Are hybrid cars bad for the environment?

Question

http://clubs.ccsu.edu/Recorder/editorial/print_item.asp?NewsID=188

The greenies are polluting more than the SUV drivers.

Answer 1

Hybrids are better for the environment then normal vehicles. Thats why there called HYBRIDS!

Answer 2

That is a very misleading article for many reasons.

1. Nickel is mined. It will be mined anyway and it will be shipped abroad anyway, Toyota Prius or not. So that argument is totally irrelevant to the supposed environmental damage caused by hybrids.

2. I can't say whether or not it is true that the energy to build a Hummer is more than that to build a Prius. Apparently neither can the author of the article. He doesn't site any evidence whatsoever other than his nickel argument that this is true. Factor in the extra electricity and oil necessary to provide the power to build a car with much more density, weight, and size; and he could easily be wrong. He also does not factor in the fact that Hummers use four times more gas than a Prius, assuming HIS calculations on the Prius are true. It is like telling someone the area of a circle without factoring in the pi. You have a radius, sure, but it is not that simple.

3. Consumer Reports disagrees with the author on the idea that a Hummer will last longer than a Prius. The Prius has received excellent reliability ratings since the first year it came out. The Hummer? Not so good. Notice he does not quote where he got that statistic from. Hmm...

4. The author also throws in his little gibe at the end about how long it takes to offset the cost, and totally misses the point. Most Prius drivers know that they will not ultimately save money on gas with that vehicle. It is a statement against oil. It is a statement against gas guzzlers. It is an attempt to encourage the car companies to start taking the environment seriously. You buy the hybrid, and the car companies are forced to look for alternatives to pieces of junk vehicles like the Hummer. This is a known fact, and suggests an ulterior motive for the writer.

I'm not saying he is wrong. I am not saying you should get a Prius. I AM saying that one writer in The Recorder that is obviously not an expert in the field and provides few statistics and cites few sources is not a good source to base your decision on. I need more evidence before I make up my mind about hybrids. Even if he is right, however, he just proved that it is better to buy a regular Honda Civic or a Mini Cooper or some other gas-driven small car, not that SUVs are good. They still use up more gas. They still are bad for the environment.

Answer 3

They're not as good as Honda and Toyota want you to think. After a few years, disposing of the batteries is a huge environmental problem and very expensive. Why buy a hybrid that might get in the high 40 mpg when there are several gas models that get high 30s. Instead of all the energy required to manufacture a new car, save that energy and drive your old car as long as it can be tuned and meet emissions.