Hummers more eco friendly than hybrids

[Generator]

Saw this for a teaser on my local news. It hasn't run yet.(SWEEPS-sex and gas are the biggies now)

SO I just spent a moment on the web and found this:

http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=259455997533377

So the batteries are the bad part, sent all over the planet to be melted or smelted or whatever they do to them.

Snip~
We know some hybrid owners buy them for the fuel mileage and are not obsessed with global warming. But that doesn't mean a hybrid is necessarily a good choice, especially after the EPA lowered the 2008 model's fuel efficiency rating. The hybrid king of mileage actually gets a city-highway average of about 46 mpg, down roughly 16% from earlier ratings.

If mileage and economy are the top concerns, then better choices might be Toyota's Yaris or Corolla, conventional-engine cars that get nearly comparable mileage with no hybrid price premium.


Yes, smug am I again-driving my old Corolla. Maybe upgrading to a hybrid isn't the answer. Why can't they build a damn car that doesn't need the evil fossil fuel at all?

[Merlot]

1. It's not just about mileage - hybrid emit less emissions, run cleaner

[papau]

2. Plug in hybrids - when they have them for a small car I'll buy one. n/t

n/t

[Initech]

3. Once again, Exxon is letting the spin cycle do its thing...

:eyes:

[dflprincess]

4. This sounds somewhat similar to some of the arguments used against

the electric car. There are those who will find someway to make any vehicle that uses less gas sound like an enviornmental disaster. I would be a bit skeptical.

P.S. I drive a 10 year old Civic (32 mpg in the city) so I don't have a personal stake in this.

[bullwinkle428]

5. Their source is that bogus CNW Marketing study - a front group

for the Big 3, bent on using scare tactics to keep consumers hooked on oil. Toyota has YET TO REPLACE one battery in a Prius, and they've been on the market since 2000.

"How often do hybrid batteries need replacing? Is replacement expensive and disposal an environmental problem?

The hybrid battery packs are designed to last for the lifetime of the vehicle, somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 miles, probably a whole lot longer. The warranty covers the batteries for between eight and ten years, depending on the car maker.

Battery toxicity is a concern, althoug today's hybrids use NiMH batteries, not the environmentally problematic rechargeable nickel cadmium. "Nickel metal hydride batteries are benign. They can be fully recycled," says Ron Cogan, editor of the Green Car Journal. Toyota and Honda say that they will recycle dead batteries and that disposal will pose no toxic hazards. Toyota puts a phone number on each battery, and they pay a $200 "bounty" for each battery to help ensure that it will be properly recycled.

There's no definitive word on replacement costs because they are almost never replaced. According to Toyota, since the Prius first went on sale in 2000, they have not replaced a single battery for wear and tear."

http://www.hybridcars.com/faq.html

[Generator]

6. Oh yes, I realized this whole thing reminds

me of a John Stossel lie fest on 20/20. And YES, it's my ABC affiliate that's running the piece, go figure.

[bullwinkle428]

7. Isn't this just a microcosm of so much of what's wrong with this country today?

You've got this phony baloney "research group" bought and paid for by the corporatocracy (specifically big oil and big auto) issuing a combination of half-truths, sketchy facts, and complete lies. Then along come some lazy reporters, unwilling to do the most basic research on the alleged "facts" contained in the study, and simply present it as gospel to the public!

[madrchsod]

8. i`ll get my crx running one these days...

40-45 miles to the gallon...

[bullwinkle428]

9. Those were fun little cars - of course, a few years down the road,

they "hybridized" it and called the Insight, and then took IT off the market last year! I heard the only reason they developed that one was to beat out Toyota as the MPG leader in the market, as their EPA figures outdid the Prius from the beginning.

[july302001]

10. it's bogus

This thing about Hummers being "cleaner" than hybrids is bogus spinmeister propaganda.

I drive an '03 Prius that I bought used (no tax deducty). I am very happy with it. It's a quiet, reliable car.

Yes - I too would like to see the return of the early '80s Honda Civics and CRX's. They were cool little cars.

[bunkerbuster1]

11. Such incredible horseshit

Beyond the dishonesty of the "Hummer" claim (the actual hummer in question being the H3, which is basically a glorified Chevy Blazer), you have to buy the claim that this GM product can be expected to be around for 300,000 miles while the Prius is only around 100,000.

That's horseshit.