Those thinking about buying a hybrid car may be more than a little concerned about what lies under the hood. Hybrid cars have partially battery-powered engines. Since a battery powered motors is not something that typically springs to mind when people think about what is powering a car, it’s a good idea to get some sort of an understanding of hybrid car battery packs. You will find a few salient details about them underneath.

Hybrid car battery packs do not need to be replaced like torch batteries do. They are made to last over the lifetime of the vehicle, and therefore a hybrid car’s warranty covers the battery pack for a time period that runs between eight and ten years. In terms of mileage, a hybrid car battery pack is expected to last between 150,000 and 200,000 miles, and it probably will last even longer than that.

The toxicity of hybrid car battery packs is a concern, but not a major concern, since hybrid car batteries use NiMH batteries, not the rechargeable nickel cadmium ones. Nickel cadmium batteries can be detrimental to the environment if not disposed of correctly, but the NiMH batteries that are used in hybrid car battery packs are fully recyclable.

Hybrid car battery packs consist of hundreds and hundreds of cells. Several hundreds of cells means that hybrid cars have a complex battery beneath their bonnets, and, it is true, complexity usually means expensive, but with the generous warranty hybrid car manufacturers are giving on these cars, there is very little risk of additional massive expense from the battery pack involved in buying a hybrid car.

The number of hybrid car battery pack failures has been really low. When I say low, I mean really low. If failure occurs, it’s probably before the hybrid car even gets off the lot. Toyota has even said that some of its original Prius models have packs that have gone over 300,000 miles.

The cost of replacing hybrid car battery packs isn’t really even an issue It isn’t an issue because the hybrid car battery packs are built to last. The Department of Energy looked into hybrid cars, but stopped its test when the capacity was “just like new” after 160,000 miles. So very few people really seem to know for sure what it costs to replace hybrid car battery packs.

Hybrid car battery packs are evolving very quickly. If we look into the near future, we can see the next generation of hybrid car batteries is already in development. The aim is, naturally, to develop the technology so that it gives loads of power, lasts for the hybrid car’s lifetime, and costs less to make than it does today.

If your hybrid car battery pack does develop a problem, there is a solution. Toyota has given some advice on what to do, should your hybrid battery pack run out after the warranty has expired. Their advice is to have the battery reconditioned. This solution works well because if something does go wrong, the problem usually lies with only one of the 28 modules that make up the battery.

So, if you simply replace the depleted module with one that matches the chemistry of the remaining hybrid car battery pack’s 27 modules, your hybrid car’s battery should be back to new(ish). You can find a matching module by getting a battery pack from another car that has a similar mileage and age.