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  1. Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Posts
    1,621
    #91
    i also saw a Civic Hybrid recently with a government plate and Department of Energy stickers.

    as for the Prius being more environmentally-unfriendly than an Expedition.. actually it turns out it's a Hummer:

    Yet according to a new research report, Dust to Dust: The Energy Cost of New Vehicles From Concept to Disposal, the lifetime energy cost of new hybrid cars such as the Toyota Prius is 67% greater than the often-vilified GM Hummer.

    To reach these conclusions, Art Spinella and his colleagues at CNW Marketing spent 3 years collecting data onall the energy costs — everything from the steel miner’s fuel to the recycling plant’s energy bill — for 311 vehicle models sold in the US. (Most of the models covered were manufactured between 2002 and 2005.) They then summed the lifetime energy cost and divided it by the expected useful lifespan to arrive at total energy cost/mile.

    According to the study, a Hummer H3 has a lifetime energy cost $1.95/mile. The Toyota Prius costs $3.25/mile. A conventional Honda Accord cost $2.18/mile versus $3.29/mile for the hybrid version. The most fuel-efficient vehicle was the Scion xB,at a mere $0.48/mile. Most expensive? The Mercedes Benz Maybach, at $11.58/mile. The average energy cost per mile for all vehicles was $2.28/mile.

    In order to prevent accusations of bias, the study was self-financed, and no one in the industry was made aware of the study until the results had been published. They assumed that gasoline would cost $3.00/gallon, and all costs were translated into 2005 U.S. dollars per mile.

    Why do Hummers use so much less energy than the Prius? It’s true that a Hummer gets much lower gas mileage than a Toyota Prius: 11 mpg vs. 55 mpg. However, the Hummer uses many parts from existing product lines. Therefore, much of the design and tooling costs are amortized over GM's entire fleet of vehicles, not just a single product line.

    The Hummer is also made mostly out of steel; the Prius, lightweight carbon fiber. The new carbon fiber construction required new tooling, and new, more expensive techniques for disposal and recycling. Thus, while the Prius may consume less energy on the roads of LA, it may impose higher energy costs in Japan (where it is manufactured) or the breaker yards (where it is recycled).

    Critics of the study argue that Spinella did not credit hybrids with a sufficiently long lifespan. The study assumed that Prius only had an expected useful lifetime of 109,000 miles, whereas the Hummer H3 was assumed to have a useful lifespan of 207,000 miles. Spinella points out that Toyota supplied the expected lifetime miles for the Prius. However, he agrees that the Prius may prove to last much longer than Toyota predicts, in which case, the energy cost/mile would be lowered.

    He also agrees that as hybrid technology improves, sales volume increases, and the cost of disposal declines, the gap between hybrids and non-hybrids will narrow. Perhaps eventually, hybrids will even best Hummers in total energy cost.

    In the meantime, however, if Spinella’s report is right, current Hummer drivers should not feel ashamed to drive their vehicles on environmental grounds.
    http://cnwmr.com/nss-folder/automotiveenergy/ (original article, humongous)
    http://www.theatlasphere.com/columns...sch-hummer.php
    Last edited by orly_andico; September 21st, 2006 at 07:48 PM.

  2. Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Posts
    1,310
    #92
    The Prius is hardly environmentally friendly with all the exotic/toxic stuff it's made of. Turbodiesels are much more practical, just as economical to run and way cheaper to acquire. It's nothing but a statement car driven by celebs and politicians who want to look "green".

    Putsa kung gusto kong maging environmentally friendly at makatipid, eh di mage-LRT nalang ako! Di pako mamumrublema sa trapik at parking. (sa isnatser oo, pero sa kardyaker hindi) .

    So far wala pakong naririnig na press release ng celeb/politician na nagsabi na "I take mass transit" pag tinanong about the environment. Puro "I have a 2005 prius and a 2003 Prius" o kaya "I have a Prius on order". Baliw.

    Besides, you aren't going to get back your extra investment over the life of the car (remember, magpapalit ka pa ng baterya).

    IMO, Prius = car for hypocrites.

  3. Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Posts
    1,526
    #93
    Or car for the rich






  4. Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Posts
    1,310
    #94
    If I were rich, I'd get myself something nicer than the pointless Prius! I mean, I'm not going to get something that's similar to a Honda Jazz (though much uglier) for the price of a Toyota Camry. Unless celeb/politician ako na may minemaintain na image !

  5. Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Posts
    1,526
    #95
    I'd slap it with a v12..........:hysterical:


    I also drink sprite........:spider:





    :fly:

  6. Join Date
    Oct 2004
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    1,526
    #96
    Seriously I always thought we should just pump the wells til all are dry and see what would happen.


    V12 power for everyone.



    :rockon:

  7. Join Date
    May 2005
    Posts
    6,090
    #97
    IMO, hybrids are novelty items and are bought by different people for a number of reasons. Most of them want to be like the proverbial "first on the block" to get their hands on a new technology and the temporary exclusivity that comes with such privilege.

    I'm sure hybrids will improve significantly and make tremendous gains with the passing of each generation. I'm just worried about the battery. It is usually the first component to fail like the on my laptop and mobile phone. But on a hybrid, it would be very expensive to replace.

    Addition:

    I also saw Prius being used as Taxis in Vancouver.
    Last edited by number001; September 21st, 2006 at 09:03 PM.

  8. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    9,894
    #98
    two things that confuse me:

    1. why do you have to make the Prius out of carbon fiber? sure, it helps fuel economy, but makes the cost of the car ridiculous. you don't need CF to make a hybrid car - look at the Ford Escape, or even their own Toyota Highlander

    2. why do they have to make the car so fooking ugly? is there some kind of rule that anyone who wants to help the environment also needs to make the sacrifice of driving something that looks like an alien pod?

  9. Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Posts
    1,526
    #99
    Quote Originally Posted by number001 View Post
    IMO, hybrids are novelty items and are bought by different people for a number of reasons. Most of them want to be like the proverbial "first on the block" to get their hands on a new technology and the temporary exclusivity that comes with such privilege.

    I'm sure hybrids will improve significantly and make tremendous gains with the passing of each generation. I'm just worried about the battery. It is usually the first component to fail like the on my laptop and mobile phone. But on a hybrid, it would be very expensive to replace.

    Addition:

    I also saw Prius being used as Taxis in Vancouver.



    Around 20 was leased to the cab company, with the agreement that at 150,000 or 180,000 toyota was given the right to take back the cab and give them another replacement prius, first hand info I got from a cab driver.





    :fly:

  10. Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Posts
    1,526
    #100
    Quote Originally Posted by M54 Powered View Post
    two things that confuse me:

    1. why do you have to make the Prius out of carbon fiber? sure, it helps fuel economy, but makes the cost of the car ridiculous. you don't need CF to make a hybrid car - look at the Ford Escape, or even their own Toyota Highlander

    2. why do they have to make the car so fooking ugly? is there some kind of rule that anyone who wants to help the environment also needs to make the sacrifice of driving something that looks like an alien pod?


    1. guinea pigs are us.

    2. japanese have weird taste.






    :heart:

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