KIA Hybrid – 2 in 1 – Hybrid problems and potential “Warranty Abuse”

In our view, current hybrid designs with small, overworked batteries and a primary ICE engine are not truly sustainable. We have 7 severe cases: a Mercedes w205 with a burnt and cooked battery, a boiled VW GTE, 2 Kias with burnt and cooked batteries, a Porsche Panamera with a burnt and cooked battery, and 3 Toyota Priuses with burnt and cooked batteries. Choosing to drive a new diesel or a hybrid carries significant risks and costs, Besides being unreliable with very expensive failures, the savings are placebo and maintenance costs at 150k km can cost up to €20,000. A 2017 Kia Optima Plugin with only 160k km came in with a battery failure, hoping it was just a few cells, we called the owner in for diagnostics and repair. After disassembly and measurement, we found all cells to be inflated, cooked, and totally degraded. The system is air-cooled. According to the owner, the issue may have been simply reset during previous warranty service visits, giving a false impression that ‘everything is fine’ without actually fixing the problem. However, it is not fine, and on the third vehicle, by deceiving the owner, they erase the error via OBD to turn off the malfunction light and temporarily “solve the problem”. Potential KMAG warranty abuse according the owner on a battery that should be subject to an automatic global recall as the swelling of cells is a “safety risk” and could potentially cause a fire if a cell breaches the battery case. A new battery costs about €17,000 to replace for a 9kWh battery. The cells are LG Chem, non-standard dimensions 17x24x0.6 with a capacity of 27Ah. The internal resistance of the cells is about 4mOhm (2 is actually for recycling). Since it’s not just a couple of defective cells but the entire battery pack, repair is not possible. It’s not possible in that quantity because there are no new cells to replace it. At ~160,000 km, the vehicle in this case was beyond economical repair (effectively a total loss). Now you might wonder why? because much of the mainstream media coverage has portrayed EVs negatively while painting hybrids and diesels in a better light. Every day social media is full of the same propaganda and demonizing headlines against EVs. In practice, it’s quite different, only the Nissan Leaf has an irreparable battery, while every hybrid is a pile of expensive problem at 200k. The only hybrid that would theoretically be sustainable is with at least a 40-50kWh battery, primary electric drive, and a generator that recharges, like the BMW REX system, everything else is just costing you more, not saving you money.

OEM Price Kia: €17,000. 150k km
Mercedes: €15,000 160k km
Porsche: €18,000 180k km
VW GTE: €12,000 180k km
EVC: not repairable, needs new battery design and production – €8,000-€16,000

Part number: 37503-A8510, 37506-E6610

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