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>> and you can be guaranteed that a $3000 battery will not fare any better.

The Prius' battery is not expected to last the entire life of the car. The Volt's battery IS expected to do so.

For one thing, there are completely different cell chemistries are used in the Volt and Prius; Volt uses Lithium-Manganese Li-Ion, Prius uses NiMH cells. Also, the Volt uses the juice differently by design. In essence, it under-stresses the battery, so it'll last much longer.

LG chem (the cell's maker) and GM (the car/batt-pack maker) are testing the CRAP out of these batteries (accelerated cycling, heat, cold, vibration, etc.) to make sure they can safely warranty them for the full life of the vehicle. The warranty is widely expected to be 10yr-150,000mi (not officially published, so far as I know, but they've made comments to that effect in interviews).

The Prius' battery is not expected to last the entire life of the car. The Volt's battery IS expected to do so. For one thing, there are completely different cell chemistries are used in the Volt and Prius; Volt uses Lithium-Manganese Li-Ion, Prius uses NiMH cells. Also, the Volt uses the juice differently by design. In essence, it under-stresses the battery, so it'll last much longer. LG chem (the cell's maker) and GM (the car/batt-pack maker) are testing the CRAP out of these batteries (accelerated cycling, heat, cold, vibration, etc.) to make sure they can safely warranty them for the full life of the vehicle. The warranty is widely expected to be 10yr-150,000mi (not officially published, so far as I know, but they've made comments to that effect in interviews).

Correction. The Toyota hybrid battery IS designed to last the life of the vehicle. The standard warranty is 8 years / 80,000 miles with 10 yrs/150,000 miles required in California. Toyota reports that it is not unusual to go 250,000 miles on a battery.

IF these electric car batteries actually live for the life of the car, I’m going to consider buying one to use with my portable battery-powered tools. It seems that those, whether NIMH, NM, or LIon- have all failed within two years.

It might be a little heavy to haul around and up a ladder, but it might be worth it. I’m getting sick of replacing these battery packs which essentially are the entire cost of the tool. In fact, I’ve bought a new tool for less than the cost of the battery, and that only a year after the purchase.

IF these car batteries are so reliable, why haven’t those manufacturers made that technology available for tools?