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I wouldn't do it. I'd nurse a dead pack forever in a gen. 1 Insight (grid charger life support) rather than pull it out, provided it could still perform high voltage engine starts via the motor/generator.
Why? Because the engine auto-stop feature when used with a kill switch is incredibly cool in a gen 1 Insight. (Eg. the way it restarts the engine instantly and quietly when you shift back into gear.)
Also, the weight savings are negligible (the battery pack weighs 67 lbs with the cooling fan).
Also also, regenerative braking is cool - instead of generating heat and brake dust, you have the option of generating and storing electricity for later use (even if only to feed the 12v system instead of by burning gas). Can't do that if you yank the battery pack.
The vast majority of the distance I drove my 2000 Insight (~2 years), I had hybrid assist electrically disabled (via the clutch switch mod) in order to baby a weary battery pack. And yes, I still got insane fuel economy.
But for the reasons mentioned, I would never have dumped the pack, even though the car was effectively "de-hybridized" the way most people would think of it.
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