Is the Prius better for the environment

Given the environmental thrust of the vehicle, from it's assembly methods and supplies, to the lo emission paint and plastics used, not to mention to carbon footprint over it's life span, I would say yes it is still better for the enviroment. Good for the environment? No, I would say that a bicycle would have a lower carbon footprint.

So, the answer likley depends on your alternative choices. If you are asking about the 2010 Prius, as compared to other similarly priced new vehicles on the road today, I would say that the total environmental costs to manufacture those is higher than producing the prius, and they will also have a much larger impact from fuel used to move the vehicle the same number of miles, and then you will still need to dispose of that vehicle? By that standard, yes the Prius is much better for the environment.

But by asking this question at all, you seem to be forgetting that the vast majority of us who buy a Prius have not done it exclusively for the environment, but for ourselves as well, as this is a great car!

 

To answer your question efficiently:

Consider the NiMH battery elements to be worth their weight in gold. The recycling value of NiMH battery chemistry far exceeds today's cost for initial production. Toyota pays a bounty and I know of one 3d party interested in old, Prius batteries. Price is negotiable.

Bob Wilson

 

In a nutshell, yes. The Prius is better than the typical gas guzzler but it is never GOOD for the environment. Cars as they are currently produced and fueled cannot be good for the environment.

According to the GREET model a car uses the majority of its energy in lifetime use, not in production and recycling.

For a quick overview see the link above and read the article by RMI regarding the Dust to Dust Prius vs. H2 article.

Dust to Dust's Assumptions About the Prius and the Hummer

 

i think like a lot of people you are more concered about the big battery hurting the invironment.
next to that the car is the same like any other car.
and to think that the battery can and will be recycled..
so nothing to wurry o would say.

 

Just to put things into perspective....

NiMH HV battery pack weights 99 lbs. This is warranted for 10 years.

2008 Hummer H3 produces 13.1 tons of CO2 per year.

2010 Matrix (1.8l auto) produces 2.9 tons of CO2 more than 2010 Prius per year. Over 10 years, you are looking at 29 tons of CO2 saved by 99 lbs of battery.

 

Just wondering why this question is so recurring when it's been addressed dozens of times in PC alone and the answer can be found Googling: "Prius Hummer myth" ?

After all, Dust to Dust and Sudbury has been soundly refuted...why is it so hard to find?

 

But then you would sweat and stink up the local environment of your destination. Nothing like pit stains for that hot date.

 

In a word - Absolutley.

Toyota has been recycling their batteries for years. The precious metals in thoose spent batteries are worth $$...so they're not just thrown into the dump to leach into the water as some opponents to clean/hybrid technologies with claim.

From Toyota -

Toyota’s NiMH recycling program in detail

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Kwong

To ensure that hybrid batteries are returned to Toyota, each battery has a phone number on it to call for recycling information. Salvage companies that want to get a battery recycled can present it to any Toyota dealer and receive a $150 core reward.

Toyota has been recycling NiMH batteries since the RAV4 Electric Vehicle was introduced in 1998. Every part of the battery, from the precious metals to the plastic, plates, steel case and the wiring, are recycled or processed for disposal.

At the recycler, the battery modules are separated from the wire harness, controller and metal shell (all common materials that are recycled).



Using a first generation Prius battery as an example:

• After the above mentioned parts are removed, there are 89 pounds of batteries.

• 
  The plates are removed from the cases leaving 11 pounds of plastic cases and 78 pounds of plates/chemicals/and absorbent materials.
  The plastic cases (Polypropylene) are recycled similar to any other consumer plastic.
• Of the remaining 78 pounds, we extract 32 pounds of nickel that is sold into the steel industry as an alloy to make stainless steel, four pounds of cobalt that is used in a variety of industries -- other batteries and super alloys, and five pounds of common alloy steel (terminals and intercell connectors).

• The remaining materials and chemicals are processed for recycling or disposed in an environmentally friendly fashion following local, state, and federal regulations.

 

It sold it to me too. Also, another environmental consideration about batteries is how many mobile phones use a similar battery (though much smaller) and yet many people are happy to dispose of them after a year or so. Or big corporations such as banks who replace all their many thousand company laptops every 18 months. How many batteries here end up being recycled?

I guess our modern world is no way perfect, but the Prius is a small step in the right direction. I use mine as a taxi and it has virtually cut my fuel bills in half! Now if all the other 400 taxis in my town were Prius's then that would be a big cut in fuel use/pollution. Multiply that by all the towns in the UK and you are talking big savings. If all the cabs in the Western World were Prius then that would be an huge fuel/pollution saving.

All in all, I'd say yes it is better for the environment. :high5:

 

Not better than my Utah trike which I just got. I don't know of a another vehicle right now with the range of the Prius, which is better for the environment.

 

Yes.

Except for the part about "good for the environment." I drive a solar-powered electric vehicle. And even IT isn't good for the environment. No car is good for the environment. Compared to other new cars on the market right now, the answer to the question I think your asking is: Yes.

And with that said: Get a bike.

 

A King Ranch Chrome Edition Ford Super Duty can have more Nickel than a Prius has in it's Battery.

A least the Prius is DOING something with it's Nickel.

 

Not existing at all seems to be the best for the environment, but I for one am not willing to go quite that far...

Comparing the Hummer to the Prius is a good example of the depths to which some people will sink in their attempts to muddy the issue and try to create an excuse for doing nothing... The level of excess exemplified by the Hummer is not sustainable - the level of efficiency demonstrated by the Prius may be.

 

I would state that the Prius level is also not sustainable, but it is a big step towards something else that is. And it buys us a lot more time to figure out what it will take to get there.

 

Please refer to the attached "Prius Green Report".
(you'll need to download the Japanese fonts for your PDF reader in order to read it, but the entire document is written in English.)

Ken@Japan

 

he guys

dont forget the body also produced c02
so take it easy on the bike

 

That vehicle doesn't look very aerodynamic. My cervello seems like it should get more miles per powerbar, but it can't carry much other than me. If I lose some weight it will even get more efficient.

Best for the environment really needs to have an answer of "it depends". I know someone that needs the room and of an SUV. The hybrid yukon is better for her. Otherwise she would need two or three vehicles and multiple trips would be needed instead of one.

For most of us the prius is the best environmental choice.

 

Wearing a good aerodynamic helmet and keeping my mouth closed really helps. I can actually move faster on this than I can with a two wheel because of the leverage I can get in the sitting position. It sure makes the longs rides much more comfortable. The Cervelo is a very nice bike.