Coronet 14
Well-Known Member
When Someone tells you our cars are bad. Explain this to them
everything:
Hybrid Prius Outdoes Hummer in Environmental Damage
For all you hybrid lovers out there
This is not an article by a GM friendly writer, just a neutral
observer. This is something you won't hear in most of the biased press
that almost refuses to write anything bad about Toyota. Another fun
fact is that Toyota had more vehicles recalled last year than they
produced, and these were not minor repairs. In talking to a friend of
mine who runs a dealership, he talked to his local Toyota dealer, who
told him that the Toyota store hasn't had any time to do regular
customer repair work because all they are doing is recall work,
including new front ends, all new ball joints, etc. These have been
major repairs, that the press has chosen not to report on. Even the
other Japanese automakers are at a loss as to why Toyota seems to get
a free pass from the American press. Here is a story worth reading
about the Prius.
Interesting Article from Connecticut State University:
Prius Outdoes Hummer in Environmental Damage By Chris Demorro Staff
Writer The Toyota Prius has become the flagship car for those in our
society so environmentally conscious that they are willing to spend a
premium to show the world how much they care. Unfortunately for them,
their ultimate 'green car' is the source of some of the worst
pollution in North America; it takes more combined energy per Prius to
produce than a Hummer.
Before we delve into the seedy underworld of hybrids, you must first
understand how a hybrid works. For this, we will use the most popular
hybrid on the market, the Toyota Prius.
The Prius is powered by not one, but two engines: a standard 76
horsepower, 1.5-liter gas engine found in most cars today and a
battery- powered engine that deals out 67 horsepower and a whooping
295ft/lbs of torque, below 2000 revolutions per minute. Essentially,
the Toyota Synergy Drive system, as it is so called, propels the car
from a dead stop to up to 30mph. This is where the largest percent of
gas is consumed. As any physics major can tell you, it takes more
energy to get an object moving than to keep it moving. The battery is
recharged through the braking system, as well as when the gasoline
engine takes over anywhere north of 30mph. It seems like a great
energy efficient and environmentally sound car, right?
You would be right if you went by the old government EPA estimates,
which netted the Prius an incredible 60 miles per gallon in the city
and 51 miles per gallon on the highway. Unfortunately for Toyota, the
government realized how unrealistic their EPA tests were, which
consisted of highway speeds limited to 55mph and acceleration of only
3.3 mph per second. The new tests which affect all 2008 models give a
much more realistic rating with highway speeds of 80mph and
acceleration of 8mph per second. This has dropped the Prius's EPA down
by 25 per cent to an average of 45mpg. This now puts the Toyota within
spitting distance of cars like the Chevy Aveo, which costs less then
half what the Prius costs.
However, if that was the only issue with the Prius, I wouldn't be
writing this article. It gets much worse.
Building a Toyota Prius causes more environmental damage than a Hummer
that is on the road for three times longer than a Prius. As already
noted, the Prius is partly driven by a battery which contains nickel.
The nickel is mined and smelted at a plant in Sudbury, Ontario. This
plant has caused so much environmental damage to the surrounding
environment that NASA has used the 'dead zone' around the plant to
test moon rovers. The area around the plant is devoid of any life for
miles.
The plant is the source of all the nickel found in a Prius' battery
and Toyota purchases 1,000 tons annually. Dubbed the Superstack, the
plague-factory has spread sulfur dioxide across northern Ontario,
becoming every en vironmentalist's nightmare. "The acid rain around
Sudbury was so bad it destroyed all the plants and the soil slid down
off the hillside," said Canadian Greenpeace energy-coordinator David
Martin during an interview with Mail, a British-based newspaper.
All of this would be bad enough in and of itself; however, the journey
to make a hybrid doesn't end there. The nickel produced by this
disastrous plant is shipped via massive container ship to the largest
nickel refinery in Europe. From there, the nickel hops over to China
to produce 'nickel foam.' From there, it goes to Japan. Finally, the
completed batteries are shipped to the United States, finalizing the
around-the-world trip required to produce a single Prius battery.
Are these not sounding less and less like environmentally sound cars
and more like a farce?
Wait, I haven't even got to the best part yet.
When you pool together all the combined energy it takes to drive and
build a Toyota Prius, th e flagship car of energy fanatics, it takes
almost 50 percent more energy than a Hummer - the Prius's arch
nemesis.
Through a study by CNW Marketing called "Dust to Dust," the total
combined energy is taken from all the electrical, fuel,
transportation, materials (metal, plastic, etc) and hundreds of other
factors over the expected lifetime of a vehicle. The Prius costs an
average of $3.25 per mile driven over a lifetime of 100,000 miles -
the expected lifespan of the Hybrid.
The Hummer, on the other hand, costs a more fiscal $1.95 per mile to
put on the road over an expected lifetime of 300,000 miles. That
means the Hummer will last three times longer than a Prius and use
less combined energy doing it.
So, if you are really an environmentalist - ditch the Prius.
Instead, buy one of the most economical cars available - a Toyota
Scion xB. The Scion only costs a paltry $0.48 per mile to put on the
road. If you are still obsessed over gas mileage - buy a Chevy Aveo
and fix that lead foot.
One last fun fact for you: it takes five years to offset the premium
price of a Prius. Meaning, you have to wait 60 months to save any
money over a non-hybrid car because of lower gas expenses.
everything:
Hybrid Prius Outdoes Hummer in Environmental Damage
For all you hybrid lovers out there
This is not an article by a GM friendly writer, just a neutral
observer. This is something you won't hear in most of the biased press
that almost refuses to write anything bad about Toyota. Another fun
fact is that Toyota had more vehicles recalled last year than they
produced, and these were not minor repairs. In talking to a friend of
mine who runs a dealership, he talked to his local Toyota dealer, who
told him that the Toyota store hasn't had any time to do regular
customer repair work because all they are doing is recall work,
including new front ends, all new ball joints, etc. These have been
major repairs, that the press has chosen not to report on. Even the
other Japanese automakers are at a loss as to why Toyota seems to get
a free pass from the American press. Here is a story worth reading
about the Prius.
Interesting Article from Connecticut State University:
Prius Outdoes Hummer in Environmental Damage By Chris Demorro Staff
Writer The Toyota Prius has become the flagship car for those in our
society so environmentally conscious that they are willing to spend a
premium to show the world how much they care. Unfortunately for them,
their ultimate 'green car' is the source of some of the worst
pollution in North America; it takes more combined energy per Prius to
produce than a Hummer.
Before we delve into the seedy underworld of hybrids, you must first
understand how a hybrid works. For this, we will use the most popular
hybrid on the market, the Toyota Prius.
The Prius is powered by not one, but two engines: a standard 76
horsepower, 1.5-liter gas engine found in most cars today and a
battery- powered engine that deals out 67 horsepower and a whooping
295ft/lbs of torque, below 2000 revolutions per minute. Essentially,
the Toyota Synergy Drive system, as it is so called, propels the car
from a dead stop to up to 30mph. This is where the largest percent of
gas is consumed. As any physics major can tell you, it takes more
energy to get an object moving than to keep it moving. The battery is
recharged through the braking system, as well as when the gasoline
engine takes over anywhere north of 30mph. It seems like a great
energy efficient and environmentally sound car, right?
You would be right if you went by the old government EPA estimates,
which netted the Prius an incredible 60 miles per gallon in the city
and 51 miles per gallon on the highway. Unfortunately for Toyota, the
government realized how unrealistic their EPA tests were, which
consisted of highway speeds limited to 55mph and acceleration of only
3.3 mph per second. The new tests which affect all 2008 models give a
much more realistic rating with highway speeds of 80mph and
acceleration of 8mph per second. This has dropped the Prius's EPA down
by 25 per cent to an average of 45mpg. This now puts the Toyota within
spitting distance of cars like the Chevy Aveo, which costs less then
half what the Prius costs.
However, if that was the only issue with the Prius, I wouldn't be
writing this article. It gets much worse.
Building a Toyota Prius causes more environmental damage than a Hummer
that is on the road for three times longer than a Prius. As already
noted, the Prius is partly driven by a battery which contains nickel.
The nickel is mined and smelted at a plant in Sudbury, Ontario. This
plant has caused so much environmental damage to the surrounding
environment that NASA has used the 'dead zone' around the plant to
test moon rovers. The area around the plant is devoid of any life for
miles.
The plant is the source of all the nickel found in a Prius' battery
and Toyota purchases 1,000 tons annually. Dubbed the Superstack, the
plague-factory has spread sulfur dioxide across northern Ontario,
becoming every en vironmentalist's nightmare. "The acid rain around
Sudbury was so bad it destroyed all the plants and the soil slid down
off the hillside," said Canadian Greenpeace energy-coordinator David
Martin during an interview with Mail, a British-based newspaper.
All of this would be bad enough in and of itself; however, the journey
to make a hybrid doesn't end there. The nickel produced by this
disastrous plant is shipped via massive container ship to the largest
nickel refinery in Europe. From there, the nickel hops over to China
to produce 'nickel foam.' From there, it goes to Japan. Finally, the
completed batteries are shipped to the United States, finalizing the
around-the-world trip required to produce a single Prius battery.
Are these not sounding less and less like environmentally sound cars
and more like a farce?
Wait, I haven't even got to the best part yet.
When you pool together all the combined energy it takes to drive and
build a Toyota Prius, th e flagship car of energy fanatics, it takes
almost 50 percent more energy than a Hummer - the Prius's arch
nemesis.
Through a study by CNW Marketing called "Dust to Dust," the total
combined energy is taken from all the electrical, fuel,
transportation, materials (metal, plastic, etc) and hundreds of other
factors over the expected lifetime of a vehicle. The Prius costs an
average of $3.25 per mile driven over a lifetime of 100,000 miles -
the expected lifespan of the Hybrid.
The Hummer, on the other hand, costs a more fiscal $1.95 per mile to
put on the road over an expected lifetime of 300,000 miles. That
means the Hummer will last three times longer than a Prius and use
less combined energy doing it.
So, if you are really an environmentalist - ditch the Prius.
Instead, buy one of the most economical cars available - a Toyota
Scion xB. The Scion only costs a paltry $0.48 per mile to put on the
road. If you are still obsessed over gas mileage - buy a Chevy Aveo
and fix that lead foot.
One last fun fact for you: it takes five years to offset the premium
price of a Prius. Meaning, you have to wait 60 months to save any
money over a non-hybrid car because of lower gas expenses.
