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i think if i were to get a hybrid, it would be a volt. i like the idea of being able to drive on the electric motor all the time, and just use the gas engine to charge the batteries, and supply any extra power needed.
Actually, it's quite common. The only reason you wouldn't need to replace it is because most car owners, even hybrid car owners, sell their cars before then. But that's also generally before the 10 years you need to break even on fuel savings costs. It's a well-known issue with hybrids.
I am wondering where the car goes after owners sell them
Hybrids are a bridging technology. The only thing preventing all electric cars from becoming mainstream is the time it takes to recharge batteries. Once that hurdle is overcome, and you can recharge in the same time it takes to refuel, internal combustion will be phased out for the most part. Until then, I'm happy to keep my gas powered vehicles.
How many Prius batteries have had to be replaced? I think the "expensive battery replacement" fear is way overblown, as it just hasn't happened even in old hybrids and cars like the Volt.
Happens a lot with Civic Hybrids both old and new. I'd never consider a Honda hybrid for that reason. Volt doesn't work for me in that it's too small for me. Then there's that I have an atypical driving pattern. Even at $4/gallon gas, my car is slightly cheaper in terms of cost per mile for gas than the Volt is for gas + electricity. But then the Volt drives better than my car does. They just need to put the Volt in a larger wrapper though and I'd certainly look at it even though it's a few pennies more in fuel+electricity costs for me.
Got a source for that? GM recently released the fact that they've never replaced a battery in a Volt, for example, even in ones reaching 300k miles.
Then they've never, ever, ever had a Volt in Phoenix or Vegas. When you heat a battery up to 120F 100+ days per year, it dies. Yacht batteries in Maine last for a decade+ if you take care of them. Car batteries in desert cities die all the time.
Pro: better mileage for around-town stop and go driving. Probably better reliability.
Cons: No mileage advantage on the open highway, reduced cargo space and higher purchase cost.
/Shrug. Closest thing to the Prius was probably the Mazda3 hatchback. Prius cost about $2,500 more than the Mazda3 and got 23% better highway fuel economy and 73% better city fuel economy. They're pretty comparable in terms of size and cargo space. The major difference is really that the Prius cost 12% more upfront and got much better fuel economy in exchange for driving like a Prius. The Mazda3 cost less and drove like a Mazda3 in exchange for getting significantly worse fuel economy. Also the Prius has been more reliable. By this point I'd already had a $1,100 repair on the Mazda3 (which was really the only problem I ever had with it in 7 years and 140k miles) whereas the Prius has been oil changes and filters. Really, I can't complain about the Mazda's reliability. It just didn't start off well.
I have a 2007 Prius and it has been the car with the lowest maintenance cost I've ever owned. At 78,000 miles, I've replaced the tires, had routine maintenance and still have the same brakes. The regenerative braking is used more than the actual brakes. I have also replaced the 12v battery.
On long trips 600+ miles and going the highway speed limit of around 70mph, I get my best mileage at around 50 mpg using cruise control. Around town trips of less than 5 miles I get 33 mpg. Short trips are killer on mileage. I don't hypermile or drive to enhance mileage, I just get in and go.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy another, it has been the most reliable and trouble-free car I've ever owned.
Just so everyone is aware, I'm not interested in a Prius. It's smaller than an Accord and also the styling isn't appealing to me. If I wanted a car in that size class, to be honest, I'd probably get a top-line Honda Civic and call it a day. I'm generally deciding between a Honda Accord conventional or hybrid.
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