Hybrid cars are worse for the environment?
One of my classmates insists that hybrid cars are actually worse for the environment than any other car. He was saying that the process of making them with the battery system and all and disposal pollutes more than driving a truck. He claims that he did some research on this but I think he’s full of crap. Can anyone give me some sort of research to prove him wrong or support his idea?
I have also heard that this is true – due to the manufacturing process of these vehicles.
The basic automobile is probably one of the most recycled products in the world – thus far, this isn’t true with the hybrids.
certainly in terms of racking up air miles making the car that is green. and the toyota prius, for example generally does 40 mpg while a vw lupo Diesel can do 70 mpg.
Hi,
this is a complete myth that just refuses to die no matter how many times it’s proven wrong. The myth is based on a Connecticutt college newspaper article repeating a very faulty study without bothering to check the faulty information.
I’ll post the complete answer as to why, stay with it and you’ll see why this is simply not true. BTW, my information will not include the even more efficient and environmentally conscious 2010 (the new one coming out in June). There is only so much I’m allowed to say about that one before it’s available to the public.
full answer, get comfy:
We’ll start with the batteries and then go into maintenance, since part of this myth is a Prius needs more maintenance than a standard vehicle (completely false). Less maintenance also means less components to make and less to throw away or rebuild.
The Prius is rated an AT-PZEV, or Advanced Technology-Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle. That means the Prius puts out no emissions during part of the time it is driving and operating. Almost every other vehicle on the road does not come close to that mark.
Speaking for the hybrid batteries, I finally started being contacted about owners having to pay something (not the entire replacement cost) to replace nickel metal hydride (NiMH) hybrid batteries last fall and this winter. That is after 10 years and over 1.8 million Toyota hybrids sold, with over 1 million of those being Prius. Most of the owners I know of have 100-150-200,000 plus miles on their Prius with no issues.
Hybrids also use a lead acid battery like any other vehicle. But the NiMH does not break down like lead acid batteries, it’s simply not the same type of material and is not used in the same way as a lead acid. Dumping any battery, lead acid or not, is extremely illegal.
Speaking for Toyota, there is an 800 number on each NiMH hybrid battery, and that number allows a person to turn in that battery for a $200.00 bounty. That’s assuming a NiMH even gets out of the hands of an auto salvage company who will sell it to the top bidder. Who’s going to throw something like that into a dump?
The entire battery, just like almost every bit of those vehicles, is completely recyclable.
As far as the energy and materials for the NiMH batteries go:
Our federal government has tested NiMH batteries from the Prius and discovered they still maintain 90% of their capacity after 100,000 miles. Look up the testing at the DOE website.
Working with Toyota, I know about their commitments to recycling and the environment (Toyota’s web site lists environmental reports dating back many years). At least 11 of Toyota’s North American manufacturing plants produce zero landfill waste.
As far as the supposed “environmental impact” of the NiMH batteries in the Toyota and Lexus hybrids…
The plant in Sudbury where Toyota buys approximately 1.5% of the plant’s annual nickel output can be seen using this Google maps address:
…
Sudbury, Ontario is called the mining capital of the world for good reason.
The Sudbury plant has been in continuous operation since the rock was blasted to make way for the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1883.
That means that nickel has been mined there for the last 125 years. The Prius has been on the road since 1998. What about all the environmental damage done for the 115 years before the Prius ever came along?
On to the maintenance of a Prius…
The cost of maintenance and operation of a Prius is less than .10 cents per mile for each 100,000 miles of operation, not adding in insurance, bank interest, or the cost of the vehicle itself.
A Prius will maintain 51-53 average if driven properly. I maintain 51.7 as a year-long average in the Upper Midwest and it snowed here yesterday, April 20.
As far as the lack of mechanical parts on a Prius:
- There is no steering belt or steering pump, the system is electronic and uses electric motors. There is no belt to wear and no pump to lose fluid out of. No additional parts to replace or maintain.
- There is no timing belt, there is a timing chain that is self-adjusting. No part to replace.
- There is no accelerator cable or cable linkage, once again, it is electronic. So there is no loss of acceleration over time from cable stretch and wear like on a standard vehicle. No additional parts to replace or maintain.
- The brake pads should never need to be replaced, they are hardly used due to the regenerative braking system. No parts to replace or maintain.
- You never touch the nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery or the hybrid system, it is self-regulating. No parts to replace or maintain.
Over 100,000 miles, for regular service at a Toyota dealership, a Prius should run about $3322.00, rounded to $3400.00, or about .034 cents per mile. I have a complete breakdown of all maintenance costs in other Answers posts (space doesn’t allow it here), just do a search for those details.
With gas at $2.50 a gallon, a Prius will run about $5,000 over 100,000 miles, or about .05 cents per mile (100,000 miles / 50 mpg (I get 51.7 mpg currently as an average, city and highway, auto temp w/air and stereo on) = 2000 gallons of gas X $2.50 a gallon = $5,000).
So a Prius will run about $8,400 ($3400 + $5,000), or about .9 cents per mile, to operate over 100,000 miles.
Any vehicle you are considering should be put to this kind of scrutiny. A vehicle is a major investment and it will cost you money to run properly. Please print this info out and use it to compare any vehicles by calling your local dealership and asking the parts and service departments what is involved in maintenance over 100,000 miles.
So, there are some of the details, but the bottom line is the Prius does not pollute more than a standard vehicle, no matter what it is.
There are simply less parts, less moving parts, and the components present just don’t wear out like mechanical pieces do. There are a multitude of independent, extremely detailed reviews from very careful and diligent researchers that have proven a full hybrid like every one from Toyota/Lexus (and other full hybrids from other manufacturers) do not pollute more and actually are better than a standard new vehicle.
Any more details, let me know or check my other posts here in Answers.
There’s a lot of myth, urban legend, and misinformation out there on hybrid vehicle batteries and vehicle production, thanks to a flawed marketing paper by CNW and a poorly researched student newspaper opinion article that keep getting quoted…
Anyhow, I suggest reading:
Hummer versus Prius: “Dust to Dust” Report Misleads the Media and Public with Bad Science:
Prius Versus Hummer: A Nickel for Your Thoughts:
“I read an article stating the Prius has a worse impact on the environment than a Hummer because of the enormous pollution created in making the car’s batteries. True?” :
Giving Directions: No, the Hummer Actually Isn’t More Energy Efficient Than A Prius, Let’s Put This “Debate” To Rest:
Prius Versus HUMMER: Exploding the Myth:
Hybrid Battery Toxicity:
Heard the One About the Hummer?:
Usually the mythic “article” from The Mail on the nickel in the hybrid cars’ NiMH batteries is quoted from a now retracted article. The retraction that clears up this bit of misinformation is at:
(They were using data from the early 1970′s about the INCO-Sudbury nickel mine, which was more than 20 years before the first hybrids needed NiMH batteries, and the plant has greatly cleaned themselves up and reforested the area since then. If you were to add up the amount of nickel in the million+ hybrids sold since 1997, that total is still less than 1% of the world’s annual nickel production (far more nickel is used for stainless steel, for example).)
(Even the journalism student author of the much-quoted student newspaper article has posted a followup here: and the newspaper had to issue a clarification: )
As for the batteries themselves:
The lead-acid (Pb-A) 12v accessory batteries in hybrids tend to be smaller than those found in every traditional gasoline vehicle (since they’re only used for accessories, and not used to actually start the gasoline engine). Recycling programs are in place for traditional lead-acid batteries.
All the hybrids on the market use NiMH (Nickel-Metal Hydride) batteries, which contain no heavy metals (so they’re not hazardous waste, like the Pb-A batteries), and are easily recycled. Most manufacturers also offer a “bounty” to ensure that the hybrid battery pack is returned for proper recycling/refurbishment. (For example, Toyota offers $200 for the NiMH hybrid batteries for recycling, but their battery recycling program is still waiting for dead batteries from the Rav4 EVs sold in the late 1990s…)