (take this for what its worth) that if the battery goes out on a Honda IMA, you can still drive it using the gasoline engine. Meanwhile, the Toyota Synergy would be stuck if its battery went out. He said that many years down the line, you could just drive a Honda IMA with just the engine. (I kind of doubt this. If anything, you would be seeing/hearing a lot of warnings).

3) Most importantly and not as well publicized, Honda IMA cars have a REALLY good PZEV Emissions warranty for CA/CT/MA/NY/VT. The regular warranty is 3/36 (years/1000 miles) with the IMA battery and a few other IMA hardware 8/80. Meanwhile, the PZEV warranty is 15/150 (entire list) with the IMA battery 10/150 to comply with the CA Air Resources Board anti-smog standards. (Ref: Warranties booklet, Federal and CA Emissions Warranties Parts List in the back of booklet - I hope I'm reading it right!). To repeat:

PZEV CA/CT/MA/NY/VT warranty is 15 years / 150,000 miles; IMA battery 10 years / 150,000 miles.

So, even if the state you're in does not qualify you for the PZEV warranty, we ALL have the same parts. I'm counting on my belief that Honda is the type of company to design enough margin and robustness into their IMA cars to even have a 15/150 (IMA battery 10/150) warranty. We ALL benefit.

On the other hand, warranties are like playing the odds for the car manufacturers. (So why was the dealer pushing the extended warranty so hard?... $$$, of course!).

4) When I have to replace the IMA battery out-of-warranty, I'm going to consider some of the "plug-in" hybrid companies if they have something designed for the HAH -> support their business model.

In summary, I'm not too concerned about the problems mentioned. This is a long-term car for me. Besides, I really like the "Bat Out of Hell" acceleration (when needed, of course)!

Best regards,
- Gary.


04/2006 HAH (built with PCM Update to Improve Fuel Mileage)

The Accord hybrid has no alternator. Therefore, all power to run electrical accessories (and that includes power steering on these cars, lights, and the ignition system) comes from the batteries. I would guess that the 12V battery supplies the power, but it is charged by the IMA battery as needed. (Remember - no alternator, so there's no other way to charge). So if the IMA system, including the motor/generator unit between the enging and transmission and the IMA battery, doesn't work, the car is basically immobile, at least after the 12V battery runs down. So you'd be able to drive the car for a while, about the same amount of time you could drive a traditional car with an alternator if the alternator died. That's my impression of the situation.

(This also shows that our IMA system is doing more than we sometimes realize. It's powering the electrical accessories from braking and coasting regeneration, as well as once in a while providing a boost to the engine. The lack of power loss or drag due to an alternator is one minor reason the hybrid mpg is higher than a non-hybrid Accord V6. But that advantage is pretty much lost if the engine has to charge the IMA battery when it isn't charged enough by braking/coasting, such as at constant highway speed for long distances. In that situation, the engine power loss or gas use due to IMA charging is pretty much the same as an alternator charging a battery. Again, my impression).