99 replies to this topic

[ducky]

What if you buy a hybrid SUV?

Good question, cloud.

I'm not as hybrid/auto savvy as others in this debate, but maybe one of you can clear something up. Isn't there a problem with disposal of all those special batteries used in hybrid vehicles? It's my understanding we don't really have a plan to dispose of or recycle them. Are we just trading one environmental hazard for another?

[YabYum]

Good question, cloud.

I'm not as hybrid/auto savvy as others in this debate, but maybe one of you can clear something up.  Isn't there a problem with disposal of all those special batteries used in hybrid vehicles?  It's my understanding we don't really have a plan to dispose of or recycle them.  Are we just trading one environmental hazard for another?

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

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.

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.

[Orangetj]

What if you buy a hybrid SUV?

Reminds me of a "Far Side" comic I once saw..."It's clear that they're idiots, Mildred. The question is what KIND of idiots are they?". I guess buying a hybrid SUV would make one an enlightened idiot!

[benning]

Now that we're officially off topic, if you want a good laugh around the SUV/gas problem, visit http://www.comedycen...ent/index.jhtml
and choose 'grand heft auto'

[YabYum]

Reminds me of a "Far Side" comic I once saw..."It's clear that they're idiots, Mildred.  The question is what KIND of idiots are they?".  I guess buying a hybrid SUV would make one an enlightened idiot!

someone (cloud) asks for facts.
i supply them.
you ridicule me by implying that hybrid owners must be idiots.

how respectful of you.

[ducky]

Thanks, yabyum, for the info on the batteries. According to the info the Prius has been on the market for five years without a need for replacement. I'm curious to see what happens after the five-year mark.

I'm glad to hear the batteries can be fully recycled.

[Cloud9]

I'm glad to hear the batteries can be fully recycled.

Does that mean you're in the market for a hybrid now?

[Orangetj]

someone (cloud) asks for facts.
i supply them.
you ridicule me by implying that hybrid owners must be idiots.

how respectful of you.

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear. My joke actually points to the SUV side of the equation as the "idiot" part. The implication of many in the anti-SUV camp is that SUV drivers are idiots and that hybrid drivers are more enlightened. Thus, a Hybrid SUV driver might be an enlighted idiot.

[Cloud9]

So what's better - a hybrid SUV that gets 30mpg or a car that gets 28mpg?

[ducky]

Does that mean you're in the market for a hybrid now?

I don't know, cloud. After seeing the thread in the Auto Corner about the stalling problem, I think I'll have to be a mid-sized idiot a little longer.

Can you fit a Golden Retriever in a hybrid?

[Cloud9]

Can you fit a Golden Retriever in a hybrid?

Honda makes a robotic dog now, you can trade-in your retriever, it's an old model anyway and that gas it creates damages the ozone layer...

[YabYum]

more on the debate/discussion over alternative fuel vehicles/"green cars".....

http://www.sfgate.co...MNGUOD27721.DTL

and a poll from the same article about the future of automobiles:

[ducky]

Honda makes a robotic dog now, you can trade-in your retriever, it's an old model anyway and that gas it creates damages the ozone layer...

Cloud, so you've met my dog. You may be right about his harm to the ozone, but robot dogs aren't biodegradeable so I'll keep the old-model dog.

Yabyum, do you know if the car companies in the article you posted do the recycling themselves or use a third-party recycler and really don't know how much of the batteries are actually recycled? I thought it was the nickel in the batteries that is the toxic problem. I'm not attacking hybrids. I just don't want to rush into something and find out later I really wasn't helping the environment.

Sorry this is so off the topic.

[Cloud9]

If we all really wanted to help the environment, there is a much more affordable way of doing it than buying a hybrid....

[YabYum]

If we all really wanted to help the environment, there is a much more affordable way of doing it than buying a hybrid....

i know you like to play devil's advocate, but....

and of course we know what you're implying: "Buy a Bicycle!" That's what I use to get to work most days, but i'm fortunate in that regard.....

in reality, two of the primary intentions of hybrids are (a) to reduce dependency on oil (b) to reduce emissions.

it's not just about affordability. it's about long term benefits.