My 2011 Rx450h has 202K miles but looks and runs great. My hybrid battery has completely failed and shop telling me to replace. My question is can I keep driving this vehcile without replacing the battery?

 

Something is strange here... are you getting a fail display warning/message?

Keep n mind the reverse is thorough electric motor only. Wiithout the high voltage battery you can not technically start the ICE or reverse.

ICE start is necessary to charge the high voltage battery.

So I suspect that something is malfunctioning and the message is a clear warning that the issue should be addressed. EV shop or dealership can then tell you how bad the situation is and what should be done.

Salim

The dealership may not tell you, but you also have the option of replacing bad cells. EV shop can best guide you if you are not the DIY type. IF DIY, use the search engine like google etc.

 

I swapped my packs out for $2,400 - brand new packs direct from China. Took me about 6 hours or so. Not too bad if you can use basic hand tools and deal with removing the entire rear seat. Probably need a couple guys to do the job. Much better price doing it that way instead of paying somebody. Dealer wanted 11k.

 

That's insane,
Do you know what the part (HV battery) charge is ?

My ES300h's HV battery, OEM, i think is $3K

 

Yes. I believe it was about 4k. But even then, it’s the old flat pack cells that get really warm in the middle and fail prematurely in comparison to modern cylindrical cells. My aftermarket pack are cylindrical, which I hope last longer.