Environmental Costs of Buying a Toyota Prius: Weighing the Harms and Benefits of Hybrid Vehicles | Suite101.com

Environmental Costs of Buying a Toyota Prius: Weighing the Harms and Benefits of Hybrid Vehicles | Suite101.com

Environmental Costs of Buying a Toyota Prius

Weighing the Harms and Benefits of Hybrid Vehicles

• Apr 15, 2009
• Vanessa Padgalskas

Although the Prius is fuel-efficient, the production of hybrid car batteries pollutes the environment. Clean diesels could reduce more carbon emissions than hybrids.

Driving hybrid cars, like the Toyota Prius, seems like a viable way to reduce carbon emissions, but before going out to buy a Prius, it is crucial to analyze the true environmental impact of hybrid cars and the alternatives to hybrid vehicles.

Environmental Costs of a Prius

When analyzing the environmental costs of a car, the energy to plan, build, and transport the car must be taken into account, not just the car's miles per gallon figures. The Prius has two engines, gas and electric. The electric engine is made from nickel mined and smelted in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. From Ontario, the nickel is transported to Wales, UK to be refined, then shipped to China where it is made into nickel foam, and finally to Toyota's plant in Japan where the nickel is made into a hybrid battery.
James L. Martin, president of the senior advocacy group called the 60 Plus Organization, claims in his article "The Hidden Cost of Driving a Prius" the hybrid battery travels over 10,000 miles from start to finish, which entails major fuel costs and pollution from transportation.

In "Hybrid Batteries Q&A" published in Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Newsletter, Gary E. Smith, national service technology manager at Toyota Motor Sales, USA, says Toyota does have a recycling program in place that rewards dealers with a cash payment for shipping a hybrid battery to Toyota for recycling. The full battery, including the nickel, can be recycled. Since the Prius has only been on the market for nine years, not many batteries have reached their full lifespan to test the recycling program.

Eco-Friendly Driving without a Hybrid

Rather than buying a new Prius as a second car or trading in your car, a more environmentally friendly option is to drive a car for its full lifespan. Andrew Davis of the Environmental Transport Association, a UK company that researches environmental transport issues, was quoted in Leo Hickman's February, 2006 article "Should I...buy a new or second hand car," published in the Guardian saying "...the length of time a car is kept is crucial. Buying a new car and keeping it for its entire life is more environmentally friendly than buying a one-year-old car every year."

Hybrids vs. Clean Diesel

Old diesel cars used fuel high in sulfur and their engines polluted more than gas engines. New clean diesel engines and clean diesel fuel "mean that diesels will be allowed to emit no more pollution than gasoline-powered vehicles," according to Tom and Ray Magliozzi in their 2007 Car Talk article "New Clean Diesel Fuel on Sale Now." The Magliozzi brothers also note that "diesels are actually 20 to 40 percent more fuel efficient," than gas engines.

New clean diesel engines, which meet emissions standards across the United States, could be an alternative to hybrids in reducing carbon emissions. The Jetta TDI was named the "2009 Best Eco-Friendly Car" at Chicago's Motor Week and "2009 Green Car of the Year" by Green Car Journal.
For the same price as a Prius, the Jetta TDI reportedly averages 40 mpg without sacrificing performance. The editors of Green Car Journal tested the Jetta TDI and were able to reach over 50 mpg by using basic fuel maximizing driving techniques.
The Jetta TDI sedan and wagon are both made in Germany and then transported to the U.S. Conventional lead/acid batteries used by clean diesels are simple and inexpensive to manufacture, do not require inputs to be shipped half way around the world, and 98 percent of lead/acid batteries are recycled according to Battery Council International statistics.
Diesel engines are known to last from 250,000 to 500,000 miles, about twice as long as a gas engine. This is environmentally friendly if owners drive their diesel for its full lifespan.
BMW is currently selling a diesel model of their 3 series, and Audi is bringing diesel models to the U.S. in late 2009.
The most environmentally conscious decision is to keep your current car for its full lifespan, drive less, and use public transportation when possible.
Sources:
Kaho, Todd. "2009 Jetta TDI Road Test," Green Car Journal. November 24, 2008

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