All I can say is that I am shocked. Ron had cornered the market with Honda battery replacement especially with his BetterBattery. I know firsthand how tough the battery repair business can be but I definitely was not expecting this! It is with deepest regret that I inform you that Hybrid-Battery.com has ceased operation and closed its' doors. Our battery supplier will no longer ship batteries to us and we can no longer fill orders. We shipped more than 400 BetterBattery modules and without exception, every purchaser has expressed happiness with their new packs. We have shipped all warranty batteries back to their owners, some working, some not, so that they will at least have a core for a Honda solution, or to purchase a battery from Re-Involt.com (ask for Dave Taylor) or from Hybrid-Revolt (Matt). The repair business is no longer tenable and there are no good cells to be gotten anywhere for repairs. It is doubtful that anyone can repair a battery anymore and make it last more than a couple years. Good luck to everyone and keep on hypermiling.
He had sourced new NiMH from China for the BetterBattery. For competitive reasons, he never disclosed the name of the supplier. Supposedly, that information will be provided once it is clear that the business is gone for good. Otherwise, he was reconditioning sticks that came out of 00-06 Honda Insight and Civic Hybrid packs...some of which had already been through one round of the process by Honda themselves. I've tried that myself, reconditioning Honda sticks, and I can unequivocally say that it is a losing battle for the terrain and temperatures here.
there aare guys rebuilding them with litium i was expecting something like that are these Honda pack failing so many numbers that a company like this existed?
Honda has a horrendous problem. Their packs lasted about half the time that the Prius packs do. The only upside is that Honda extended the warranty on the 00-04 Insights to 150K miles, so virtually all of those cars have had at least one pack replacement. Some had two. As far as I know, ReInvolt is the only company planning a commercial Lithium replacement.
Particularly ReInVolt who is also promising the same for Gen2 Prii. Yes, Honda Hybrids have had a serious problem with their HV batteries. They have actually reprogrammed their ECUs to use the batteries less so that they fail after the warranty expires. This makes the car sluggish in performance and reduces MPG. I would not have expected this unethical behavior from Honda. JeffD
I purchased a Better Battery and shipped back my od battery on 4/11. I have been waiting for my deposit back and now I find out the company is out of business. Can anybody help me? Any suggestions?
Go to Insight Central: Honda Insight Forum and add your name to the list. If you paid by credit card, contact the card company IMMEDIATELY! You generally have 30-45 days to file a claim to get your money back. It might not be too late.
