Battery pack replacment in EV cars

[georoc01]

So I saw this article earlier on how to get the battery replaced in your Tesla roadster will set you back $29k.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/tesla-roadster-3-0-battery-pack-upgrade-specs-price/

That seems steep, paying the price of a new car for a battery, even if it is a $100k car.

But then here's the cost of the Volt battery. $34k!

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/09/02/real-costs-chevy-volt-road/

Given that the batteries only go 100k miles, that's a pretty steep investment just to keep your EV car going.

[East Coast Guy]

I had a Toyota Highlander Hybred and the propulsion battery had an 8 year warrantee.   

East Coast Guy

[cronuswalker]

I just had to replace the Hybrid battery in my 2007 Prius. It was 3300$ parts and labor.... Anybody interested in a like new Prius?.....

[Michael J.]

I heard a lady on the radio the other day who said she was donating her 1st generation Prius to her church because the new batteries it needed would cost her $8700.

[SIDEWINDER]

I just had to replace the Hybrid battery in my 2007 Prius. It was 3300$ parts and labor.... Anybody interested in a like new Prius?.....

Is that the cost for rebuilt or new batteries?

BTW: Seems as if it defeats any savings at the pump at least until gas is around the same prices as Europe.

[georoc01]

I just had to replace the Hybrid battery in my 2007 Prius. It was 3300$ parts and labor.... Anybody interested in a like new Prius?.....

Is that the cost for rebuilt or new batteries?

BTW: Seems as if it defeats any savings at the pump at least until gas is around the same prices as Europe.

Yeah, you aren't buying them for savings, unless you get enough of a government kickback then unload the vehicle before the battery reaches its useful life.

[cronuswalker]

I just had to replace the Hybrid battery in my 2007 Prius. It was 3300$ parts and labor.... Anybody interested in a like new Prius?.....

Is that the cost for rebuilt or new batteries?

BTW: Seems as if it defeats any savings at the pump at least until gas is around the same prices as Europe.

That was for a factory replacement. Suprisingly Prius is maintaining its resale value, I should be able to sell it for 8-9K..... It only has 42K miles on it which is really low for a 2007.

[SIDEWINDER]

That's very low mileage. In Ca. it might go for as much as 10k especially with the new battery pack.

[bones]

That's one of the biggest negatives to the EV cars and those hybrid cars the replacement of the batteries.

Now ponder this before jumping to buy one. The average age of cars (gov data saw somewhere recently so maybe just close) was 12 years or older thus given the average number of charge cycles the batteries can do before needing replacing, I estimate roughly 3 battery replacements. Now last numbers I heard the average driver put 12K miles per year on a car, this could be more or less depending upon individual. Dang that's a lot of gas a person can buy for the difference in price new for the car and the cost to replace batteries.

[East Coast Guy]

I read somewhere that a Toyota Highlander Hybrid is set up to only charge the propulsion battery to aprox 70-80%.  That way the battery will have less stress and more recharging cycles.   

East Coast Guy

[Adrenaline8]

Battery prices should come down significantly by the time the cars need replacements. 

[bones]

Is that a joke of battery prices coming down? Not seen it happen yet as seems they keep changing battery types with each new variety of battery developed which is said to improve things. And as these are a specialty type service type battery doubt prices will decline, try RV deep cycle price has gone up not down just like any auto battery.

[Adrenaline8]

There have been many articles about this.   Prius batteries can be purchashed now for under $2000.   I have a full electric car, but it is a lease.  3 years and 36,000 miles and I'm bringing it back to the dealership.

[cronuswalker]

In California there is a 10 year warranty on the battery,  most other states its 8 yrs. most of the Prius batteries have been lasting at least 10+ years before replacement. In my case with my wifes car, she did most of her driving between home and work, home and grocery store, very rarely taking it out of town. Car was not garaged and in the high desert, temps get to 115 degrees in the summer a lot. wich is bad for any battery. Did my battery fail prematurely?.... probably not, it was definitely stressed in a harsh environment compared to a lot of other vehicles though.  Other than cosmetic issues (i.e. road rash, bad parking, etc.) It has had almost no issues, and runs just as good as when we first bought it (With a healthy govt subsidy I have to admit). Would I buy another one?.... Not really as it doesn't meet my needs here, and I don't know how it performs in snow, it is not AWD. The price of the battery has gone down from when we first bought it, it was originally around $4K to replace the battery, its now down to around $3k

For some uses its a good car, gets good mileage and is more confortable than others.  For others, not so great. Is it cost effective/economical?.... depends on how you drive and conditions that you drive.

[bones]

Its easy to see why battery prices to decrease for many doesn't seem likely. Take your normal car battery anyone prices them lately? I recall getting a decent one years ago for like $40 now days that same kind is near if not over $100, how long have batteries of this type been on the market decades. So now there might be some initial decline due to more EV cars but the price will stabilize then increase like all other things with inflation/etc. then as each model gets older the normal course is price for parts to fit it also increase.