Prius Envy? Is the Prius actually bad for the environment?

[cuvautoofficial]

That prius vs hummer "research paper" was so flawed. haha.

[cdltpx]

Who do you people work for? Ever watch the DISCOVERY channel? They recycle these batteries. First toyota promised less than they could deliver the batteries are lasting far longer than they said and as a result the battery is lasting longer saving even more fuel. Prius will use 5Kgal in 200K miles take your time to figure this out a refinery has to refine all that additional fuel they have to transport that fuel usually in a big truck figure that too folks?

[rhinoboy111]

@cdltpx that work out to 40 miles per gallon!! I thought is was closer to 60 which is still worse than a little citroen C1 or other small car or commuter motorbike and significantly worse than a scooter or 125 bike. The prius is a fasion statement for people who want to 'think' they're doing something for the enviroment but don't want to change there lifestyle at all. (Apart from spending a small fortune on a car)

[cdltpx]

@rhinoboy111 Finally someone that is decent at math. Yes it gets 40 my wife drives it to work during the week and she doesn't drive as she should when I drive I get 50 plus mpg she drives like a bat out of hell. You are not getting a helmet on her head either she spends at least an hour a day on that hair. I have the car bc of the fuel economy and range see when we get hurricanes and we have to make it stretch we can. She does not drive near as safe as I . Ron Paul 2012.

[cdltpx]

2008 try looking at the 2010 or better?

[radicalsquare]

CNW uses pure deception. It's a marketing company, not founded in science. Their claim is based on the erroneous assumption that a Hummer will be driven 300k miles but a Prius only 109k! Which basically means that the Prius will cost you a third of what a Hummer would over the same initial 100k miles of ownership. The lack of detail on this "report" should be a clue to the deception, as well as the claim that the Prius would be "obsolete" without any elaboration. Pure snakeoil.

[ACProducti0ns]

Someone should make an LCA video for the Prius.

[sajnascreed]

You guys know that CNW marketing research is run by exactly one person, Art Spinella. He's also getting his paycheck from GM, the company that makes all the Hummers.

Think about it guys...

[rogerestunchien]

@sajnascreed THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING THAT :D

You are fantastic

I don't like the Prius, but I have the fact that everybody took that study for granted

There are no sources in the research! and nobody could back-up anything of what they claimed in that research.

What's more, you can't find any information about the CNW research center! It's so obscure

I made a lot of research and I can tell that this research is rubbish

[rogerestunchien]

@rogerestunchien I meant, I hate* the fact...

[ddrcrono]

He never explains what makes a Prius less environmentally friendly than a Hummer. In fact...he doesn't really explain anything with any amount of detail.

Also, 500 miles to the tank is pretty shitty for a Prius. ;)

[atgskater14]

@ddrcrono

its the process of mining the nickel for its battery and the amount of shipping it goes through to get it to the consumers drive ways. if you want to be eco friendly get a ford focus

[ddrcrono]

@atgskater14

Why buy a Ford Focus when there are any number of vehicles that get better in-town mileage? If you want to make the "with the materials required to make this" argument, (Something like 1/3 of the oil an average car uses in its lifetime is consumed in its production) then I think it would be better to suggest buying a used car that gets good mileage - for instance, the 90s Geo Metro xfi is still barely beaten in terms of fuel economy by any car out there.

[ddrcrono]

@ddrcrono Of course, replacing the catalytic converter and making sure that it was running clean would be necessary as well.

[atgskater14]

@ddrcrono

if you are buying a car to be eco friendly then its best to buy a used domestic (domestic as in not just american but if you live in japan buy japanese etc) the smaller distance it has to be shipped the more eco friendly it is. giant caro containers use 100 tons of fuel a day, if you are buying it domestic the trains and trucks consume far less fuel.

[ddrcrono]

@atgskater14

Or, if you buy used, then no shipping or fabrication costs are incurred, period. At any rate, I would bank on a lifetime of 5 or 10mpg better over the one-time shipping cost. Furthermore, in my experience, Japanese vehicles far outlast Domestic vehicles, and thus less pollution occurs from additional vehicle production.

[radicalsquare]

@atgskater14

It's not so simple. Many VWs are made in Mexico, some Hondas are/were made in America, etc. Other considerations occur such as parts that are made in different countries than where the final assembly occurs.

[DesertOasis07]

haha Dr. Rapp drives a Prius!

[fiendin281]

this guy is an idiot. first of all, he provided no evidence whatsoever. 2nd... designing cost? are you serious? How about factoring in the methane emissions of the people that had to stay overtime in Japan so they picked up fast food and farted more than if they were at home watching tv.

[pravicpu]

japan phobia. import phobia. oil mafia ...

[hybridlancer2004]

I LOVE THE ENDING " So Michelle,ARE YOU READY TO TRDE HER IN"??? LOL! 500+ MILES IS NICE!!

BUT TRY THE 2008 ALTIMA HYBRID 700 MILES ON A TANK OF GAS!!

[rocketman10owen]

god

this is stupid

your carrying nickle in your pockets

so you really want to eliminate the 5 Cent nickle, we use nickle in our tv

we use it everywhere

the nickel that is used in those batteries is like a drop of water in the ocean compare the amount we already use in construction, appliance

is a couple of pounds of nickle in a car going to make the it any less greener

by shear mass, the amount of energy and metal use to build a suv outweight the amount to build a prius

[AndrooUK]

Efficient diesels are the current environmentally friendly car of choice... or just cycle or get the bus.

Hybrids are a total waste of time and money, my mother's 1 l Toyota Yaris petroleum engine is more efficient and better for the environment!

[J4cK4LL]

I think the CNW's original report did some harm by saying "hummer is better for the environment than a prius". Perhaps the subject should have been little different as "Prius,environmentally friendly?NOT".

Instead the comparison could be in between a prius and a diesel jetta. Jetta or any other diesel cars have much better driving experience and even the gas milage is better than a hybrid, in very recent news, toyota avgo hit 90 mpg on a testing track in UK with upper 40s average.

[J4cK4LL]

And guess what no nickel is needed there is cost of transportation,running two engines, battery replacement and it can drive as long if not more than a prius.So,I ask you why do we compare Prius with a hummer.

I'm frankly very disturbed by Toyota's hybrid push in the US market where an easy solution such as diesel is looking right into our eyes for over 20 years. Step by step we can move to electricity, hydrogen or others but now the diesel solution is there and it works perfectly fine.

[J4cK4LL]

And guess what, no nickel is needed, there is cost of transportation, running two engines, battery replacement and it can drive as long,if not more than a prius. So .. I ask you why do we compare Prius with a hummer.

I'm frankly very disturbed by Toyota's hybrid push in the US market where an easy solution such as diesel is looking right into our eyes for over 20 years. Step by step we can move to electricity, hydrogen or others but now the diesel solution is there and it works perfectly fine.

[ReliableSunPower]

I like how nonspecific they are. The simple economics debunk the theory. If the car took more energy to produce logically it would cost a lot more. The reason there is even a premium in the price is due to demand and recouping R&D costs. Even this video doesn't try to change the fact that cleaning up the air and saving gasoline is something the Prius does well. It is just a stepping stone to the next generation of hybrids so I don't even expect perfection at this stage.

[linxdeal]

energy doesn't necessarily mean kinetic energy. In this case energy is in the form of chemical energy. the chemical used to make the battery doesn't have to be expensive, but could still be as harmful to the environment. Gas prices tend to fluctuate, but that doesn't mean gas would hold less energy just because the prices changed. Just because the manufacturing prices of the battery is low doesn't mean the production process takes less energy or is less harmful to the environment.

[ReliableSunPower]

I agree with your logic, I don't agree with your application. The chemical energy of the battery is less harmful since it negates the polluting combustion energy from gasoline. The batteries can be recycled and the electrolyte can be neutralized and safely released. All of the destructive production processes in making a Prius already exist and would be used in alternatives so the Prius presents a net gain which is the goal. It is not the final solution but a step towards it.

[alric22]

What is going on at PBS? That CNW report has been debunked many times. A quick google search shows the many analyses that have shown the conclusions and assumptions of this report are incorrect.

[grybold]

This is clearly propaganda put onto Youtube by Hummer/GM. Anyone who is stupid enough to believe this will end up spending tens of thousands of dollars extra on gasoline for an H3 versus a Prius. Do you really think the energy to build the car offsets those thousands of gallons of gasoline? No!

[SirFinklebottom]

First off, and most importantly, you're so gullible that you're willing to make a decision on the authority of some scamming jackasses at the UN. However, even if you believe the global warming fraud, it's still a dumb decision:

* It costs about 25% more than cars of the same size and mileage

* 45 mpg isn't even that great, there are plenty of cheaper gasoline or diesel cars that do better

* It's batteries are very environmentally damaging to dispose of

[stopcrazypp]

I think the authority of the UN (& most of the scientists in the world) is fine by most people. In the US we haven't seen gas/diesel cars w/ better fuel econ for cheaper yet (hopefully this will change), esp of the same size. The batteries are recyclable (& toyota gives $ to collect them). In fact, nimh batteries (which the prius has) are a couple times LESS toxic than the LEAD (this is the toxic part) acid batteries in most cars. Another thing is this CNW report has been debunked many times.

[stopcrazypp]

Oh I'm also well aware of the horror stories pp tell about nickel mining for the Prius batteries. Specifically a factory in Sudbury, Canada that left the land looking like a lunar landscape. It happened...30 years ago, well before the Prius was made. The factory has since reduced SO2 emissions by more than 90% & helped plant 11 million trees. I agree the prius is certainly less green than the image it gives off, but is it as bad for the environment as these pp are leading you to believe? No.

[silentraindropsfell]

I'm not familiar with most PBS shows, but I know they're usually a slower pace. Is this really how slow the show needs to go? I don't know that this will keep me engaged.

[Zenith1987]

Well, PBS is commercial-free so they can afford to be slower and take their time. Having been raised on PBS myself, I'm used to its pacing but I see what you mean, lol.