This article has some interesting information about the total energy cost to produce and operate a hyrbrid, in particular the Prius. I don't know how much truth there is in it but it's an interesting read.

 

Doesn't suprise me at all.. Jezza made some of these points in many of his rants about the Prius

 

Just what I've been waiting for!!!

 

And it does not even cover crash test safety.

Which would you rather be in in an accident, the Prius or the Hummber?

 

This whole environmental hybrid thing is just a marketing ploy.

 

Hummers just look so much cooler! And when will a prius ever look like this!!

 

I cant stand any hummers except the H1. And ya... total scam. Buy a little vw diesel and get 60mpg instead. And last more than 100,000 miles.

 

Every time I see a H2, I just think "short bus". Especially the yellow ones.

 

very interesting. the hummer is more enivromentally beneficial? making it and transporting it? especially with the gas it consumes?

I find that really hard to believe.

 

Yeah, this has been going around for a while. Its been rebuked, debated and beaten like a dead horse on sites like AutoblogGreen.

First of all, you gotta question the people who did the survey their quoting:
http://cnwmr.com/door/

It's obviously a very complicated issue to understand... trying to take into account the energy involved in the construction process for example... do these guys really look like experts in that area?

I'm certain that more energy will be consumed in the construction and life of a Prius than say a simple Corolla. But a Hummer??
And no doubt as this very young technology evolves, the situation will improve, and the current hybrids are a necessary step in the learning and development towards better cars. I'm certain that a world moving around in electric cars requires less energy than internal combustion engines. Just think of the energy required to cast an engine block as well as the insane number of individual components on an engine, compared to the relatively simple construction of an electric motor. Not to mention the fact that the laws of thermodynamics prevent an internal combustion engine from ever being much more than 50% in the absolute best case scenario.

Nickle's pretty rough, but Lithium is entirely recyclable and not nearly as harmful, unless it catches on fire of course...