CrystalSC Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 Was the lifespan of a hybrid battery and/or the cost of replacing a hybrid battery a concern for you when looking at a C-Max? As a hybrid newbie, the large replacement cost is worrisome. How much do you think the cost of batteries will drop on avg in the coming years? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salprint Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 I thought about it...but it does have an 8 yr warranty on it. That kinda made me feel better...I just hope I read the warranty right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CassidyB Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 Didn't think twice about battery replacement.. Some people like to get a new car every couple of years... If you are like that, I wouldn't worry about the battery.. In a few years, if I love my C-Max like i did my Element.. I will start putting a little bit of money into savings for battery replacement.. I don't know how much battery prices will drop... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtorres Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 I suspect the situation will be similar to what's happened to the Prius where a secondary market has developed with reasonably priced used batteries from salvaged vehicles. When a vehicle gets totaled every usable part (including the battery) is salvaged for resale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMS13 Posted November 13, 2012 Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 My Prius-owner-friend tells me Toyota is claiming battery life to be 10 - 12 years on the Prius and Camry's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valkraider Posted November 13, 2012 Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 To see whether an aging Toyota Prius has lost a step, we borrowed a 2002 model with 206,000 miles on the odometer. Then we put it through some of the same tests we ran almost exactly 10 years earlier on a nearly identical 2001 tested car with 2,000 miles. We checked whether the battery had worn down, which would be expensive to fix because a new one costs $2,300 to $2,600 from a dealer (more like $500 from a salvage yard). We timed acceleration. And we determined whether the mpg was as high in the aged car as it had been in the new one.http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2011/february/cars/toyota-prius/overview/index.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuenai Posted November 13, 2012 Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 (edited) Yes, it was some concern. I have owned a 2003 Civic Hybrid for the past nine years, and had to replace the battery to the tune of $1700, and therefore have been highly motivated to research the topic. The short answer is that you should not be greatly concerned. There's tons of data now, and it says that you have roughly a 1 in 20 chance of ever needing to replace the battery. Both NiMH (as found in the Prius) and lithium ion (as found in the C Max) both have routinely logged over 200,000 miles without failure. Some efficiency loss, yes, but not enough to affect vehicle performance much, and not enough to need replacement. If you want extreme examples, Google for hybrid fleet use. The taxi studies jump right out, but there are others as well, and they have hybrid vehicles with 300 & 400 k miles on them. If you are one of the unlucky 5%, current replacement costs generally run $3000 or so, and can sometimes be gotten cheaper. (Think pulling a pack from a wrecked vehicle.) I've also seen reports where they are expecting lithium ion batteries to drop by 75% by 2025, but I wouldn't depend on it. (Great for all of us if it happens, though.) Edited November 13, 2012 by kuenai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valkraider Posted November 13, 2012 Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 Heck, I've had to rebuild engines and replace transmissions more often than these batteries will need replacement.... Some times things wear out on a car. Some times they don't. I still don't understand all the worry around batteries. When a car has over 100k miles, *any* car, you should start planning for some level of replacements needed. When a car is over 200k miles, you should downright expect it. If you get 300k miles out of a car be really happy - that's a good run... However, Li Ion batteries also degrade with *time* in addition to use. So, if in 8 years you do end up replacing it, and you want to find one in a junk yard or salvage - find one that is as late a model year as possible so that the *age* of the battery is minimized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaPieR Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 I'd be more interested in higher capacity battery upgrades later on down the road. Or both lighter and higher capacity batteries that you can drop in to upgrade your old battery. wab 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldm Posted December 6, 2012 Report Share Posted December 6, 2012 I'd be more interested in higher capacity battery upgrades later on down the road. Or both lighter and higher capacity batteries that you can drop in to upgrade your old battery.I agree. By the time I may need a new battery who knows what the energy density of batteries may be by then. One thing about a computer controlled vehicle is that if the equipment is changed or modified the programming can be changed to take advantage of the upgrades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted December 7, 2012 Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 Life of the battery, Maine has an extended warrenty for hybrid batteries, they require a 10 year warrenty by the manufacture/dealer. Check your state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valkraider Posted December 7, 2012 Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 Life of the battery, Maine has an extended warrenty for hybrid batteries, they require a 10 year warrenty by the manufacture/dealer. Check your state.My understanding is all CARB states require this warranty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgentCMAX Posted December 12, 2012 Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 I'd be more interested in higher capacity battery upgrades later on down the road. Or both lighter and higher capacity batteries that you can drop in to upgrade your old battery. Or convert it into a plug-in hybrid in the future, especially if battery cost drops! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tdefny Posted December 13, 2012 Report Share Posted December 13, 2012 Don't worry about it. My '02 prius has almost 210,000 miles and if there is any degradation in battery I can't tell. The bigger problem is who can service such a complex vehicle. They could tell you anything and you would have to believe them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted March 14, 2013 Report Share Posted March 14, 2013 I was concerned about LI battery replacement cost and, if it was too high, it would eat up my fuel savings. Called the salesman and ask. He said no one ever asked him about that before but he got back to me with a current replacement cost of $1,000. He also said that, given the battery's expected life, who knows what the situation will be? I expect that when we replace our batteries, the technology will have advanced and prices will have dropped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveofDurham Posted March 14, 2013 Report Share Posted March 14, 2013 Before our C-Max we had a 2000 Honda Insight that required two battery replacements that were covered under warranty. Honda had extended the warranty beyond the time/miles that came with the new vehicle. If you are anywhere near Sanford NC and need a replacement battery, I suggest checking with Taylor Automotive/Re-Involt Technologies -see their website at www.re-involt.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhackwyatt Posted March 14, 2013 Report Share Posted March 14, 2013 The battery is warranted at 8 years/100,000 miles. In California it is 10 years/150,000 miles. http://www.ford.com/cars/cmax/2013/warranty/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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