Hey everyone! My brother is looking to buy a 3-4 year old Camry hybrid, but he is worried about buying a non-plugin hybrid and having the battery go out. Can he still drive a hybrid once the battery breaks?
Just replace it when it goes out.
It's a tiny 1 kWh battery - it's a part that's less than 2 grand brand new.
Part number: G9508-33010
(As far as I'm aware the North American version has one of these, may have 2 - but even then like 3 grand that you may have to spend in another 12 years...)
no
In a regular car, the engine moves the car. But something needs to start the engine. An engine can’t start on its on. That something is the starter. A car also needs a way to generate electricity for radio, power windows, lights, and the 12V battery. etc…. This energy generation is through the alternator via the engine. So we have an engine, a starter, and an alternator.
A Toyota hybrid and most hybrid car has an engine and an electric motor(s). There is no starter. There is no alternator. But the engine still needs to get “started”. And the car still needs to generate electricity.
Those jobs are taken over by the electric motor(s). And guess what an electric motor needs to g eat it self going? It needs the hybrid battery.
There is one hybrid car that can function WITHOUT a hybrid battery. Because it has a backup starter built in. And that starter uses the regular 12V battery.
And that is the Honda Civic seventh generation (And a few other Honda cars built in this technology. I also think the eighth and ninth may be able to do so too, not certain).
Long story short, it needs the hybrid battery. You’ll get signs that it needs to be replaced.
