2012 civic hybrid w/lithium ion battery, will this last longer.....?

(2011-06-01 14:20:22)

1. mark n Says: than the older technology battery technology in 2011 toyota prius, i have been told that the lithium battery is a smaller and lighter battery, but is it supposed to "live" longer before needing to be replaced? it probably comes with the standard 8 year 100,000 mile guarantee, any information judging the lithium ion technology appreciated

2. JerryJ Says: The warranty period is a poor way to judge longevity. As an example is it expect that an engine or transmission will fail when the warranty period ends?

The NiMH battery has proven to be very long lived. http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110125/bc_olsen_prius_reliability_110125/20110125?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

The switch to lithium/ion was made primarily because of patent litigation from Texaco and Cobasys who did not want battery technology in automobiles.

LiIon is somewhat more energy dense then NiMH. It also has a tendency to overheat (recall all the laptops recalled a couple of years ago). Presumably automakers using this technology have done their homework but there will no doubt be some surprises in the field when unforeseen operating conditions happen. For example in the Prius, although the 2001-2003 batteries have typically lasted 200,000 to 300,000 miles, the improvements in the 2004 and later batteries make them able to last much longer.

In conclusion, I wouldn't let the battery technology sway my purchasing decision.

The Prius is a mid-sized car compared to the compact Civic so it's roomier. In addition the hybrid system is quite different. The Honda technology basically just puts an electric motor where the flywheel was and leaves everything else alone. In my opinion this means you have all the hybrid parts and all the conventional parts to maintain.

The Toyota hybrid technology replaces many of the mechanical parts with more reliable electronics and simplifies others. For example there is no starter motor, no alternator, no serpentine belt (2010+) no clutches or torque converters, and the automatic transmission with it's hundreds of parts has been replaced with a simple planetary gear system similar to a differential.