How long should the Hybrid Battery Last?

[GreenLady]

Never having owned a Hybrid or even ridden in one and not being able to find a post on the subject, how long should the Hybrid Battery last before it needs to be replaced?

I'm concerned that all the savings in gas could be wiped out with having to replace an expensive battery. I know it's not going to be like a $22k Tesla battery but even $5k (?) five or six years from now would suck.

My friend and I both bought 2013 Ford CMax in 2012. I sold mine in July, 2019, no battery issue. My friend sold hers in January with 136,000 miles, never had a battery issue. She sold it because the transmission was dying and was going to cost $7K! I wouldn’t worry about the batter!

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[taralon]

Right now it's hard to give a good long term projection of battery life, most the newer hybrids, including the Maverick, are using lithium ion batteries. I don't know of any hybrid manufactures that switched to lithium packs less than 8 years ago. Older longer lived hybrids like my 2008 Camry Hybrid (14 years old as of last August) that still are running on the original battery had nickle metal hydrate batteries. How much you drive will play a roll. If you put 100k miles on a year on the vehicle it might not last 8 years. If you put 2-3k a year that might also not be great, the batteries like to be used to stay in prime operating condition.

2013 ford fusion hybrids were Lithium Ion. That gives ~10 years of history and there are plenty of those out there that have 100K+ miles with no issues.

 

[California Pickup Girl]

In California, you get a free replacement hybrid battery until 10 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first. I got a new Prius hybrid battery at 6 years in, and I only had to pay for a new accessory battery (the regular kind) less than $300 at the time.

 

[Jonny44]

The current list on the hybrid battery, part number NZ6Z10B690A, is $3671.66 not including labor (NOT a DIY item). It only comes as a full unit as it does not list any available separate cells for it. As battery designs improve, I don't doubt that there will be an aftermarket (or OEM) option down the road that has replaceable cells with a much lower price, as long as there are enough units sold to justify a redesign.

 

[fbov]

The current list on the hybrid battery, part number NZ6Z10B690A, is $3671.66 not including labor (NOT a DIY item). It only comes as a full unit as it does not list any available separate cells for it. ...

Ford will need to supply parts to auto body shops. It's likely that any damage to the HVB system will require the whole thing replaced.

There will not be a robust aftermarket for these HVBs. This is a hybrid, the HVB lasts as long as the truck.

 

[WesM]

The current list on the hybrid battery, part number NZ6Z10B690A, is $3671.66 not including labor (NOT a DIY item). It only comes as a full unit as it does not list any available separate cells for it. As battery designs improve, I don't doubt that there will be an aftermarket (or OEM) option down the road that has replaceable cells with a much lower price, as long as there are enough units sold to justify a redesign.

I would think you would get a core discount from the old battery too, likely nothing wrong with an old lithium pack, except its cells are worn out. So those old packs could be refurbished pretty cheaply.

 

[MLowe05]

How long is a piece of string?

It's not something you should be worrying about for at least 8yr/100k miles - and very, very, very probable that you won't have to worry about it long past that. Relax.

 

[icegradner]

The current list on the hybrid battery, part number NZ6Z10B690A, is $3671.66 not including labor (NOT a DIY item). It only comes as a full unit as it does not list any available separate cells for it. As battery designs improve, I don't doubt that there will be an aftermarket (or OEM) option down the road that has replaceable cells with a much lower price, as long as there are enough units sold to justify a redesign.

The reason they don't offer cells is for the safety of techs in part. People who replace individual cells often have to open the pack up every few months to replace one after another, because the pack is no longer balanced. It's harder the system over all to do it that way.

 

[cmlars]

I have a Malibu hybrid and it was just in the shop for an unrelated repair. I asked the Chevy service guys and was told they’ve seen them get 200-300k miles without needing replacement. My car is currently at 103k.

 

[Jonny44]

The reason they don't offer cells is for the safety of techs in part. People who replace individual cells often have to open the pack up every few months to replace one after another, because the pack is no longer balanced. It's harder the system over all to do it that way.

We've been using them on the Volvo vehicles for 4 years without a problem. $300 to replace a cell is a lot better than $17k (the price of a whole battery). We've only had to replace one cell so far and we are a high-volume dealer.

 

[stick]

there is a lot of money and effort going into figuring out how to salvage and remanufacture EV batteries. by the time we need one, should be affordable options.
Also, EV battery design today typically allows for degradation over 8-10 years. Say a battery will lose 30% over 10 years, that 30% is added capacity in the design with software controlling the effective capacity. So a battery will not be overcharged at full (vs. the only charge to 90% and unplug of early EVs). But will continue to eat into the excess as needed as the battery ages to maintain performance. Once the battery eats up the excess capacity (lets say 10 yrs) then you will see actual performance degradation. But the battery is ALWAYS degrading over time. Those living in hot climates will see faster battery degradation. single best thing a person can do to increase battery life is to avoid long periods of parking in direct sun on hot days. (see graph from study on design of PHEV. Note dark green (hard to see) is reserve and is used to offset degradation. Link to Ohio State U research paper that this graph comes from. https://cecas.clemson.edu/~sonori/Publications/536.pdf

 

[fbov]

Also, EV battery design today typically allows for degradation... a battery will not be overcharged at full ...

Still stuck in the BEV/PHEV paradigm.... batteries in HEVs are life-of-vehicle parts because the are never fully charged.

 

[stick]

Still stuck in the BEV/PHEV paradigm.... batteries in HEVs are life-of-vehicle parts because the are never fully charged.

yep, you are correct, I was referring to the research I did for my Wrangler PHEV. BUt point still valid, even at 90% maximum charge with environmental considerations, batteries, all batteries, degrade at some rate with the most impactful condition being heat at charge/discharge. Any designer of modern HEV; BEV; PHEV will account for some battery degradation over 10years of normal use and use BMS (battery management system) to control state of charge that is dynamic. Its the only way to build and protect consumer confidence and make the federally mandated warranty coverage work.

 

[taralon]

In a parallel hybrid losing 30% of the battery capacity isn't nearly as bad as it is in a full electric. Namely because in normal use the battery cycles between 40% charged and 70% charged. As the battery ages typically you start seeing a bit more of the 70-100% range used. You probably won't even notice it in fuel mileage calculations. I know my 2010 fusion only had 80% of it's new capacity left, and hand calculated has mileage has me up .1 mpg since I bought it. Not to mention the 1.1 kWH battery can only give you at most 3 miles of all electric range (without them factored in) a 30% reduction drops that to 2. Compare that to a plugin hybrid with 20 miles of all electric range new that drops to 14, or am all electric car with 200 miles new that drops to 140. Sure the percentage lost is the same, but the impact in actual miles that can be driven are vastly different.

 

[Suzukiridr14]

Never having owned a Hybrid or even ridden in one and not being able to find a post on the subject, how long should the Hybrid Battery last before it needs to be replaced?

I'm concerned that all the savings in gas could be wiped out with having to replace an expensive battery. I know it's not going to be like a $22k Tesla battery but even $5k (?) five or six years from now would suck.

A hybrid car does not relay on a battery to be operational. Also your truck has a 8 year, 100,000 mile warranty on the hybrid components. Not to worry.

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