This discussion is so ridiculous, it's only value is to demonstrate how a person or group can latch on to an idea and refuse to consider ancillary facts that are pertinent and relevant to the situation.

Assume, for the sake of arguement, that the Prius is a 'dirty' car to manufacture. Do you REALLY think that fact is going to sit out there, as if in a vacuum, in the world we live in today? For example, consider the following:

1. The tree-huggers at the EPA would be lining up to write new regulations restricting these 'dirty' technologies or products from coming into the U.S. Last time I looked, Toyota is reviving plans for a new Prius factory in Mississippi:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...googlenews_wsj

2. The super-enviro-consious California buyers, the state legislature and their CARB would find reasons to restrict or eliminate this 'dirty' car from their pristine (but broke) state. Face it, that state never met a regulation or a tax they didn't like. They would either restrict the car, require dealerships to use special environmental hazard-handling techniques (whether they worked or not) or put a special use tax on the car if they thought it was so dirty.

3. Lawyers. Oh yeah, they would be lining up to sue Toyota for "harming their clients." Couldn't you just see the mesothelioma lawyers running to jump on this? "Do you or have you ever owned a Prius? YOU may have MONEY coming to you! Call us now at 1-800-SLEAZY1 to file your claim!"

4. Then international "cause dejour" crowd would be next in line. Kyoto Accords, international treaties, sanctions against Japan and their dirty companies like Toyota. And the beat goes on......

The fact is, one group or small contingent of people, if they stumble on something like this and it is true, won't remain isolated for long. The Prius has been on the market for nearly a decade; they have been wrecked, dismantled, recycled, sold, resold, serviced, examined, copied, and nearly anything else that can be done to a machine in that time. If there was ANYTHING dangerous with long-term negative side effects, the bureaucrats, agenda-driven special interest groups, lawyers, radicals and many, many other individuals or groups would be screaming bloody murder.

So, the silence is more than just deafening on this; it contradicts these wild claims made by a few posters.....

 

I thought this website or blog was discussion about hybrids, not attacks on people or individuals? Your arguement is weak, and your feeble attempt to prove anything that the Prius is a "clean" car is failed.

What small group are you talking about? The Article posted is from Toyota, the manufacture.....but I guess they don't count.

From your list, "1", just like all imports into the states, they are not "made" here, they are only the final assembly point. The major components are made elsewhere, and then they all come together at the factory to be put together. So the point of the manufacturing process being dirty, as Toyota themselves ststed (not some individual or special interest group against Toyota).

Adressing your point #2, what does CARB have anything to do with the pollution that the battery, electric motors, and other major electrical hybrid components produce? CARB is for tailpipe emmisions only, not the entire car emmiting dangerous gases as the Prius does.

Going on to #3, haven't you heard of full disclosure? This is exactly why Toyota has fully disclosed that the Prius is actually worse for the envionment than it is good in saving gas. Your reasoning on this is flawed. If your thinking were true and accurate, then all oil companies would be sued, all companies that produce: paint, solvents, varnishes, adhesives, plastics, brake fluid, transimission fluid, detergents, and every other chemical or bad thing for humans or earth. People can sue all they want, but will they be successful? (no)

Finally #4, see number 3, because you basically repeated yourself, but went from individuals to countries with the same topic.

So, is the Prius a great car to have high MPG's and save on buying gas: Yes! Is it a new thing that cars get 50 MPGs? No, cars in the 80's were doing this (see Honda CRX). Does it mean that a hybrid that uses less gas with higher MPG's polutte the air less from the tail-pipe? No, in fact most hybrids pollute the air at the same rate as a "normal" car when the gas engine is running, a PZEV car has a cleaner tail pipe emmisions than the Prius, (Toyota and others make PZEV's). Over all, considering the high MPG's, less gas used, tail pipe emmisions, and the gases produced by the hybrid components, is the Prius better or worse for the environment? According to the people that make it (Toyota) it is worse, not better.

 

Will,

You seem to want an arguement and I'm not going to give you one.

The fact that NO ONE is jumping on the "Prius is Bad" bandwagon is evidence enough.

Have a good day.

 

Yap but It was a 'learning' experience for the kid and hopefully, he'll be a little more circumspect in the future.Thanks Windshield Replacement Irving

 

Thx for this wonderful explanation!