Hybrid batteries vs. the environment

[Rancid13]

A friend of mine is interested in getting a hybrid car, quite possibly a Prius. She's being told by her very environmentally conscious sister that there is now new research out there that proves that hybrid cars in general are no better for the environment than regular good-gas mileage cars (think Civic, Corolla) because so much manufacturing goes into making the batteries.

Is this legit information or another rumor circulating about hybrids? I did a search both on here and via google, but turned up nothing with regards to the impact of manufacturing of hybrid batteries on the environment.

[jmpenn]

Probably more guess work and fear.

How much more does the extra gas cost to make, ship, and use in pollution costs?

[aaf709]

My father insists that he saw an article in the 70s which "proved" that the energy used in making a new car was more than used in keeping an older car fixed up. If that's true you should never buy a new car.

Sounds to me more like an excuse not to get a hybrid. You can tell her that the batteries are recycled at the end of their lifecycle. That may take a while, some have gone over 200K miles on the same battery pack.

[sdsteve]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Whitestar @ Jun 27 2006, 02:12 PM) [snapback]277554[/snapback]</div>

Probably more guess work and fear.

How much more does the extra gas cost to make, ship, and use in pollution costs?
[/b]

It's MOSTLY crap. Of course there is some manufacturing issues with making batteries that don't exist in conventionally powered cars (strictly because they have less batteries). But, the process is contained in a single (give or take) location with hopefully some environmental controls. Certainly the amount of energy expended in making and disposing of the batteries over the life of the car is less than the difference in energy saved in driving the hybrid vs. a conventional car.

Here's a good article on recycling batteries:

http://www.hybridcars.com/hybrid-battery-toxicity.html

Steve

[Tideland Prius]

In that case, they shouldn't have leather in the car because of the manufacturing process to dye the leather and what not. Not to mention the dead cow(s). Use that for any other argument. I'm sure there's extra work to make the batteries but I'm don't think it's exaggerated like they tend to make it sound.

[Jeannie]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Jun 27 2006, 06:49 PM) [snapback]277633[/snapback]</div>

In that case, they shouldn't have leather in the car because of the manufacturing process to dye the leather and what not. Not to mention the dead cow(s). Use that for any other argument. I'm sure there's extra work to make the batteries but I'm don't think it's exaggerated like they tend to make it sound.
[/b]

And don't forget that plastic manufacturers might pollute the environment - we all oughta have plywood dashboards.

[daniel]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jeannie @ Jun 27 2006, 03:57 PM) [snapback]277649[/snapback]</div>

And don't forget that plastic manufacturers might pollute the environment - we all oughta have plywood dashboards.
[/b]

Plywood's full of chemicals.

While the price of energy is skewed by misguided energy policies, if there was really that much extra involved in making the batteries, they'd be a lot more expensive. It is true that there is an environmental cost involved in any manufacturing process, but certainly not enough to outweigh the lifetime difference in gas burned.

Also, battery technology holds the promise of opening up the possibility of large-scale use of solar and wind power, as alternatives to fossil fuels, thereby reducing, and eventually eliminating the environmental consequences of dumping all that carbon back into the atmosphere.

[NuShrike]

Stop eating cows. Do you know how much pollution they create and how much land and grain is wasted on them?

[Three60guy]

This has been shared here before. The concensus was the "think tank" who came up with this conclusion was merely a lobby group. Follow the money and you can always discover the true reasons why certain groups say the things they say. Money can always pay for a conclusion.

Now can anyone here think of a group who doesn't like less gas being used? Hmmmm.

[richard schumacher]

The Wikipedia entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Prius states that while it does take more energy to manufacture a Prius this is more than made up by energy savings during its operating life. The article references Toyota's lifetime energy assessment for the Prius at http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/k_forum/tenji/pdf/pgr_e.pdf (I've seen that document before and recall that it made a good case, but am now having trouble opening it.)

I recall reading that the original design intent of Prius was to minimize lifetime pollution, not lifetime energy consumption.