Until then, I've been doing some research to see if a Prius is really for me. After all, there's not much point in buying a low emissions car, if I can't stand driving it, or it's unreliable.
I'm discovering some interesting things. For instance, Toyota, like most Japanese motor manufacturers, build some of the most reliable cars going (See here) so Prius's show up in many top 10 reliable car lists (e.g. Which? and MSN cars) [Note: The Honda Insight - also a hybrid - is nearly always number one!].
Another thing I've discovered is that, the moment you mention the word 'Prius' around a car enthusiast, they'll gleefully tell you something like "You do realise the Prius has a bigger carbon footprint than a 4x4/SUV?" or "the mine where they dig up the nickel for the batteries is destroying the environment".
So I decided to look into these claims:
1) They have a larger carbon footprint than a Hummer (Myth)
This claim is based on a study by CNW Marketing Research, Inc. which attempts to work out the total amount of energy used in the lifetime of many cars from their design to their eventual disposal. According to it's findings, some 4x4s (or SUVs as they're called in the States), have a smaller footprint than the Prius.
One reason for this topsy-turvy conclusion is they've made the assumption that a Prius will have a much shorter working life than a 4x4 e.g. The Prius is assumed to have an average life of 109,000 miles whilst a Hummer gets 379,000 or 3.5 times the life of a Prius. That skews the end result in favour of the Hummer because it's based on dividing the total energy by the number of miles!
A full rebuttal of this myth can be found here. That's not from a green website but an ordinary car review site called 'thecarconnection.com'.
Footnote: CNW have since revised their data and now place the Prius ahead of the Hummer.
2) Mining nickel for their batteries destroys the environment (Myth)
This claim seems based on a report from the Daily Mail which implied that Toyota was getting it's nickel from a mine which was destroying the local environment. In fact, Toyota have only been buying nickel from there in significant quantities for the last few years, whilst the environmental destruction happened over 3 decades ago. Full details here.
3) Diesels are more fuel efficient than the Prius (Half-truth)
If you look here, you'll find the top 10 best cars for fuel economy in the UK. The Prius is only number 10 behind 8 diesels and another hybrid (that Honda Insight again). So, yes, there's an element of truth in what they say BUT it's hardly a fair comparison. Just take a look at the list - It's made up of the Citroens C1 to C3 and varieties of the Renault Clio - All 'super-minis', whilst the Prius is a mid-size family car. In other words, it's bigger/heavier. And yet, it's only 3 mpg or less behind the smaller diesels. That shows you just how good the Prius is.
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| The Battery (The white thing) |
Actually the batteries DO last a long time. Toyota have tested them to the equivalent of 178,000 miles. This is why they're happy to cover them with a 100,000 miles, 8 year warranty. If you check out the Prius owner websites, you'll find the batteries are not an issue. In fact, there are posts about taxi companies with entire fleets of Priuses, many with high mileage, that have never had a problem.
The reason for this? Nickel-metal hydride battery technology has come a long way in recent years. So the things just last.
As for the batteries costing a fortune to replace: This is true if you want to buy new (They cost between £2000 and £3000!). However, you can get ones with low mileage on them (from wrecked cars) over the internet for around £500. You can also get a decent rebate/'bounty' for your old battery from Toyota who want to recycle them.
Another option is to get someone to reconstruct the battery which may work out even cheaper.
-ooOoo-
Bottom-line: There are a lot of myths, urban legends, and half-truths circulating out there about the Toyota Prius. Don't believe anything you hear or see until you've checked the facts.
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ReplyDeleteThe problem I have with the Prius is twofold:
Delete(1) Its built by a company with a record of putting profits ahead of its workers and the environment.
(2) Its not a really a solution to any problem, merely a band aid. Even if we replace every single vehicle in the world with a Toyota Prius, it would not even begin to dent the problems of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. This is especially true given rising standards of living in the developing world, which presents us with a problem: do we deny the comfortable middle class lifestyle to those who seek it abroad to prevent climate change (a key reason kyoto and similar efforts failed) or do we find a new way to have that lifestyle. The Prius fails to answer this question, and really, reduces pressures that would drive us to find a way to live comfortably without carbon emissions.
(3) Has anyone studied the environmental impact of how these batteries, especially as quantities increase, will be disposed of?
perhaps, yes, it may make you feel better. but please, don't think that a consumer decision thats necessarily destructive and oppressive really saves the world.