Hybrid Car Battery Packs

By Colin Jones

Those considering purchasing a hybrid car may be more than a little concerned about what is under the hood. Hybrid cars have partially battery-powered motors. Since a battery-powered motor is not something that typically comes to mind when people think about what's driving a car, it's a good idea to get a good understanding of hybrid car battery packs. Below you will find a few facts about them.

Hybrid car battery packs do not need to be replaced like torch batteries do. Made to last over the lifetime of the vehicle, a hybrid car's warranty covers the battery for a time period that lasts between eight and ten years. In terms of mileage, a hybrid car battery pack is expected to last between 150,000 and 200,000 miles, and it probably will last longer than that.

The toxicity of hybrid car battery packs is a worry, but not a major concern, because hybrid car batteries use NiMH batteries, not the cheaper rechargeable nickel cadmium ones. Nickel cadmium batteries can be detrimental to the environment if not disposed of professionally, but the NiMH batteries that are sold in in hybrid car battery packs are very safe and fully recyclable.

Hybrid car battery packs consist of hundreds and hundreds of cells. Several hundreds of cells means that hybrid cars have a complex battery beneath their hoods, and, it is true, complexity usually means expensive, but with the generous warranty hybrid car manufacturers are giving on these cars, there is very little risk of additional massive expense from the battery pack involved in buying a hybrid car.

The number of hybrid car battery pack failures has been really low. When I say low, I mean negligible. If failure does happen, it's usually before the hybrid car even leaves the lot. Toyota has even said that some of its original Prius hybrid models have battery packs that have lasted over 300,000 miles.

The cost of replacing hybrid car battery packs isn't really even a problem. It isn't an issue because the hybrid car battery packs are built to last. The Department of Energy looked into hybrid cars, but halted its tests when the capacity was determined to be "just like new" after 160,000 miles. So, very few people really seem to know for sure what it costs to replace hybrid car battery packs.

Hybrid car battery packs are being developed very quickly. If we look into the near future, we can see the next generation of hybrid car batteries is already in development. The goal is, naturally, to discover the technology so that it provides lots of power, lasts for the hybrid car's lifetime, and costs less to make than it does today.

If your hybrid car battery pack does develop a problem, there is an easy solution. Toyota has put out some advice on what to do, should your hybrid battery pack run out after the warranty has expired. Their advice is to have the battery reconditioned. This solution works well because if something does go wrong, the problem usually lies with only one of the 28 modules that make up the battery.

So, if you simply replace the problematic module with one that matches the chemistry of the other 27 modules, your hybrid car's battery should be back in good shape. You can find a match by getting a battery pack from another car that has a similar mileage and age. - 21393

About the Author:

If you need to know more about the technology in hybrid cars, you should go along to our web resource where there is loads of information on hybrid cars