Battery replacement

Labor shouldn't be that high, The Battery is part of a larger unit and is all replaced in one shot. I've heard of a guy replacing his right after 80,000 but don't know the circumstances. The way i see it as the cars get older and more hybrids are offtered the price should go down.

I hope.

try Private messaging people who have 80K or more on their car they would know more then anyone.

Elsewhere on this sight it says, ""At least one Insight article quoted Honda as saying the battery pack is expected to last the life of the car, but Honda hasn't committed itself to this publicly". I hope they don't expect the life of the car to be 85,000 miles or so! I also wonder if this battery is like other rechargable batteries, like the one in my cell phone, where they say the battery will last longer and perform better if it is occasionally completely drained.

Lifetime is relative to driving environments

I believe the car is capible of lasting at least 200,000 miles if serviced properly. (in my opinion) I used the 85k remark an example since i heard from another driver who heard it from someone else.

As for the batteries the are Nikel Metal Hydride i believe. I've talked to some people who think these batteries can last for quite some time. I have nearly 30,000 miles on my car and have not experienced any electrical problems at all.

check out this link about the BCM:
http://www.insightcentral.net/encyclopedia/enbcm.html
and the Battery Module:
http://www.insightcentral.net/encyclope ... ttery.html

check out those links for more info on battery life. Also notice that Panasonic makes the batteries so i wouldn't be surprised if they or a competitor build simular batteries in the future for other Hybrid/Electric Cars.

Battery Life

Just because the battery is expected to last the life of the car doesn't mean it should carry a lifetime warranty. The engine is only carries a 36K mile warranty and we don't normally have to replace it at 40K.
Also as a note I saw a new variant of the battery. It has a computer chip in each cell to record all the variables. Supposedly this allows for optimum charging and conditioning of the battery leading to a longer life. Hopefully this technology will make it into Hybrids. Have fun, Rick

I wouldn't worry too much about the battery. The BCM module in the Insight is very good at maintaining the proper SOC and cycling the pack when necessary. The reason most batteries don't last in consumer devices is because they have crappy battery management and charging algorithims. It's better to let teh customer buy a new battery every year then design a proper charger and management system.