hybrid vs fuel?

Question

what is worse for the environment fuel efficient cars or the disposal of hybrid efficient vehicles? Of course fuel efficient vehicles are going to be bad because they emit exhaust but i have also heard that the disposal of hybrid batteries are just as bad if not worse for the environment. Anyone know of any good sites or research?

B-Rad, do you have any sources you could give me?

Answer 1

Fuel-efficient vehicles are better than fuel-inefficient ones. Hybrid vehicles reduce the amount of fuel being used and just as importantly drastically reduce emissions. Batteries ought not to be disposed, but recycled and this is totally possible.
See? http://www.batteryrecycling.com/
Eventually we will not be commuting in vehicles employing the ancient concept of internal combustion at all so for now hybrids are a transition tool to that.

Answer 2

As mentioned above, disposal of hybrids is only marginally more difficult than other vehicles. In terms of Carbon emissions and total energy consumption a hybrid is much better than almost any other vehicle environmentally. Although, a small used vehicle can be a substantially better deal.

The study that B-rad refers to is unfortunately deceitful. They refuse to release their methodology and they were not peer-reviewed. I've left a source link who read and reviewed their entire release, but I'll try to summarize what was done wrong to get their results. Things like lifetime milage are given without any explanation, the research assumes that an average Prius would only live 109,000 miles and an average Hummer would travel for 300,000 before breaking down. Considering several States offer 150,000 mile warranties on the Prius this assumption is ridiculous. That and I've never heard of a Hummer getting 300,000 miles...

Another error is in the cost per mile (from which energy use is calculated), the Prius is estimated to have a 3.25$ cost per mile. A new Prius costs under $60,000 and with a 109,000 lifespan (as the study assumes) and a 30mpg (low because of arguments that federal data is incorrect) rating its fuel use is 3633.33 gallons at $3 a gallon that cost becomes $70,900 total lifetime fuel cost and original cost. The studies estimate assumes a cost of over $325,000. I know fixing up a car can be expensive, but my maintenance costs have never been over $200,000.

There are a few reasons why the study cannot be trusted. It will not disclose how it obtained data and it's assumptions are mathematically ridiculous.

The report is the CNW Marketing Think Tank and called Dust to Dust. http://cnwmr.com/nss-folder/automotiveenergy/

Answer 3

It really irks me to hear people try to claim disposal of old hybrid vehicles is a problem. It is not! All cars have to be disposed of, and all cars have batteries and all cars emit exhaust (except fully electric cars). Your regular car has a battery to run the starter motor. It also is a lead acid battery that has lead and acid in it, both very toxic. A hybrid has a nickel metal hydride battery in it. That battery is not large; it is only about twice the size of the starter battery in your regular car. Would you prefer that we make 5 cent coins out of lead instead of nickel? No? You prefer nickel coins to lead ones? Then why don't you prefer nickel batteries to lead ones?

Answer 4

Hybrid batteries are fully recyclable.

"Q: Are hybrid batteries recyclable?

GS: Absolutely. In fact, Toyota pays a bounty to dealers who recover them from damaged vehicles. Additionally, our engineers are studying the possibility of remanufacturing these batteries."

http://www.toyota.com/html/hybridsynergyview/2006/fall/battery.html

So basically the car which gets the best fuel economy (hybrids) is the one which does the least environmental damage.