A new graphic compares the capacity and cost of three electric vehicle replacement battery assemblies. Focusing on three cars – the Nissan Leaf, the Chevy Volt, and Toyota’s Prius Prime – the team at Olathe Toyota Parts Center decided to pit Toyota’s popular hybrid against two other alternative energy vehicles to see how their energy sources stack up. The graphic compares battery capacity, range, total price, and cost per kWh.
“The Prius Prime hasn’t been around long enough for anyone who wasn’t in a severe accident to need a replacement battery pack that isn’t covered by Toyota’s 8-year warranty,” says Tom Blackman, parts director at Olathe Toyota Parts Center. “But the clock is ticking, so we got curious about costs and started doing some digging.”
Toyota doesn’t readily publish the price of the Prius Prime’s replacement assembly, but Olathe Toyota Parts Center sells OEM Toyota parts and can access dealer cost. That’s what was used for the comparison.
Like gas engine replacements, these battery packs come with a hefty price tag. Since U.S. drivers are, on average, keeping their cars for 11 years or longer, these particular auto parts may see an increase in sales soon. So, the team zeroed in on the two most similar vehicles that sell their battery packs as complete assemblies for a more apples-to-apples comparison.
“Of course, these battery assemblies are similar to us humans,” Blackman says. “You may have been an amazing sprinter in high school, maybe you could pull all-nighters in your twenties, but these abilities are reduced as time goes by. Like us, there’s reduced acceleration and battery capacity as these assemblies age.”
The chart does reveal the Toyota Prius Prime battery assembly – per kWh – is nearly four times more costly than the Nissan Leaf, and more than twice as expensive as the Chevy Volt. Here’s the breakdown:
- 2012 Nissan Leaf Assembly Part No. 295B0-3NA7A– Retail Price: $6,325, Battery Capacity: 24 kWh, and Battery Cost: $264/kWh
- 2015 Chevrolet Volt Assembly Part No. 22944871– Retail Price: $6,963, Battery Capacity: 17.1 kWh, and Battery Cost: $407/kWh
- 2018 Prius Prime Assembly Part No. G9510-47140– Dealer Cost: $8,980, Battery Capacity: 8.8 kWh, and Battery Cost: $1020/kWh
“I admit the chart makes the price differences look extreme,” Blackman says. “Back in 2012, there was speculation that replacement Leaf packs would be at least $15,000 but it never happened. I wonder if these prices will hold as the Prime moves into the 9-year mark. It could be, at that point, Toyota sells replacement Prime packs for the same low cost per kWh as Nissan does now.”
See the complete graphic: https://parts.olathetoyota.com/blog/electric-vehicle-battery-comparison
About Olathe Toyota Parts Center:
As one of the largest online retailers of Toyota parts in the United States, Olathe Toyota Parts Center has a huge inventory of OEM Toyota parts and accessories. Because of Olathe Toyota Parts Center’s location in the geographic center of the United States – and their massive inventory – shipping is both fast and affordable. Olathe Toyota Parts Center customer service is highly rated, with thousands of five star reviews via ShopperApproved. Learn more at http://parts.olathetoyota.com/about-us.