June 21st 2002
Honda Says Battery Pack in Hybrid Is Designed for Life of the Car
Source:Capital Times
Think of what a pain it is to replace your car battery when it dies.
Imagine if that battery set you back $ 3,000.
That's something few owners would stand for, let alone frugal fans of the Honda Civic. With that in mind, Honda insists the battery pack of its gasoline-electric Civic hybrid is designed for the life of the car, or more than 10 years. It's warranted for 8 years or 80,000 miles.
"Reliability is something we can never, ever sacrifice," says Andy Boyd, Honda spokesman. "That's the brand. It has to be a given."
Honda's high-mileage
marriage of gas and electric power relies on a nickel metal hydride
battery pack. It's
the same chemistry that powers many cellular phones but on a larger scale,
with 10 kilowatts of ever-ready power on tap to assist the Civic's 1.3-liter
gasoline engine.
Boyd acknowledges the Civic's reputation hinges in part on its excellent long-term value. A decade-old Civic with 100,000-plus miles can still fetch good money. So even the 8-year warranty raises the question of what's in store for people who want to trade in or buy a used Civic hybrid.
At current prices, Honda would charge out-of-warranty owners about $ 3,000 to replace the 63-pound Panasonic battery hidden behind the rear seat. But Honda is confident its hybrid technology will keep the high-tech Civics humming.
Unlike a cell phone, the Civic avoids one major killer of battery life: charging to the brim, draining every drop of juice, then repeating the cycle over and over.
In contrast, the Civic continually regenerates power to keep the battery in an optimal state of charge. As with other hybrids, the Civic uses energy captured during braking to power up the battery. The battery also charges during coasting.
A powerful cooling
unit draws air from inside the cabin to soothe the battery and its
electronics.
During my week of driving, the battery meter never dipped as low as half-charged, no matter how hard I drove. But if stressful conditions such as towing or climbing mountain grades drive the battery too low, Honda's Integrated Motor Assist shuts down well before it's fully depleted. In that rare case, or if the car discharges after weeks of sitting in bitterly cold weather, a small auxiliary battery on board can restart the gasoline engine, which then recharges the main battery. Batteries will also degrade very slowly, so even an ancient hybrid should continue to run, only with less robust performance.
A J.D. Power &
Associates study showed potential new hybrid buyers weren't overly
concerned with battery
life. Thad Malesh, J.D. Power's director of alternative power
technology, said the
used-car market will be the key. With Honda expecting to sell modest numbers
of hybrids -- 24,000 Civic models this year -- Malesh expects Honda to
keep customers happy, even beyond the warranty period.
"When these cars start trickling in, I think Honda will come out with a program to reimburse folks with battery problems whenever they occur," Malesh said. "That's an inexpensive way to keep the brand healthy."
Malesh and Honda expect
battery prices to drop, perhaps dramatically, by the time owners need them.
As other manufacturers roll out hybrids, advances in technology and economies
of scale should cut costs. Honda also expects to drive down prices by spurring
competition among manufacturers. The automaker recently signed a joint
deal with Sanyo to research battery technology.
