Editor: Those of us who have heard the wild tales of how expensive replacement batteries will be for hybrids have a place to turn for actual consumer reports. http://www.hybridcars.com/ seems to have both a great handle on the both the technology and the progress of these vehicles, plus they developed a great bulletin board for hybrid owners to communicate with one another.

From Hybridcars.com
Excerpt: "From the first days when hybrids hit American roads in 2000, consumers have worried about expensive battery replacement costs. But reported cases of hybrid battery failure have been almost impossible to find. Suddenly, in the last couple of days, there were two posts in the HybridCars.com discussion forum from hybrid owners with battery woes."

"Kayhud wrote, 'I have 150,000 miles on my 2001 Prius and now need a new hybrid battery as well as the battery that controls the computer. The price is $4,000 - $5,000 in parts and $1,000 in labor.' Kayhud is considering the payment, if new batteries will buy another 150,000 miles for the six-year-old Prius."

"StuckeyC37 wrote, 'As I was driving home the other day, the IMA light came on my 2003 Civic Hybrid. I took it into my local Honda Dealership. Of course, they said the battery pack needs to be replaced at a cost of $4,500.'..."

Editor again: Maybe we can get our resident A/C-Hybrid specialist, Craig Van Batenburg, to weigh in on the battery life-replacement situation???