Is the Toyota Prius Hybrid a good dependable car that will last me for years? Will the electric motor last?

Question

Is the electric motor and battery of the Toyota Hybrid something that will last as long as a regular engine?

Answer 1

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Electric motors are extremely reliable. Unlike gasoline engines with hundreds or thousands of parts, electric motors are very simple, and have only one moving part. I drive an electric car built in 1981 (25 years ago.) The electric motor has never needed maintenance or repair in all those years.
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Recent advances in battery research will eventually lead to a much simpler, easier to maintain, and efficient type of hybrid - the serial hybrid.
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Cars like the Prius are actually parallel hybrids. Parallel hybrids are complicated because both the electric and gasoline transmissions must connect to the same wheels.
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By contrast, a serial hybrid is a pure electric car, with a gas engine simply serving to charge the batteries. This means there is now only one transmission - the electric one. And electric transmissions are far simpler and cheaper than gasoline transmissions. This arrangement will also further increase gas mileage, since the gas engine can always run at it's most efficient speed.
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Incidentally, modern Lithium-Ion batteries are not considered an environmental hazard by the EPA (because the lithium is in salt form, just like the sodium in table salt.)
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Among the problems with hydrogen fuel-cell cars is that the hydrogen must be made with electricity. Why not just put that electricity into a battery to start with? Fuel cell cars will have to use batteries, because fuel cells are very inefficient at high power outputs. In order to get enough power output to drive, the low power output of the fuel cell has to be stored in a battery.
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Answer 2

The Toyota Prius is one of the most reliable cars on the road, hybrid or otherwise. It costs more because it has the advanced technology that big gas guzzling cars lack. How much horsepower do you really need to creep along at 25mph in city traffic? Many of the older priuses already have 150-200k miles on them and still going strong. The new ones are probably much better.

Answer 3

Hybrid craze will never last! Just stepping stone technology to electric hydrogen cars. Only when you remember your buying a $30,000 small car when you could have a luxury Buick Lucerne V-8 and money in your pocket getting 28 mpg or Hyundai Azzeria and thousands in your pocket almost 29 mpg. More room better size more power to pass on the highway. And to pick people up at the air port enough trunk and interior. And what about replacing all those battery's, Battery's don't last forever! Lead acid in the environment. So much for tree huggers! Complex technology only Toyota can fix too!

Answer 4

ive heard mixed opinions about this, some people say the bateries wear out after like 2 years but they are warrantied by the toyota company for i thnk 5 years and 100,000 miles or something like that so idk, if you're willing to take the time to run it in to the shop IF something happens to it, id say go for it becasue it is a very efficient, safe and innovative auto. if you're one of those , idont even have time to eat or sleep, just non-stop buissness, i'd wait a few years until they've perfected them. good luck

Answer 5

i have seen a few prius hybrids well into 400,000kms (250000mi) without any hiccups...there was one prius in vancouver with close to a million km (taxi cab). but i do understand your concern...what if?