I had a dealer tell me yesterday that after the 100,000 mile warranty expired on the hybrid batteries, that the resale value would drop significantly due to the potential cost of replacing the batteries.

Is there any data out there on the total life of the TCH batteries, and would they would cost to replace?

 

We still don't know.

the TCH is just to new for any batteries to be replaced.

The Prius which has been around a lot long still does not have any good data since there has not been any reported battery replacements due to battery failure. Toyota states the battery [I]should[I] be good untill past 150,000 miles. Some think it should last the life of the car. Either way, I am hoping there is a Li-ion battery available to replace mine when it goes out, and even better a plug-in conversion to go with that replacement battery.

 

Also, the resale value on all cars drops at 100,000 miles because a bank won't loan money on a car with over 100,000 miles. It is best to sell at 95,000 or keep it till the wheels fall off.

 

So what happens when/if the batteries fail? Can I just run the car on the ICE for the next 50,000 miles or will it not start?

 

The car can't run w/o a battery pack. It won't start.

 

It won't backup either...

 

Back in late 2005 I got the official word from Toyota about battery cost for a Prius. $3000. I imagine the Camry would be simlar.

http://hybridcars.about.com/od/hybri...atterycost.htm
hybridcars.about.com/od/hybridcarfaq/f/batterycost.htm

***
Q. How Much Does A Hybrid Car Battery Cost?

A. While most hybrid battery packs are actually made up of a number of individual cells, generally the whole pack must be replaced if there is a problem. Replacement battery packs for hybrid cars run in the several thousand dollar range including labor. Most estimates I’ve heard are near the $2000-$3000 range, although I've seen more. (See below.)
Avoiding heavy draining of the battery seems to be one of the main ways to keep the battery healthy. Different hybrids use different methods to help prevent overcharging, but battery management is controlled mainly by the car’s computers. The early manual transmission Insights are the only cars that I have read about that have experienced failure of the battery packs.

For those that experience battery failure within the warranty period, manufacturers are standing behind their product and providing replacement units. In some cases Honda has even provided additional "goodwill coverage" for at least a portion of the bill for hybrid battery replacement even after the warranty has expired. Although normally, if there is a battery failure after the warranty is expired, consumers should plan to cover the bill themselves.

To purchase a brand new hybrid battery from a dealer, the price for a Honda Insight Hybrid battery is around $3600.

In November of 2005, when asked about the price of a new Prius battery, Toyota spokeswoman Mona Richard said, "The service parts price for a new battery is $3000, but we have not had to sell a battery yet."

As one would expect, there are starting to be sources for used hybrid batteries which can be purchased for considerably less.
https://web.archive.org/web/20051219...atterycost.htm
web.archive.org/web/20051219073606/http://hybridcars.about.com/od/hybridcarfaq/f/batterycost.htm

 

I thought about this as well and have to assume that the battery will be much cheaper than $3000 by the time the warranty runs out in 8 years or 100k miles. Time will tell...

 

I wonder if it would be possible to find a used battery - perhaps from a junkyard. If a car got totalled, and the battery was still intact - hmmm...

 

You can find used batteries now from exactly that source.