Toyota Hybrid Push and its impact on longevity?

[suxeL]

Toyota has the most experience in the hybrid game bar none. Taxis running around with hybrids pushing quite some mileage pretty much have solidified their place as reliable vehicles for the most part.

Question though is if your a fan of long term ownership, I mean really pushing past the 10 year mark, (LC/4R faithful) are hybrid powertrains just as reliable AND cost effective to maintain?

 

[Will1991]

Well, I'll give you my experience with our 2010 Auris HSD.

We've a 10 years warranty on the battery, and last month was replaced (It showed a check hybrid system warning with ICE never turning off) at no cost at 9 years and 6 months with 195.000km, now we've 2 more years of warranty.

During this 195.000km, regular and intermediate maintenance costs around 100€ and bigger ones at 250~300€, really really cheap compared to similar cars with diesel engines. At 195.000km even the brake discs and brake pads are the original ones!
If we had to pay for the replacement it's around 1200~1700€, not much more than a dual mass flywheel installed on similar diesel's... Without any problem with DPF's, EGR's, etc....

All of this while maintaining a excellent fuel economy (5L/100km without much effort, less than 4L/100km if some effort is made).

My short answer is, yes, Toyota's HSD's systems are amazingly long term reliable and the main reason for me to keep waiting for a Toyota BEV.

 

[Sulu]

I have been driving my ES Hybrid for 6 years now. I have had no complaints. I maintain it in accordance with the Lexus schedule (which is probably more than a Hybrid vehicle needs).

I see no problems with Toyota's hybrids. The only component that is really different from a regular, non-hybrid vehicle, and thus may be problem-prone, is the traction battery; everything else is well-established technology. Even the transmission is a just an old-fashioned planetary gearset.

But, as was said, there are many Toyota hybrids being used as taxis. If a car can be used as a taxi with no problem -- excellent dependability and reliability -- it should offer few (if any) problems in daily driving.

 

[spwolf]

Toyota has the most experience in the hybrid game bar none. Taxis running around with hybrids pushing quite some mileage pretty much have solidified their place as reliable vehicles for the most part.

Question though is if your a fan of long term ownership, I mean really pushing past the 10 year mark, (LC/4R faithful) are hybrid powertrains just as reliable AND cost effective to maintain?

keep in mind Toyota has been pushing hybrids in Japan and Europe for past 10+ years - and I mean having significant portion of sales being hybrid vehicles. They now sell more than 2m hybrids each year and have been selling more than 1m per year for 6-7 years at least.

Hybrids are really cheap to maintain and generally very reliable. Since there are so many of them, you can also go to independent shop to fix hybrid powertrains.

 

[ssun30]

I have not owned the ES300h long enough to comment on reliability. Funnily enough the one thing that failed so far was the ICE.

 

[suxeL]

Are the newer traction batteries similar in design as the older packs, where individual cells could be replaced to reduce replacement costs?

And of course the other random question would be, are their downsides for low mileage/low use hybrids? On a regular ICE model, leave it alone for a few weeks or short hops worst you can see is a flat battery. How about on a hybrid?

 

[Sulu]

Toyota and Lexus hybrid vehicles do not have a conventional starter; MG1 acts as the starter, drawing power from the high-voltage traction battery. Without a starter, the 12 volt battery only maintains the clock and computers and can have a smaller capacity; but the car still needs the 12 volt battery to start the electrical system before the high-voltage battery can start the engine.

The smaller 12 volt battery is at greater risk of draining over a period of non-use than in a non-hybrid vehicle. I remember being warned about this when I bought my ES Hybrid. That said, I did go on a 3 week vacation a few months afer buying the car (I bought it new), leaving it in my garage; I came back -- praying that the 12 volt battery had not drained -- started the car and the engine started without problem.

Now that I have had the car for almost 6 years and still on the original 12 volt battery, I make sure to drive the car around for a bit at least one a week during the continuing COVID-19 lockdown.