Hybrids often have zero value after ten years? Show me any 2006 hybrid that is free or anywhere close to it that hasn't been wrecked and crushed into a pancake. That's one of the dumbest statements I have seen on this forum! Your clueless on hybrids, their resale value and reliability are above average.
BS :nerd ^^ Hybird off-warranty & when the battery platform gives up / no one wants to consider the real costs, over years & years of service.
Yes, Hybird will save gas money, but you paid a premium price for it (to break even, you have to drive your hybrid over 10years on average)
Yes, it will depreciate more when batteries close to the replacement point and the high price of electronic replacement.
- the cost of battery is not guaranteed to go down
Your gambling several thousands of dollars, should you finally have battery problems with the older hybrid...so Kiss your trade-in value good-bye.
With so many cars now getting MPG in 30’s, a hybrid isn’t worth it to most.
Saving on gas doesn’t add up over the life of the car...especially at $30/ barrel of crude oil.
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Hybrid Cars Pros and Cons - Benefits & Problems
oldman •
My 2004 Prius battery pack died at 9 years w/92000 miles. Was quoted $4000 to replace it. Talked them down to $3100 because I was a "good customer" who always had the car serviced at the dealership.
I will not be buying another hybrid or electric car. First, I keep my cars too long, the batteries will fail in that time, and they are still too expensive to replace. Second, even if I was to sell or trade the car before failure, I would feel bad sticking someone with a battery that will likely fail soon after. Finally, hybrid cars typically are loaded with electronics that the dealership cannot repair. They can only replace them at a very high cost. I had to repair the multi-display 3 years ago for a manufacturing defect Toyota knew about, (and issued a TSB for), but never issued a recall. It failed outside the basic warranty and Toyota wanted $2000 to replace it. I work at a major computer company and had a friend here fix it by re-soldering the failed connecting pins on one of the boards in the unit. It has worked flawlessly ever since. The way manufacturers "service" electronics is the equivalent of replacing your engine it the alternator failed. They don't do electronic repairs. Just replacements. Having official manufacturer service should not be orders of magnitude more expensive than finding aftermarket solutions. A bit more is reasonable, but not the way it is now.
I just can't afford hybrids any more. Maybe once I can buy a Duracell replacement pack from Autozone and drop it in myself I'll come back, but not right now.
Scott B. •
While I generally agree with this article, it does omit the long-term problems that will come with hybrid (as well as electrical) technology in vehicles.
Many conventional fuelled vehicles in their latter years of life are commonly reconditioned by enthusiasts, by mechanics, and also consumed by the third world, where 20+ year old cars are the commonplace vehicle of choice. This is possible because to recondition and re-purpose old vehicles is currently very inexpensive to do, and many parts are relatively easy to fabricate even after the manufacturers have stopped making spare parts. This is of interest here because the hybrid technology, as a green technology, needs to service these market niches as well to be truly green. By merely saving fuel for the initial buyer but then turning into a consumer waste product, hardly qualifies as a viable alternative to conventional fuel efficient automobiles, which many have a considerable lifespan well into their second and third decades of life. This is the true time frame one needs to consider when evaluating the potential environmental impact of hybrid technology.
As the article stresses, the hybrid battery will likely last a long time for the initial user, but it actually does remain a cost prohibitive component to replace (since if cannot be "repaired") when the car get old. Yes, it likely won't die on you as the initial buyer, but how can a car be considered environmentally friendly if it only has a 5-9 year life cycle? Secondly, the main battery is not the only component in the hybrid (or electrical) vehicle that runs afoul of this cost prohibitive replacement for reconditioning/re-purposing consideration. There are also at least two micro-processors in every hybrid/electric vehicle with one to control the power distribution and a second to control the electrical motor function -- both of which are also very expensive to replace (in the $800-$1800 each range). To simply pawn this problem of expensive non-repairable components off to the secondary used parts market (as the article does regarding replacement batteries) is ignoring the fact that such parts are only salvaged from cars lost due to vehicular accidents. Truly old cars that are being disposed of due to regular wear and tear have little or no life left in these parts and therefore severely limit the viability of relying on a salvage system for part. Moreover, processors and batteries are highly proprietary parts, not easily reverse engineered by a third-party, nor easily interchangeable (or not interchangeable at all) between manufacturers, and when they fail the hybrid/electric vehicle does in fact become a complete loss, despite the majority of it still technically "works." There is no repairing it unless you are willing to spend the excessive sums of money to buy these replacement parts and who is willing to do this with a 20+ year old hybrid?
I am not saying this problems cannot be overcome nor that hybrid tech is not a great idea in theory, but given the strong disincentives among auto companies to avoid taking steps (like standardizing battery and processor technology and opening it up to third party competition) that would actually extend the life of these vehicles and bring the prices down on these prohibitively expensive parts, we are left dependant upon outside pressures, such as government regulations, to mandate such changes before too long in order to avoid these issues. Given the general glacial and impotent manner outside regulation is developed, however, I question whether hybrid (or electric) vehicle technology will end up to be a positive net gain for the global environment whatsoever. In fact, it may very likely end up being much more of a burden upon natural resources in the long run than conventional fuel efficient engines currently are, simply because hybrids, due to costly components, end up having a shorter operational lifespan than the conventional fuel efficient alternative.
