Questions about hybrid battery and electric engine, in Australia

@alanclarkeau is in Australia and should be able to help shortly.
I am in the US, so I cannot be of much help.
I do not think there is much data on the newer LI-Ion batteries, but the older NiMH ones seem to be good for 200K - 300K miles. Some people are able to recondition them to extend them. I believe there are third-party's emplacements too for the older models. Traction battery replacement, after the warranty period, would be something the owner would be responsible for.
There is also a smaller 12V battery that usually lasts about 6 - 8 years, but it is only about $150, I believe. It is recharged from the larger battery and is used for accessories and to boot up the electronics of the car.

 

I believe there is a "limp home mode" where the speed is greatly reduced so you can get the car to a place of safety.

 

welcome!
the warranty has nothing to do with longevity. sometimes they fail under warranty, sometimes past warranty. most last a good long time, but 10 years 150-180,000 is expected.

you need not have many concerns about problems with the prius, they are built as well as any car, and better than most.

 

Bisco's numbers are in miles, not kilometers. He & I are too lazy to convert to standard units.

 

those are standard units.

 

The vast majority of the works outside the US uses metric units. You really need to get out more.

 

From what I've read, the vast majority of Generation 2 (pre 2009) are still on their original battery - it has an 8yr warranty, and is generally regarded as being expected to last the life of the car. We have Ni-MH batteries here (Li-ION is only on the 7 seater PRIUS v) which area tried an tested item. The battery is mounted under the back seat and has a cooling fan. There are a couple of vents at the front of the back seat base which must be kept open - don't throw a bundle of blankets on your back floor.

There is another small 12volt battery under the bonnet - in previous models it has had a longer life than in "normal" cars. But in previous models it wasn't under the bonnet - but under the boot floor. Under the bonnet may be hotter, and reduce it's life to the same as a normal car - but they're not expensive.

I don't generally keep my cars anything that long (3-5 yrs usually), so expect not to have a problem.

In Australia, the life of a car is considerably longer than other places in the world (ie Japan has a fleet age about 1/3 of Australia's), so that may not quite work in all cases. They're rated as one of the very most reliable cars in the world, which is why they (and HYBRID Camry) are the majority of the TAXI fleet here. The motor doesn't have rubber belts like most cars, the airconditioner compressor is electric, there is no alternator as such as the Hybrid drive integrates all charging aspects.

There are other aspects which affect their reliability, not least the remarkably simple Hybrid Synergy Drive instead of a gearbox, which again is expected to last the life of the car. The motoring PRESS call it a CVT - which it ISN'T - it's an e-CVT. [It is absolutely totally different from the CVT used by myriad manufacturers recently which uses a metal-link band to do the driving - nobody knows how long they're likely to last, but Nissan Munaro, Honda Jazz etc had terrible reliability, though they've probably improved, but I'd suspect could be expensive after a few years]. And we've all heard of the poor reliability of twin-clutch gearboxes (the VW DSG and FORD Powershift).

There is a lot of good reading resources you could check - the PRIUS Wikipedia page is good and includes some of the PRIUS history, as well as " Hybrid Synergy Drive - Wikipedia ".

And this YouTube shows the Hybrid Synergy Drive in disassembled form:

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And TOYOTA USA's press release: Toyota Unveils Advanced Technologies in All-New Prius | Toyota USA Newsroom .

 

I start yawning just seeing the pic of that video above. That is hands-down a great sleep aid for me, cannot stay awake through it, or other of it's ilk.

Anyway: 8 year warranty is just that; it's not service interval. As bisco says, it might fail sooner (under warranty) or later. Later, I believe the part is a little under $2500 (US dollars). Dealerships charge upwards of a grand for install, but more competitive (and at least as competent) third-party installers are around $300~400.

 

True - not an inspiring video presentation - but it does show the "guts" and simplicity of the Hybrid Synergy Drive as in Gen 4.

 

Oh it's interesting as all heck, but it's my "sawing for teens" video. Google "The Big Snit" for further explanation.

 

$3000 all in is not bad. Especially in Canada where it seems everything is more costly.

 

That depends on the swinging exchange rate, doesn't it?

 

It's pretty steady at 75 cents now.

 

Trying to lure our dollars up for a visit?

 

Selection much more limited, especially automotive. And a lot of price inequities.

 

Compared with UK????

 

Yeah, if I recall correctly, motor oil is terrifically expensive in GB? I get bulk liters of Toyota 0W20 for $4.50 (Can). Bottled liters are same are currently $5.91. Our gas (aka petrol) is currently $1.25 per liter.