How clean are Hybrids

[rj_astra]

Cool article...

http://clubs.ccsu.edu/recorder/edito...asp?NewsID=188

[Inept]

A good read, I've been wondering how much energy it would take to make all those batteries and what the artical doesn't state is the polution caused disposing of the them after they die.

[out_in_front]

Why am I not surprised at alll???

[tremolo]

Hybrids and any other similar rort (such as carbon offsets) are designed to make people pay to feel better about themselves, not to save the environment.

They may, after a lot of development in future years, provide some actual benefit but at the moment they're hopeless.

[rorge]

Funny how the prius is only rated to a lifespan of 100,000miles and the hummer get's a lifespan of 300,000miles... Seems like an invalid test to me!

[rowdytoot]

Funny how the prius is only rated to a lifespan of 100,000miles and the hummer get's a lifespan of 300,000miles... Seems like an invalid test to me!

batteries will be fux0red by then and it's throw away the car time in that case i'd reckon...

Rowds

[edo]

So they are dirty & gay...

[Turbo4WD]

I think electric cars make sense where you have a small, lightweight car that can be chrged at night from "off-peak" power and then can be used for short trips during the day. In fact you could even have a solar panel used during the day to keep them topped up while parked.

Current hybrids on the other hand don't really make sense as your lugging around huge weight and complexity basicaly so you can just capture and re-use engergy caputured from going down hills or braking. That really does not make a whole lot of sense - it would be better just to try and make the car lighter and more fuel efficient.

Future hybrids however will hopefully be more like an electric car but with a supplimentry fuel burning engine to help top up the batteries. In fact they could use a very small and light engine with no gearbox.

[jesus]

my rims never spin to the contrary, youl find their quite stationary!

[tremolo]

Just out of curiosity I looked on RedBook to see how much fuel and carbon emissions these things used/produced. I compared it to a small diesel car - a Fiat Punto 1.3TDi.

FIAT - 4.5L/100km (combined), 120g/km carbon, $23k
Prius - 4.4L/100km (combined), 106g/km carbon, $37k

[oldcorollas]

The new tests which affect all 2008 models give a much more realistic rating with highway speeds of 80mph and acceleration of 8mph per second.

ahhh, cos 130km/hr is the speed limit on yank highways? and everyone accelerates to 60km/hr in 4.7 seconds, 100km in 7.8 seconds?
is that more realistic or less?

As already noted, the Prius is partly driven by a battery which contains nickel. The nickel is mined and smelted at a plant in Sudbury, Ontario. This plant has caused so much environmental damage to the surrounding environment that NASA has used the 租ead zone・around the plant to test moon rovers. The area around the plant is devoid of any life for miles.

hahahhahahahhahahahha.. what a funny guy

basically, the number are wrong and the guy has no fucking clue.

the batteries can be recycled, and the Hummer IS NOT the epitomy of american engineering...

the Prius is designed to reclaim braking energy, and if you are travelling at 130km/hr on a freeway, you are not braking often....

morons...

[oldcorollas]

Just out of curiosity I looked on RedBook to see how much fuel and carbon emissions these things used/produced. I compared it to a small diesel car - a Fiat Punto 1.3TDi.

FIAT - 4.5L/100km (combined), 120g/km carbon, $23k
Prius - 4.4L/100km (combined), 106g/km carbon, $37k

and if you combine a small turbo diesel with braking energy reclamation?
it should have been done in the first place, but diesel was not on the cards in japan at that time

[thechuckster]

i wonder why no-one uses this same comparison (carbon emssions from energy generation and parts manufacture used to make something) when comparing emissions cost of building nuke plants compared to fabbing gas turbine or wind-driven power plants?


btw: the largest energy generation source for Spain is now windpower ... is it just the food and the egos or are these folk actually eco-friendly?

[kwottr0]

i wonder why no-one uses this same comparison (carbon emssions from energy generation and parts manufacture used to make something) when comparing emissions cost of building nuke plants compared to fabbing gas turbine or wind-driven power plants?


btw: the largest energy generation source for Spain is now windpower ... is it just the food and the egos or are these folk actually eco-friendly?

Whoa ! Where did you find that last little tidbit of info ?

Spain's energy production (approx percentages) :
Coal/thermal : 52%
Hydro : 25%
Nuclear : 15%
Renewable : the rest

[MickyD]

the superstack at the nickel smelter:

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=46.48...0890&t=k&hl=en

380 metre tall chimney....