Prius a no, no – Peugeot, Citroen and Ford are all greener, says new study

[boulder_bum]

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/?p=303

It look like bad news for the Toyota Prius. A joint study between Cardiff University and Clifford Thames an automotive consultancy revealed tht far from being the greenest of the bunch, the Prius lagged behind the likes of Peugeot, Citroën, Ford, Smart, and other cars in a new environmental rating system.

Opponents will claim that this is far from the truth, the Prius is after all, the cleanest for its size. However, David Riemenschneider, Clifford Thames’ chief executive said that “Conventional technology will overtake the Prius over the next 12 to 18 months, and consumers won’t have to pay a premium for it.” He would know… the researchers have been studying cars which are going to launch in the near future – these petrol and diesel guzzlers are already beginning to show signs that they’ll outpace their uglier, yet greener counterpart.

The research, gleaned from publicly available data suggests that vast improvements have been made by car manufacturers, who are under great pressure from regulars to reduce emissions.

However, emissions aren’t everything. The study also examined the bigger picture, the cars’ environmental “footprint” – including raw materials, production, and end-of-life costs – based on their length, width and weight.
[/b]

Not sure how much I buy their assessment, but I think it's valid to claim that increased weight counts for increased environmental footprint. The university's claim is plausible if not factual. I'd like to see more about their assumptions and measurements.

[Tideland Prius]

Anything to oppose the Swiss I suppose.

Of course, none of this would happen if the Prius didn't garner the attention it received.. so really, the Prius is doing good for the environment... directly or indirectly.

[justlurkin]

I'm willing to bet the majority of their citations would be from certain publications bylined "CNW Marketing." :P

[patsparks]

Ah
So what!
I'd hate to drive a Peugeot, Citroën or Ford. I want a reliable car.

[jiepsie]

All he's saying is that smaller is better:

The study also examined the bigger picture, the cars’ environmental “footprint” – including raw materials, production, and end-of-life costs – based on their length, width and weight.[/b]

From ft.com:

The iconic hybrid car is still the cleanest for its size, but is outranked by nine smaller Peugeot, Citroën, Ford, Smart, and other cars in a new environmental rating system.[/b]

Why chose a Prius to compare to much smaller cars? Why not a Hummer? Or a conventional Corolla? The only reason I can think of is to get this headline:
New Study Disses Prius

[Topgas]

They can cut it anyway they want, the Prius was and still is a leader in getting us to use less fuel and pollute less. Yes, the Prius will be out done in the years ahead but it helped lead us down this path.

[SomervillePrius]

Im glad to see the conventional technology is catching up. But as other have said nothing would have been done without the Prius and Insight and I'm actually depressed how little competition they still have.

They claim they will catch up in 12-18 months.... must be a coincidence that Toyota is launching their new Prius in that time frame no?

I'm glad that automakers try to go green and they try to get people to drive smaller cars. I hope someone overtakes the Prius soon. I'll be the first in line (for our second car).

[KV55]

The research seems to be aimed at the energy efficient scoring system we have in the UK, a scale of A to G which is set on the basis of CO2 emission only. I find it funny in a black humour way that they found the need to add band G, at the wrong end of the scale (226g CO2 per km), last year.

The scale being based on CO2 it is not the whole story in environmental awareness, but it is a good start in making people aware of the unseen differences between cars. Most road users can figure it out without the label, however if they can improve on what we have all the better.

How about a rating label for the driver?

[F8L]

I think this quote sums it up:

Meanwhile the study's author was aware that their results were a bit, um, skewed. undefined "but the gap is closing very rapidly, and conventional technologies will pass the Prius." In fact, “Conventional technology will overtake the Prius over the next 12 to 18 months, and consumers won’t have to pay a premium for it,” said David Riemenschneider, Clifford Thames’ chief executive. Let the eco-games begin! Oh wait; they already have. [/b]

Man, people will do anything to try to bring you down but when it comes down to it they can't seem to get it right. Good to know the benchmark has been set. This is why many people I know bought this car. To start something!

[TonyPSchaefer]

The research, gleaned from publicly available data suggests that vast improvements have been made by car manufacturers, who are under great pressure from regulars to reduce emissions.[/b]

And to think, such radical improvements can be made in a scant 100 years of ICE history. Way to really push that bar!