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Prius Outdoes Hummer in Environmental Damage
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Hm, I'm not a Hummer fan, for obvious reasons, or reasons that should be obvious.
But I am very concerned about the environmental damage of the extensive mining for various metals needed for batteries. I actually posted on this a couple of months ago. In MI's UP the fight is on to prevent sulfide mining. The goal is to mine metals for batteries. The environmental effects will be disastrous. And that's before the refining process.
I fear the only good solution is a simpler lifestyle. Too bad that kind of reverse progress tends to come with massive social upheaval. Dang, I don't have time to get in an apocalyptic mood tonight!
But I am very concerned about the environmental damage of the extensive mining for various metals needed for batteries. I actually posted on this a couple of months ago. In MI's UP the fight is on to prevent sulfide mining. The goal is to mine metals for batteries. The environmental effects will be disastrous. And that's before the refining process.
I fear the only good solution is a simpler lifestyle. Too bad that kind of reverse progress tends to come with massive social upheaval. Dang, I don't have time to get in an apocalyptic mood tonight!
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Wow, that was one of the most ridiculous articles I have read in a long time. The numbers were flying so fast and loose and didn't really make any sense. Plus add to that the fact that they make it sound like the Sudbury mine was created in order to make the Prius batteries...ummm, duh, the Sudbury mine has been around and doing its damage with or without the Prius (which is barely a drop in the bucket of nickel use in the world's products). And where on earth would they come up with an estimated life span of only 100,000 miles for the Prius.
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: Toyotas are known for their longevity and there is no indication that the Prius won't be the same. The hybrid batteries are only warranteed for 100,000 miles but, of course, they are expected to last much, much longer than that. There are already tons of the first generation Prius' that are over 100K and going strong. My dh has only found reference to one hybrid battery pack that wore out and that car had 200,000 miles because the owner was a salesman. Besides, even when the hybrid pack wears out they can be refurbished and sent back out on the road, the bateery pack and the car don't need to be remade. There is no reason to believe that the Prius won't have a life expectancy equal or greater than a Hummer. Even if you want to be really, really conservative and say that the Prius life expectancy is only 200K then suddenly their quoted cost of $3.25 per mile becomes $1.63 per mile (less than the Hummer).
In terms of the round the world trip for the making of the car, that is common for the majority of products sold in our world today and Toyota plans to open a plant in the U.S. soon anyway. In terms of the gas mileage estimates, yes, the originals were a bit high and actually were inaccurate for me (I get 55-60 mpg highway and about 45-48 mpg city...but in winter it drops due to battery inefficiency) but every car I have ever owned has been inaccurate and soooo much depends on the driver (I had a Saab turbo where I got 30 mpg but lending it to a friend for even a day and my average would plummet to 23 mpg)
It has been amazing the total crap that has been written about the Prius ever since it came out. And this article is right in the center of the pile of...
In terms of the round the world trip for the making of the car, that is common for the majority of products sold in our world today and Toyota plans to open a plant in the U.S. soon anyway. In terms of the gas mileage estimates, yes, the originals were a bit high and actually were inaccurate for me (I get 55-60 mpg highway and about 45-48 mpg city...but in winter it drops due to battery inefficiency) but every car I have ever owned has been inaccurate and soooo much depends on the driver (I had a Saab turbo where I got 30 mpg but lending it to a friend for even a day and my average would plummet to 23 mpg)
It has been amazing the total crap that has been written about the Prius ever since it came out. And this article is right in the center of the pile of...
Well, that didn't take long....
The CNW Marketing Research, Inc.'s 2007 "Dust to Dust: The Energy Cost of New Vehicles From Concept to Disposal" caught the interest of the media and the public with its claim that a Hummer H3 SUV has a lower life-cycle energy cost than a Toyota Prius hybrid. Closer inspection suggests that the report's conclusions rely on faulty methods of analysis, untenable assumptions, selective use and presentation of data, and a complete lack of peer review. Even the most cursory look reveals serious biases and flaws: the average Hummer H1 is assumed to travel 379,000 miles and last for 35 years, while the average Prius is assumed to last only 109,000 miles over less than 12 years.
More here:
http://www.pacinst.org/topics/integr...sus_prius.html
The CNW Marketing Research, Inc.'s 2007 "Dust to Dust: The Energy Cost of New Vehicles From Concept to Disposal" caught the interest of the media and the public with its claim that a Hummer H3 SUV has a lower life-cycle energy cost than a Toyota Prius hybrid. Closer inspection suggests that the report's conclusions rely on faulty methods of analysis, untenable assumptions, selective use and presentation of data, and a complete lack of peer review. Even the most cursory look reveals serious biases and flaws: the average Hummer H1 is assumed to travel 379,000 miles and last for 35 years, while the average Prius is assumed to last only 109,000 miles over less than 12 years.
More here:
http://www.pacinst.org/topics/integr...sus_prius.html
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Yeah, but with the sulfide mining debate going on in MI the impact of a battery driven culture seems pretty harsh, even as compared to an oil-driven culture.
ITA that the numbers in the article are ludicrous. I'm just worried about battery production and mining.
Originally Posted by Ruthla  Isn't there more involved in the ecological impact of a car than the production of it? |
ITA that the numbers in the article are ludicrous. I'm just worried about battery production and mining.
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