Toyota Prius

[SimS]

Ken;
We have a 2005 Prius and the batteries and hybrid systems have an 8yr/100K mile warranty. They claim the 2nd generation batteries are 35% cheaper to replace than the 1st generation Prius'. Another claim is that they have not had to replace a battery for "wear and tear" as of yet. I think some folks are missing the one of Toyota's initial reasons for hybrid, ULEV. While some diesel powered vehicles can match/exceed the Prius in mileage they currently can't match the emissions. So you kind of get a two for one deal with the Prius. I my experience (we currently have ~9800 miles on it) I get 50 mpg @ 72 mph with A/C on, 80 - 90 degree outside temps and on typical Georgia interstates. In city driving it is averaging around 48 mpg. My wife does the car pool for the kids and she "just drives it". She has a pretty heavy right foot. That's my .02

Regards;
Sim

 

[jmc]

Sim,

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( "They claim the 2nd generation batteries are 35% cheaper to replace than the 1st generation Prius. Another claim is that they have not had to replace a battery for "wear and tear" as of yet. " )</font>

That fits my impression that they don't want to talk about the ACTUAL price of batteries for fear of scaring people off. Just a vague reply like "cheaper all the time". Maybe they did give you specifics but I've never seen it mentioned in the articles either, although they flog the economy angle. If the battery replacement on my $200 Ipod costs $99 and the battery on my $250 drill costs $105 then...

Not picking on you. I think your commitment on emissions is admirable.

John

 

[SimS]

John;
Yeah, I was worried about the replacement cost on the battery and if you believe the street/internet babble it's around $3-4K. Maybe it will be cheaper in 10yrs, who knows, I just liked the funky little car's technology and my wife is a tree hugger so it works out. It's also a lot of fun to drive around in stealth mode.

Sim

 

[GaryM]

I have an '04 Prius and currently get 48-51 MPG on the highway. I've had it a year and a half and have 53000 miles on the odometer. Most of my driving is on the highway.

As for battery replacement, you might check the web site at http://www.priusonline.com/ for a good discussion group. Very little concern about battery replacement. One reason is that the complete battery need not be replaced in most cases. A single cell in the battery pack can be easily changed out. The cars in California have a 150K warentee on the battery.

Old timers like myself can remember when our automotive batteries had external cell connector straps. It was not too uncommon to have a single cell swapped out rather than replace the complete battery.

Other cars I was considering at the time were close in price, so I don't feel I paid a penalty to get the hybrid technology. I have the third from the top options package on the '04 (no.7) and really enjoy driving the vehicle.