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Smaller batteries often have shorter lifespans. The batteries in hybrid vehicles, like the Chevrolet Volt, are typically smaller than those in fully electric vehicles, Siegel said. It is difficult to say exactly how many miles a battery will last before it needs to be replaced because it is largely dependent on how it is used, Siegel said. “These components are integral and would be replaced with the battery as a unit, leading to higher costs,” he said. The type of battery in the Volt usually lasts about a decade, Siegel said. But parts related to the battery can fail sooner, and the entire battery would need to be replaced. The customer given the estimate declined the service, Herrmann said.īattery life in vehicles is difficult to estimate, expert says “That’s just how technology is,” he said. Herrmann compared the situation to big-screen televisions, which used to be far more expensive when the technology was new. The battery in a 2018 Ford C-Max Hybrid, for instance, costs about $6,000, while the battery in a 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E costs about $20,000, Jason Siegel, a mechanical engineering research scientist at the University of Michigan, told USA TODAY.īattery prices have dropped significantly over the past decade, but costs aren't expected keep falling so quickly, due in part to the rising price of raw materials, Bloomberg reported. The average cost of a replacement battery in an electric vehicle is about $6,300, Bloomberg reported, though that price can higher depending on the vehicle in question. In the newer (electric vehicles), the batteries do cost less.” “The dealership does not set battery prices. “This is an estimate for a 12-year-old vehicle out of warranty and for a battery that is extremely hard to get due to the older technology,” reads the dealership’s comment. The dealership also explained the reasons behind the costly estimate in a comment on its Facebook page. General Motors discontinued the Volt in 2018 and replaced it with the Chevrolet Bolt, a fully electric vehicle that uses “a completely different style of battery,” Herrmann said. “This is a battery that (has to be) purchased from a third-party supplier,” he said. The car was no longer under warranty, and General Motors no longer makes the car's battery, Herrmann said.
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The car that needed repair was a 2012 Chevrolet Volt, a hybrid electric vehicle. Roger Dean Chevrolet in Cape Coral, Florida, gave the estimate to a customer earlier this month, Gary Herrmann, the dealership’s service director, told USA TODAY. The estimate is genuine, the result of a few factors unique to this vehicle. This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks Battery is ‘extremely hard to get,’ dealership says The Top 10 Best Travel Hacks To Save the Most Money Top Bank Account Promotions for January 2022 – Avoid Fees and Earn Up to $1,500 “ Consumers who are planning on making a vehicle purchase in 2022 must prepare for a much different market and car shopping experience compared to years past,” said Ivan Drury, Edmunds’ senior manager of insights.ġ0 Reasons You Should Claim Social Security Early In addition, more cars that have been damaged in accidents and deemed a complete loss by insurers are now getting fixed to go back out on the road.įind: The Best New Cars for Teens at Every Price Point
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As the economy quickly recovered, supply couldn’t keep up with demand.īecause of rising prices, the New York Times reported that some consumers are fixing up older vehicles and keeping them longer. As fewer people bought new and used vehicles, semiconductor makers switched from vehicles, which depend on these chips for a variety of functions, to consumer electronics. This increase began at the onset of the pandemic when auto plants stopped production to help slow the spread of the virus.
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