What are the hidden environmental costs of hybrid vehicles?

Question

The Prius has been available worldwide since 2001. I'm told the battery has a life of 150K miles, so it won't be long before this "green" technology becomes so much toxic waste.

Will the Prius and like vehicles cause more problems than they purport to solve?

The batteries are HUGE Lithium Ion types. The existing recycling programs are designed for much smaller batteries. There is little/nothing available that I've found concerning the recycling infrastructure necessary to deal with the volume and volatility of this material.

The batteries are HUGE Lithium Ion types. The existing recycling programs are designed for much smaller batteries. There is little/nothing available that I've found concerning the recycling infrastructure necessary to deal with the volume and volatility of this material.

UPDATE: Once upon a time, people thought DDT and Thalidomide were good ideas. "New" does not always mean improved, even if the inventor's heart is in the right place.

I've placed a call with my county's hazardous materials department, in an effort to learn what is the future of any hybrid vehicle batteries that are once they reach their lifespan, since nobody here knows, and I have come up blank using the web as a resource.

If the net result of a dead battery is that the car is essentially totaled, the costs of saving fossil fuels over the life of the car would be evaluated against the environmental costs of replacing that car before one based on an internal combustion engine might need to be replaced. What actually happens to the battery and it's environmental impact(unknown) would be compared against the effects of continuing to burn fossil fuels (also unknown.)

Being an environmentalist is not as simple as feeeling good about using less gas.

Answer 1

The only real issue is the battery, and that material is recyclable. My own hybrid has a NiMH battery; the nickel is valuable and can be re-used.

Answer 2

Truly a valuable question, because many people think that if a car doesn't produce harmful exhausts, then it's absolutely flawless from the ecological point of view. But it is not so. For example, if you consider the hypothetical hydrogen powered car, it only produces water (if it doesn't burn engine oil). But to produce hydrogen you will need some initial energy, which will most probably be acquired by burning coal or petroleum. Hence dangerous exhausts will be produced not by your car, but by the suppliers of hydrogen.

So if your hybrid car utilizes environmentally safe batteries and allows you to burn less fuel, it is, in my opinion, the best solution available so far.

Answer 3

I want to add that there ARE people who are working around the clock on making pollution free ways of producing hydrogen. This lady, Claudia, in Colorado, is using existing algae to produce it, and I'm sure there are others, too. No matter what, your question don't create an excuse to continue driving gasoline powered vehicles, and not at least try to create more eco friendly alternatives. But, not saying that you are one, there will always be negative cynics that always seem to look for excuse to continue to be ignorant jerks. I probably won't win a popularity contest with this statement, but I'm not looking to be popular, and adopt a popular opinion for popularity, with witty comments. I just can't stand negativ cynics. But, if your question is asked out of the continued concern for our environment, and a desire to help clean it, i beg for you pardon. Why don't you try to actually come UP with something that really is better for the environment? Don't kick attempts of trying to better it, but try to help improve things.

Answer 4

Batteries are recycled every day. Why would the batteries in a car become toxic waste?

Answer 5

If its a lead acis battery its toxic but they get recycled most of the time. Other battery technologies like NiMh are nontoxic and have longer life.

Answer 6

I think that the main issue with hybrids is that they give us a false sense of security. We should still be riding bikes/walking places and trying to develop a car that doesn't require any gasoline at all. However, they certainly aren't a bad thing.

Answer 7

10000