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http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg HYBRID BATTERIES SURPASS ALL EXPECTATIONS (autoblog.com/2009/02/20/autoline-on-autoblog-with-john-mcelroy/)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2007_TCH_NiMH_battery_pack.jpgJohn McElroy - Auto Blog (autoblog.com) - Beb. 21, 2009

Of course, the topic of HEV battery packs is still the main argument used by detractors; but there's nothing like a good track record to prove them wrong! -- Ed.

When Toyota's Prius first hit Japanese showrooms in 1997, I was highly skeptical that hybrids would catch on. Not only was the technology really expensive, I thought the nickel-metal hydride batteries would prove to be the Achilles Heel in the system. Sooner or later you'd be facing an expensive replacement bill, right?

Well, here we are more than a decade later and those batteries are proving to be amazingly reliable. Toyota now has sold over 520,000 hybrids in just the American market. Honda has sold over 300,000 worldwide. Ford is just about to break through the 100,000 mark. The only reason they could sell so many hybrids is that the technology is working exactly like it's supposed to, including the batteries.

While these batteries were designed to last 10 years or 150,000 miles, in many cases they're even doing better than that. Ford brags that some Escape hybrid taxis now have anywhere from 200,000 to 300,000 miles on them and are still running strong with the original batteries… http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/20/autoline-on-autoblog-with-john-mcelroy/

msantos,

thanks for the update. my main concern is the battery.

I feel more comfortable after reading your post. My Honda Civic Hybrid is just over a year old.

I'm impressed by the age of the batteries.

I had wondered about the old batteries.
Sounds like Honda and Toyota are taking battery disposal responsibly.

Toyota sells all its returned batteries at very low cost to... a huge recycling company. And then there's the question of what happens at the end of their life. Toyota sells all its returned batteries at very low cost to Kinsbursky Brothers, a huge recycling company in Anaheim, California. In fact, Toyota started recycling batteries with them in 1998 when it sold the EV RAV-4 in California. Kinsbursky disassembles the battery pack and shreds and recycles the polypropylene in the casing. The plates and inter-cell connectors are sold to smelting operations that remove the nickel, which is then sold to stainless steel producers. But Toyota's goal is to directly use that nickel to make new batteries.

Honda puts labels under the hood, and under the seat where the batteries are located, which instruct you to call an 800 number at American Honda. They'll pick up the batteries free of charge, and then Honda recycles them in house.

Ford will recycle its batteries with its battery supplier as long as they're under warranty. It expects customers to contact a local recycling center if they're out of warranty.

I wonder how much Taxi drivers really tax the batteries. Many seem to have three modes...Stopped, max accel, max decel. With that kind of behavior the batteries wouldn't have much EV only mode on them and may not be "suffereing" the same kind of life others throw at them. I'd love to see the batteries removed from these vehicles (in software) and pretty much use them for there auto-stop feature only. I'd let the batteries run the A/C also. I wonder how much difference there would be in MPG for the more agressive drivers.

Frankly I think hypermilers represent some of the more agressive drivers as far as the batteries are concerned. People like me, frequently draw the battery down to let it fill up later. Other here drive the vehicle more like I suggested it should be setup above...they avoid battery use as recharging isn't very efficient. Since no one, or almost no one, here has had a problem, I think hybrids batteries are in very good shape and well engineered. I do hope they don't start making them $ cheaper only to end up making them less well designed.

Sorry to respond twice in a row, but I had a second thought...how will PHEVs change the battery dynammic?

As the article hinted at, batteries that are deep dischared regularly can suffer problems. What happens is a build up on the plates that prevents efficient full recharge. However there are special chargers, also mentioned in the article, that can overcome this. Pulse chargers do just what they say, they charge the battery in pulses of power instead of constantly. The pulses act like a hammer smashing the buildup off the plates.
While it could add a few hundred dollars per car, its possible for PHEVs to use pulse chargers. Doing so could dramaticly increase battery life while still allowing deep discharge (read longer distance). If the charger is aware of the battery performance, the driver could even be offered a rebuild option when the battery gets to a specific condition. It could drain/pulse-charge/drain/pulse-charge until the batter is "recovered". That sort of tech could us to push out batteries harder and still get more life out of them.

Our 04 HCHI has 115,000 miles and still seems good. While not the milage of the taxi's and not to the 150,000 mark I was concerned about how long they would last. I'm not to concerned anymore, too much other stuff in our life to think about...lol. I will say that the environment here in Texas is probably more taxing on the batteries than in cooler climates. kevin