Interesting read as to why a Prius(probably the same goes for the Honda) requires double the energy to produce vs a Hummer. So much for helping the environment but we tried

Here's the story:

Snagged from some news print:

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 percent 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 environmentalist’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, the 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.

 

The mere reference to CNW marketing in this post is enough to render it forgettable by anyone minimally intelligent.
Sadly, the CNW folks (including Mr. Spinella) continue to be a model of scientific embarrassment and ridicule.

This type of rethoric has been refuted dozens of times on this site, other sites, press releases and other embarrassing dismissals (at both governmental and academic levels).

Always an interesting read though.


Cheers;

MSantos

 

Please seach at GH for "Dust to Dust" and "Sudbury"

It will be very apparent both articles are bogus.

 

no

 

Welcome to last YEAR!

 

BTW, Al is no hypocrite. He's personally responsible for this recent popular green wave and has done more for the environment than anyone in this decade.

 

Al Gore does not walk the walk which he talks. See recent stories on his huge electricity bills in his mansion for proof of that.

He might and probably does truly CARE about the environment. But telling people the sky if falling while he is wasting huge kilowatts of energy at his mansion is ample fuel for the criticism he deserves.

 

i thought gore lived in a handmade hemp tent out in the woods of tennessee somewhere lol

 

Look further than the Republican blogger headlines and you see that all of his energy use is offsetted, his house is undergoing a rennovation that includes solar panels, and that half of his "mansion" is used as office space.

Further, it's not like Al Gore is a 9-to-5'er who just lives at home. He's an ex-vp who has security details, assistants, and a ton of baggage. You can't expect him to live in a yurt.

Cut him some slack.

 

No, he does have needs. But his use was SO far above the norm that is was newsworthy.

And yes I know about the solar panels. Did he just RECENTLY DISCOVER that they exist? Good for him.

But you and Al gotta understand - if you walk around PREACHING to people all the time to reduce their carbon footprint, then you have a target on your forehead if you do not do the same thing. Same with any kind of Preacher who does not walk their talk (see the numerous religious sex scandals)