Prius drivers...

NitrousG35

NitrousG35

Well-Known Member
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Today, my son Joshua was in his 2011 Evo X GSR at a stoplight. A Prius came along side at the light. Both cars had their windows down. The Prius driver shouts over to my son rather arrogantly, "Your car is bad for the environment". What is funny is that my son's Evo is pretty much stock except for a cat-back and drop in intake. He has been getting about 25mpg and he has his catalytic convertic. Yet, this snob in his Prius somehow thinks he is superior because he drives a Prius and probably in his jaded mind, he feels that he is saving the earth.

I want to say to Prius drivers like this that their cars use energy too. They have a gasoline engine and an electric motor that gets its power from power generating stations that most likely burn coal. Where I live, there are a ton of Prius owners. I work with some people that have one and they have a kind of superior attitude about what they drive. The funny thing is that environmentalists never go after people who drive Mercedes or BMW's, even though most of their models are bloated and consume gasoline at a prodigious rate.

I am all for a clean environment and moderate usage of energy. My G35 had only 21k miles after 8 years of driving. My Si had 17k miles after over 4 years of driving. I am careful about electricity usage in my house and I do what I can to recycle. However, just because I do any of these things does not make me a better person. I just wish that some Prius owners could focus on what is really important in life rather than making stupid comments like the one that was said today. End of rant.
 
there was an article back in 2007 regarding a prius vs hummer. It was saying the prius did more environmental damage than a hummer based on production of the batteries, and the location of the factories etc - Then numerous articles tried to debunk the math, methods, & reasoning. Decent read in the article below - and some links to others reactions to the article.

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This may or may not come as some shock to you, but many scientists are saying that Toyota's best-selling hybrid, the Prius, is actually bad for the environment. Some are even asserting that it has a worse impact on our world than the widely-hated Hummer.

With such universal concern (whether genuine or a desire to be "hip") to live a "greener" lifestyle, it's no surprise that this argument has become quite heated, though surprisingly quiet.

After all, if Toyota says that it's created a car that gets excellent gas mileage and is therefore better for the environment than other cars are, the consumer wants to believe this. So what are these new, conflicting reports?

Is the Prius or is it not good for the environment?

The Beginning

The first I heard of any of this was in March 2007. My conservative Republican father snidely directed me to an article in Central Connecticut State University's school newspaper,The Recorder, that claimed that the Prius "outdoes" the Hummer in damage to the environment (link at the bottom of the page).
What??

This is based on a CNW Marketing Research report called "Dust to Dust: The Energy Cost of New Vehicles From Concept to Disposal." But I thought the Prius was supposed to begreat for the environment. It can get up to 60 miles per gallon of gas (though Toyota officials admit that most users will get more like 45 mpg on the highway).

As it turns out, burning gas is not the only (or even the major) factor in a car's impact on the environment. News to me!

The Other Factors

Apparently, when considering how "good" (or bad) a car is for the environment, gas mileage is one of the last factors to weigh. It's actually the production of the car that matters. The raw materials' sources, the manufacturing effort, and the shipping costs all have an impact on the environment. And apparently, those of the Toyota Prius are not having a positive impact.

The Numbers

The Prius' battery contains nickel, which is mined in Ontario Canada. The plant that smelts this nickel is apparently nicknamed "the Superstack" because of the amount of pollution it puts out; the area for miles around it is a wasteland because of acid rain and air pollution.

But the main problem that the "Dust to Dust" study has with the Prius' impact on the environment comes next.

That smelted nickel then has to travel (via container ship) to Europe to be refined, then to China to be made into "nickel foam," then to Japan for assembly, and finally to the United States. All this shipment for each tiny step in the production process costs a great deal, both in dollars and in pollution.

The study then concludes that -- all the production costs in mind -- the Prius costs about $3.25 per mile and is expected to last about 100,000 miles. The Hummer, on the other hand, with all the same factors counted, costs about $1.95 per mile and is expected to last about 300,000 miles.

The Other Side

The Pacific Institute points out the holes in the argument of "Dust to Dust" quite eloquently, and to be quite honest, I'm not sure who to believe. They've written an entire article debunking the study.

They argue that the study bases its conclusions on "faulty methods of analysis, untenable assumptions, selective use and presentation of data, and a complete lack of peer review." As I'm not a scientist, I can't particularly argue against any of these things; I can only report both sides.

More Math

An article in Wired's car blog Autopia covered this topic quite eloquently, concluding, "You might feel better driving a hybrid, but you won't necessarily be greener."

That's because each Prius consumes the equivalent of 1,000 gallons of fuel before its odometer clicks to 1. As we saw above, this is due to the manufacturing and shipping costs associated with the Prius. So while the Prius may not be worse for the environment than a Hummer is, it certainly would be given a run for its money when put head-to-head with a used car with reasonable fuel economy.

The Autopia article and the original article in Wired Magazine both agree that buying a used car that gets great gas mileage is the best option for having less of a negative impact on the environment. In fact, many cars receive up to 40 miles per gallon on the highway, which is almost as high as the Prius' 45 highway mpg, and those other cars aren't killing the environment quite as much in their manufacturing process.

Let the Market Decide

Ultimately, new technologies will always come under all types of scrutinies. Hybrid automobile technology is no different, and surely scientists and marketing executives will continue to argue about this for years.
The moral of the story, to me, seems to be to do your research instead of listening to media hype. Don't believe at face-value the hype a company gives you when selling its product. Don't read just one article and let it change your decision to buy a car.

The market will decide whether or not the Prius and other hybrid vehicles help us feel better about our impact on the environment until we can unlock Hydrogen-powered vehicles (or a similarly efficient fuel).
 
Robert's mom has a Prius. It's annoying to drive...although he did manage to get 72MPG once :rotfl:

I hate when someone who doesn't know you feels the need to say something like that to make themselves feel bigger.

I read recently somewhere how a bunch of people with Multiple Sclerosis were harassed by random people because they parked in a handicap parking spot (with a handicap tag) and the physically looked fine. They were told they should be ashamed of themselves and should save that spot for someone who NEEDS it. Thing is the people weren't there to watch them struggle to get out of the store an hour later...

People really disappoint me sometimes.
 
Prii are for saving money in your wallet, not saving the environment. What mines for the products used to make batteries? That's right, 2mpg, non-catted machinery.
 
They're also great for transporting your wheels back home...

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People are just dumb....
I yelled at some older lady in a parking lot the other day cause she hit my car with her shopping cart. Deliberate push and turned to get into her car. I let her know how I felt. A quick FU back and I rammed her car with the cart as she sped off in terror. Arrr Im not an e-thug... im a wannabe in real life too!
 
You should try selling a Prius to people. They are even more complicated and weird to deal with in a sales environment.
 
Ken, you are the Sierra Club's worst nightmare. F250, Pilot and 'Vette. God, I love you!
 
I have a problem with Prius drivers trying to "race" me. I like to get in front of them and repeatedly gun it and tap my gas so I choke the living **** out of them with my catless exhaust. I hate pretentious hypocrites which is what 98% of Prius owners are. They're a different kind of label whore.
 
Damaca said:
I have a problem with Prius drivers trying to "race" me. I like to get in front of them and repeatedly gun it and tap my gas so I choke the living **** out of them with my catless exhaust. I hate pretentious hypocrites which is what 98% of Prius owners are. They're a different kind of label whore.
Click to expand...

That's crazy that they would even think about racing you! lol
 
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