Hi,
short answer:
Yes, very much so. I'll give plenty of facts to back up the idea that the Prius is extremely environmentally friendly.
full answer, get comfy:
What real, verifiable information is the "environmental impact" myth coming from?
There was a very faulty study done a number of years ago that was picked up by a Connecticutt college newspaper and reported as "facts" without bothering to check the basic information.
I'm going to detail a lot of that basic information and ideas, one by one. Stay with me and you'll get the full answer, no smoke and mirrors, no hiding behind curtains.
And the entire hybrid battery stack actually costs $2985.13. I asked a Toyota Master tech with 16 years experience how long it would take to install if one had to be replaced, and I was told less than 3 hours at the top rate of $95 an hour, or about $285.00.
No where near "$6-7k to replace".
You can't fool all of the people all of the time.
We'll start with the batteries and then go into maintenance, since part of this myth is a Prius needs more maintenance than a standard vehicle (completely false). Less maintenance also means less components to make and less to throw away or rebuild.
BTW, the Prius is rated an AT-PZEV, or Advanced Technology-Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle. That means the Prius puts out no emissions during part of the time it is driving and operating. Almost every other vehicle on the road does not come close to that mark.
Speaking for the hybrid batteries, there has yet to be a person who has paid for a nickel metal hydride (NiMH) hybrid to be replaced due to defects or failure.
Hybrids also use a lead acid battery like any other vehicle. But the hybrid battery is a nickel metal hydride one and they do not break down like lead acid batteries. Also, dumping any battery, lead acid or not, is extremely illegal and people love to prosecute environmental offenders these days.
There have been NiMH replaced due to accidents or owner abuse or attempted modification (one guy drilled a screw into his NiMH stack trying to install a big sub-woofer in the back).
Anything else you've seen or heard is a myth. Common sense says if these things were failing, it would be all over the news. The Prius have been in the US for nine, almost ten, years.
As far as the energy and materials for the NiMH batteries go:
Our federal government has tested NiMH batteries from the Prius and discovered they still maintain 90% of their capacity after 100,000 miles. Look up the testing at the DOE website.
BTW, the price for a new NiMH battery for either generation of the Prius is $2985.13, not the $5-10,000.00 that people like to throw around the internet. Call your local Toyota dealer and ask for the parts department.
And the current record is over 360,000 miles on a Prius using the original NiMH battery and hybrid system. Many Prius are used as taxis and also by the State of New York and Colorado as state municipal vehicles racking up 100,000-200,000 miles without issue on a regular basis.
Speaking for Toyota, there is an 800 number on each NiMH hybrid battery, and that number allows a person to turn in that battery for a $200.00 bounty. That's assuming a NiMH even gets out of the hands of an auto salvage company who will sell it to the top bidder. Who's going to throw something like that into a dump?
The entire battery, just like almost every bit of those vehicles, is completely recyclable.
The alkaline batteries that people use and throw out are a different type of battery than what is in vehicles like the Prius. The Hybrid Synergy Drive unit that Toyota developed is designed to keep the NiMH battery in a mid-peak charge range, trying not to top-charge it or, of course, completely discharge it.
That enables a NiMH to last fairly indefinitely. Obviously, there will be some breakdown eventually, but one of the great things about the Prius system, for example, is the NiMH battery is composed of 36 individual cells. If one cell goes bad, it can be replaced and the remainder stay. That is what's happened when Toyota has torture tested the Prius in Alaska and Death Valley.
Working with Toyota, I know about their commitments to recycling and the environment (Toyota's web site lists environmental reports dating back many years). At least 11 of Toyota's North American manufacturing plants produce zero landfill waste.
As far as the supposed "environmental impact" of the NiMH batteries in the Toyota and Lexus hybrids...
The plant in Sudbury where Toyota buys approximately 1.5% of the plant's annual nickel output can be seen using this Google maps address:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&la...
Sudbury, Ontario is called the mining capital of the world for good reason.
The Sudbury plant has been in continuous operation since the rock was blasted to make way for the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1883.
That means that nickel has been mined there for the last 125 years. The Prius has been on the road since 1998. What about all the environmental damage done for the 115 years before the Prius ever came along?
On to the maintenance of a Prius...
The cost of operation of a Prius is a little less than .11 cents per mile for each 100,000 miles of operation. I don't add in insurance, bank interest, or the cost of the vehicle itself, because all of those can vary based on each owner's situation. Add them to the .11 cents per mile amount.
A Prius will maintain 51-53 average if driven properly.
This means doubling your usual stopping distance and taking your foot off the accelerator at that double distance to shut down the ICE sooner when coming to a stop and then pressing the brake at your normal stopping distance gently to the stop.
Accelerate like there is a egg under the accelerator pedal and you're trying to roll the egg out, not make omelets. In other words, driving defensively and learning to get the most out of the hybrid drivetrain.
As far as the cost to operate a Prius over 100,000 miles:
- There is no steering belt or steering pump, the system is electronic and uses electric motors. There is no belt to wear and no pump to lose fluid out of. No additional parts to replace or maintain.
- There is no timing belt, there is a timing chain that is self-adjusting. No part to replace.
- There is no accelerator cable or cable linkage, once again, it is electronic. So there is no loss of acceleration over time from cable stretch and wear like on a standard vehicle. No additional parts to replace or maintain.
- The brake pads should never need to be replaced, they are hardly used due to the regenerative braking system. No parts to replace or maintain.
- As I said, you never touch the nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery or the hybrid system, it is self-regulating. No parts to replace or maintain.
- The gas engine is not tuned up for 100,000 miles. At even 15,000 miles per year, that's about seven years. And then...
- four spark plugs run $12.00 each, four is $48.00 (the wires aren't replaced and there are no distributors because each cylinder has a direct injection module and they are not replaced)
- coolant is $15.50 a gallon and you need two gallons, or $31.00 (if you live in an extremely hot or cold climate, you might need to change the coolant 2X in 100,000 miles so figure $62.00 there)
- air filters are $18.00 for the engine and $25.00 for the cabin and are replaced every 15,000 miles. So over 100,000 miles, we'll go high and say 7 sets of air filters at $301.00.
- at 100,000 miles, inspect the wiring, change the oil (might as well, since you're there) lube, inspect and flush the brake lines, flush the coolant if necessary. It runs about $225.00, which includes parts.
- the sealed, continuously variable transmission fluid is not changed until 90,000 miles, about $140.00
- The OEM (Original Equipment from the Manufacturer) Goodyear Integrity's are about $113.00 each, installed. The originals are low-rolling resistance, specialty tires, just like a truck or sports car. They will last about 35,000 or so. Three sets of 4 OEM tires- over 105,000 miles- will run $1356.00 installed (3 sets of 4 at $113.00 each = $1356.00).
- Oil and filter changes every 3000 miles and tire rotations every 6000 miles, just like any other vehicle. Oil changes are about $26.00 and tire rotations are about $18.00, or about $884.00 for oil changes and $306.00 for rotations over 100,000 miles
So, over 100,000 miles, for regular service, a Prius should run about $3322.00, rounded to $3400.00, or about .034 cents per mile.
All of my service and parts amounts come from a local Toyota dealership (not the corner cheapy lube), and do not figure in any kind of promotions, coupons, or discounts. I called on 4/11/08.
With gas at $3.75 a gallon, a Prius will run about $7,500 over 100,000 miles, or about .07 cents per mile (100,000 miles / 50 mpg (I get 51.7 mpg currently as an average, city and highway, auto temp w/air and stereo on) = 2000 gallons of gas X $3.75 a gallon = $7,500).
So a Prius will run about $11000 ($3400 + $7500), or about .11 cents per mile, to operate over 100,000 miles.
Any vehicle you are considering should be put to this kind of scrutiny. A vehicle is a major investment and it will cost you money to run properly. Please print this info out and use it to compare any vehicles by calling your local dealership and asking the parts and service departments what is involved in maintenance over 100,000 miles.
So, there are some of the details, but the bottom line is the Prius does not pollute more than a standard vehicle, no matter what it is.
Any more details, let me know or check my other posts here in Answers.
is the Toyota Prius environmentally friendly?
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