My Prius spent a week in the repair shop (collision with a dog) and the battery died. After three years and 63,000 miles it would not hold a charge. A new battery ($160) was installed. Here's a photo of the old one, along with others to be recycled. The battery is taller and narrower than regular batteries but just as heavy. [attachmentid=9222]
some people forget there is a regular system battery in even the best hybrid, the prius. It's in the rear right side as you open the rear hatch. I wonder when they will start making them out of NiMH or lithium ? Then they could be lifetime batteries instead of 150 year old tech lead acid.
http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/prius-12V/ [for an example of the slightly smaller version in non-SKS cars] . _H*
