The CNW report just won't die, but needs to

[mkaresh]

I'm sure the CNW study, which has now received an update, has received attention here before.

The news is that I finally posted a critique to my site about it. I didn't do this earlier because the conclusions of the report are so obviously not valid that I figured no one would pay attention to it. But elsewhere on the Internet it keeps getting brought up as a reason not to have hybrids.

My critique isn't complicated. The report suggests that if you convert the total energy needed to develop, make, operate, and dispose of a Prius, that this will work out to $2.53 per mile. Or over $30,000 a year, if driving 12,000 miles.

What more should anyone need to know? This number is so far beyond the realm of possibility that clearly the analysis is deeply flawed.

Yet not only did CNW issue this report, but they recently re-issued an updated version with similar results.

My blog entry:

http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=48

[cwerdna]

Yeah, I posted my refutation of the totally bogus "study" at http://www.my350z.com/forum/showthread.php...ock#post2494537 before. I don't have the time, energy or motivation to pick thru Spinella's crap again. If you do, I'd be curious to see if you find it's more of the same.

Now, whenever I see CNW quoted in the press for anything, I give it very little credibility.

[jiepsie]

New sighting of a reference to this report in a Dutch paper, pretending to explain all about alternative fuel:
http://www.ad.nl/autowereld/article1203267.ece

Seems CNW has a European version of the report, where the Hummer has been replaced by a Range Rover Sport.

[mkaresh]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cwerdna @ Feb 22 2007, 04:29 AM) [snapback]394426[/snapback]</div>

Yeah, I posted my refutation of the totally bogus "study" at http://www.my350z.com/forum/showthread.php...ock#post2494537 before. I don't have the time, energy or motivation to pick thru Spinella's crap again. If you do, I'd be curious to see if you find it's more of the same.

Now, whenever I see CNW quoted in the press for anything, I give it very little credibility.
[/b]

I posted one more blog entry about it, after becoming aware of the ridiculous assumptions:

http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=66

[donee]

Hi Mkaresh,

This was posted over on Cleanmpg. Says the two test 2004 Prius cars are better than $.20/mile. A little different than the CNW Estimate, and an actual measurement!

http://avt.inl.gov/hev.shtml

[tochatihu]

Donee, we must remember that the INL tests for example are driver-incurred costs, and CNW purports to be comprehensive life-cycle energy costs converted to monetary terms.

I do not defend CNW, and consider their methods unsound and apparently deliberately biased against 'young technology' (hybrids in this case). Also, their end-of-life disposal costs appear to have no real basis.

Have full costs accounting for my 2001 Prius now 104 k odometer miles. Were I do sell it now at market value, my total cost of ownership (TCO) would be in the 22 to 24 cents/mi range. I am frankly envious that the fleets do better; maybe they pay less for insurance? Insurance is a large slice of the pie. By comparison a 'typical vehicle' TCO is mid-50's cents/mi., according to AAA and EPA.

Note that I try to save by DIY maintenance, but even paying Toyota's prices cannot add more than a dime.

I only visit CNW discussions to suggest that Prius is a cheap car to own and operate, and is quite low in pollutant emissions. I do not accept that CNW provides the definitive word on energy/money/pollution footprint. Others may, if they are able to swallow the assumptions.

[mkaresh]

Some people only care about the conclusions. If they like the conclusions, they assume that the research is sound.