[HAL]

Have a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid that had the check engine light come on.  Took it to my local repair folks and the computer code indicated that the large battery pack was failing.  I had noticed that the battery charge indicator was acting erratically and the battery was discharging more rapidly.  The warranty is for 8 years on the battery so contacted Honda.   Took it to the dealer that I bought it and they did their check and the battery was going.  They contacted Honda and about a week later got the car back.  The charge for the repair to me was $0.  I saw the dealership bill to Honda and it was about $2650. 

The car is acting great and the first tank of gas after the repair is getting about 45MPG.   I love this little car! 

[srb]

I would assume that the replacement battery pack is warrantied for just the two remaining years of the original 8 year warranty?  Just curious, as I knew that the higher initial price of the Hybrid automobile as well as the battery pack replacement would need to be figured into cost ownership of the car, if I went in that direction and kept it as long term as I tend to do.

Also, the amount the dealer was able to bill Honda for the warranty repair is substantially lower than what it would cost you for an out-of-warranty replacement, which I understand is  ~ $4,000 for this vehicle.

Does this change any thought you might have about how long you might keep the car vs. getting another Hybrid after the battery warranty expires?

Steve

[HAL]

The new battery has a 1 year warranty from what the paperwork indicates.   Since the last pack which was only a NiMH style battery, I am not worried.  The new pack is the LiION style pack and should have a longer lifetime than the original.  Most of these use LiFePO4 chemistry cells and are rated 10-15 year life.

I am going to keep this car for as long as I can get parts.  The battery pack replacement price will not change my mind.  The car performs very well and with the latest gas prices keeps the gas consumption down.

Once I tried a car with an electric motor assist, I will not go back! I am hoping the next one will be a plug-in.

[Letitroll98]

The cost of ownership is about a wash between a Civic EX and a Civic hybrid, not including any battery pack replacement cost.  So it's a personal decision between sportier acceleration and handling vs less greenhouse gas emissions.  If gas gets to $6-7 per gallon that may change the equation a bit, but not overwhelmingly. 

[srb]

Since the last pack which was only a NiMH style battery, I am not worried.  The new pack is the LiION style pack and should have a longer lifetime than the original.  Most of these use LiFePO4 chemistry cells and are rated 10-15 year life.

That's a good and interesting fact.  I didn't realize they could use a different technology battery pack with the same charging and monitoring circuits.

Steve

[HAL]

I specifically asked about the LiIon pack.  They are installing them with the needed upgrades.  The NiMH pack longevity has not been that good. That was part of a recall awhile back.  They reprogrammed the IMA computer to detune the system to save the batteries. The latest models have the new one for that reason.

[doug s.]

The cost of ownership is about a wash between a Civic EX and a Civic hybrid, not including any battery pack replacement cost.  So it's a personal decision between sportier acceleration and handling vs less greenhouse gas emissions.  If gas gets to $6-7 per gallon that may change the equation a bit, but not overwhelmingly.

when you factor in the enwironmental costs of manufacture and recycling of the batteries, the total enwironmental impact is not that much different either...

doug s.

[Letitroll98]

when you factor in the enwironmental costs of manufacture and recycling of the batteries, the total enwironmental impact is not that much different either...

doug s.

I thought that might be the case, but I'm not very knowledgeable about current battery recycling methods and efficiencies.  Living closer to work prolly saves more gas and emits less pollution than any other option.  I have an only moderately fuel efficient car (Passat V6) but only fill up every six weeks as I live three miles from my job.  The cost of moving is a bit more than the penalty for buying a hybrid, but you likely keep your job longer than your car, save more money, and spend way more time at home listening to your stereo system.

[doug s.]

I thought that might be the case, but I'm not very knowledgeable about current battery recycling methods and efficiencies.  Living closer to work prolly saves more gas and emits less pollution than any other option.  I have an only moderately fuel efficient car (Passat V6) but only fill up every six weeks as I live three miles from my job.  The cost of moving is a bit more than the penalty for buying a hybrid, but you likely keep your job longer than your car, save more money, and spend way more time at home listening to your stereo system.

recycling is only part of the issue - mfr is a major issue.

i am enwious of your commute; i think i have averaged 35 miles each way for my entire working career.   

doug s.

[JLM]

Until hydrogen fuel cells are perfected for cars (refueled from home via solar panels) I'll just stay with my 37 mpg ($.108/mile at current prices) Corolla (with extremely low maintenance cost = $.014/mile including 2 sets of quite nice new tires after 130,000 miles) or look to a Golf TDI.

Northern Canada looks like a lunar landscape after mining for lithium, say nothing about hazardous waste disposal, so I vote against batteries.