Owner of electric vehicle concerned about battery life
Wheels:
Jack W. writes by email: “I have a 2018 Toyota Avalon hybrid with a nickel-metal hydride battery. I generally keep cars for many years. I am concerned that the battery may give out before I may wish to replace the car. I understand that battery replacement would be very expensive. In the event the battery did give out, is it possible that the car can be transformed to run on the existing 4-cylinder gasoline engine only? If so, how would the cost of transformation compare to replacing the HV battery? Thanks for your input. Enjoy reading your column.”
Halderman:
Thanks for writing. Your high-voltage battery has a 10-year, 150,000 miles warranty. They are very reliable, and I have known them to last more than 10 years and 300,000 miles. While the high-voltage battery does lose some capacity over time, this just results in slightly lower fuel economy.
Almost any shop or dealer can use a scan tool and check on the status of the battery by looking at the difference in voltage and internal resistance of individual modules. It is expensive to replace the high-voltage battery, and many experts recommend purchasing a new high-voltage battery from a Toyota dealer if, or when, it proves to need replacement. Even though the high-voltage battery is degraded, the vehicle can still function by using the gasoline engine more than usual, resulting in reduced fuel economy. I own two hybrid electric vehicles myself, and one is 10 years old and is still in good health. Don’t worry about it and just enjoy it.