Doing a research on hybrid technology...Poll

[echow87]

I am currently a college student and I am doing a research paper based on hybrid technology and if hybrids really do have a positive impact on the environment or not. Right now, I am trying to get as many feedback as possible regarding whether or not people who switch over to hybrid cars ended up driving much more. Any comments would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[desy]

The avg a Prius driver puts on a year is 7500 miles, half of normal

 

[Uhtrinity]

Since I bought my Insight a year ago I drive more and use less total fuel than the Saturn it replaced. I am a mild hypermiler, and I have found that taking backroads at a more relaxed pace has brought back the fun and relaxation to traveling.

Battery technology is another topic that comes up with hybrids. I just replaced the subpacks in my 2000 battery pack about 2 weeks ago. The replacements came from a used pack from a low mileage 2004 Civic Hybrid. I bought it for $275 shipped from a junkyard. After testing they had very close to 100% of their capacity. My old pack still functioned, but was down to about 66% capacity (based on the weakest subpacks). After some reconditioning with a smart charger all 20 of the 2000 subpacks were back to 90% capacity or higher or 6,000 aH out of a possible 6,500 aH. To top it off they are environmentally friendly and 100% recyclable. Not bad for packs that are almost 8 years old. The used pack is now being used in a parallel project. In fact for 4 days I ran the car with double the stock battery capacity. I'm working on safety features atm, a plugin charger will follow.


Here are a few sites with forums occupied by hybrid owners:

Insight Central
Green Hybrid
Clean mpg

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Uhtrinity,

66% after 8 years, is that typical?
if i were to buy new, what is the life expectancy of the batteries in years / miles?
what is the price of new batteries?

 

[Uhtrinity]

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler
Uhtrinity,

66% after 8 years, is that typical?
if i were to buy new, what is the life expectancy of the batteries in years / miles?
what is the price of new batteries?

I would say about average. And as far as 66%, that was only 2 subpacks out of 20. After cycling a few times on the smart charger they recovered to 90%. Hybrid batteries are quite a bit higher quality than what you find in laptops and cameras, and the automakers use techniques to expand lifespan, like limiting the cycles between 10 - 15% for low and 85 - 90% for high. These batteries will last 10+ years or 100,000 miles, or roughly 10,000 cycles. My 2000 pack has 150,000 miles on it.

New batteries can cost 2,000 - 4,000, that is why I found a late model car that uses the same subpack type. They are a dime a dozen as most 2004's are still under warranty, and the junkyards can't get rid of the ones from wrecks. The same applies to a lot of other late models and years including Priuses.


edit: Let me clarify, a single unbalanced or bad subpack can flag a fault and the pack will need to be replaced. Since most people don't have the expertise to rebuild a pack, test, or do a rebalance themselves they end up paying a lot of money if out of warranty. These packs deliver high voltage, so extreme caution needs to be practiced. 144volts @ 100 amps is no joke, and some other models can be upto 300 volts.