I ran across this editorial and was a little stunned.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20070404_Hidden_cost_of_driving_a_Prius.html
So...
The basic argument is that you are still consuming less gas driving a Prius, but there are still some thoughts about the damage to the environment and that no one is really sure how long the battery will last.
The nickel for the battery, for instance, is mined in Sudbury, Ontario, and smelted at nearby Nickel Centre, just north of the province's massive Georgian Bay. Toyota buys about 1,000 tons of nickel from the facility each year, ships the nickel to Wales for refining, then to China, where it's manufactured into nickel foam, and then onto Toyota's battery plant in Japan.
That alone creates a globe-trotting trail of carbon emissions that ought to seriously concern everyone involved in the fight against global warming. All told, the start-to-finish journey travels more than 10,000 miles - mostly by container ship, but also by diesel locomotive.
I wonder how much energy and resources are used with a normal vehicle. What about harmful effects on the environment?
There are many other scary facts in the editorial. Acid rain and the study that showed Hummers are more economical.So, now what do I buy?
1 comment:
Isn't is possible that this article is being incredibly short sighted? Of course it is more expensive from concept to dealer for a hybrid. Initially, any car in the research and development stage is going to carry a higher price tag. The gas powered auto has been around for 11 years. Look, cd players don't cost what they did when they were introduced to the market. Basic rule of economy, economies of scale cheapen the cost of production. There isn't a large scale of hybrid production...yet.
In addition, there is a vast machine of oil powered law makers that will push people towards the bottom line, as long as the bottom line is their own interest (read-their own pockets). That machinery wil prevent any rapid growth in a market that at the very least has a soul.
As the hybrid becomes a more viable option for everyday drivers, the cost of production (both fiscal and environmental) will drop.
Google 'toyota hybrid conversion kit'. Toyota has a forum where they discuss how the average American could eventually rely on plug-in cars and reduce fuel consumption to approximately 600 MPG. The cost to buy the coversion kit is 10-12,000 dollars. My first cd player cost 250 dollars. Now you can get one for less that 10....
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