Discouraging Article

That a repeat of Art Spinella and CNW Research's article about a year ago - completely off the mark. Very abritarily says a Prius will last only 100,000 miles while a non-hybrid will last 200,000+ miles (even GM).

It's repeating an opinion for hire.

Links to come

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(khool-H @ Mar 9 2007, 07:15 PM) [snapback]403059[/snapback]</div>

That mine has been producing nickel for over 100 years. The mine is not owned by Toyota. The mine produces 100,000 tons of nickel a year. Toyota buys 1% of their output. Nickel is a primary component of stainless steel. Some of that mine's nickel was used in building the Statue of Liberty. Environmental cleanup has been going on in that area for the past 20 years.

Threads on the mine claim listed below. You'll see it's been debunked to death.

http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=28560
http://priuschat.com/index.php?s=&show...st&p=380659

As for the Prius/Hummer comparison, most of that data comes from a flawed study by CNW Marketing, a mouthpiece for the Detroit auto industry. Search CNW on this site, you'll also find it has been thoroughly debunked.

That article is just anti-Prius propaganda. Don't let it interfere with your decision to buy.

 

I've seen similar articles before posted and debunked a few times now. Logically, it just doesn't make sense. Why would they assume a hummer would last 300,000 miles while a prius only lasts 100,000? The other "hundreds" of factors seem cherry picked. E.g., the nickel in the battery for the prius, but what about the nickel to make the stainless steel on the hummer? The hummer must have a least double the steel the prius does if not more. The prius has much less steel than other cars while the hummer has much more than other cars.

In addition, I'm sure that the 5 years to recoup the cost of a hybrid has been proven wrong. Especially now that the price of hybrids have come down. When the 5 years study was done, that was when the prius was going for MSRP (or even more). Now, you don't even have to pay invoice. Didn't consumer reports say this is wrong?

I think the person that wrote the article has a bone to pick with hybrids. Maybe their father didn't hug them enough as a child and they are taking their misdirected anger out on hybrids.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(khool-H @ Mar 9 2007, 06:15 PM) [snapback]403059[/snapback]</div>

I also encourage you being a vegetarian. I am.
I also encourage you to hug trees. I do.

 

i remember several posts about this topic several months ago. what a load of crap...

I also am a Vegitarian, tree hugger, former National Park Ranger who loves our forests and natural areas and believes they should be protected and preserved for the enjoyment of future generations, and I proudly drive a Prius.... I have friends who have Hummers. That is their choice. Have you ever been in one? the original models are really really cramped and a tight squeeze inside. I dont like 'em and I wouldn't buy one. My feelings. I also think drilling for oil in the artic wildlife refuge should never never happen. continuing to be dependent on oil, even blended gas, gas of any kind in a waste of time. the resources will eventually give out, and then we'll be without the natural resourses, without our forests and wildlife, and still looking for an alternative fuel source.

fuel cells, solar power, wind, these are the future of energy. to think otherwise is only to postpone the enivitable, IMHO. others may differ in opiinion, and i certainly defend their right to think what they want, drive what they want and eat what they want. but I dont have to live my life according to anyone else's rules... nuff for now... later. B)

 

I am going to speak to only one point which disturbs me about the article. But I suspect this speaks for other things in the piece.

It says that the "battery is charged by braking the car". While that is true, that is only part of the way the battery is charged. Most of the battery charge is powered by the gasoline engine. The author pretends that they know what they are talking about. It appears that they don't.

It appears that they are blowing smoke.

For Goodness Sake, don't use this as your only source of information about the Prius. This site is full of good information.

 

Ha Ha Ha that article was funny. maybe the authors dad was killed buy a rogue Prius as it exited I-5. ha ha A Hummer lasting 300,000 miles, Please.


Buy a Prius you will sleep better at night, I do

 

This nonsense comes up from time to time. Common sense and the findings of that article just don't work. The Nickel Metal Hydride is about the only thing that sets the car apart from a normal vehicle from a materials stand point. Beyond that it's just your average mid-size car (on the inside, anyway.) Toyota has an aggressive recycling program, offering a several hundred dollar bounty on each battery just to make sure they are handled properly at the end of life. Then you can process it and make a new battery. Beyond that the energy savings are entirely obvious. Less metal to form, fewer plastics being used, and above all less gasoline being burned.

The CNW assertions just don't pass the sniff test, if you know what I mean.

 

You would be right if you went by the old government EPA estimates, which netted the Prius an incredible 60 miles per gallon in the city and 51 miles per gallon on the highway. Unfortunately for Toyota, the government realized how unrealistic their EPA tests were, which consisted of highway speeds limited to 55mph and acceleration of only 3.3 mph per second. 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. This has dropped the Prius’s EPA down by 25 percent to an average of 45mpg. This now puts the Toyota within spitting distance of cars like the Chevy Aveo, which costs less then half what the Prius costs.

Did the writer forget the Aveo also takes a 25% reduction? Currently the Aveo is supposed to get 37mpg highway take away the 25% and you get what like 28. Something mpg. Oh the Aveo gets 27mpg city that reduces to something around 20mpg.
The writer sates that under the new epa the prius will get 45mpg. I may be wrong but the aveo would average something like 23 mpg compared to 45 that is a 50% difference. Yeah half way is spitting distance.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Delta Flyer @ Mar 9 2007, 03:20 PM) [snapback]403060[/snapback]</div>

Yup, more rehash of TOTAL BS from the idiot/shill Art Spinella/CNW. See http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=2...mp;#entry394426.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IAO @ Mar 9 2007, 08:33 PM) [snapback]403189[/snapback]</div>

Again more BS. From http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/calculatorC...=1&id=23173 and http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/calculatorS...amp;model=Prius you'll see this for new EPA ratings for 07 Aveos and Priuses.
Aveo: 26 combined, 23 city, 31 highway
Prius: 46 combined, 48 city, 45 highway

Spitting distance...right.

Spinella before said ""They buy a Chevy Aveo," says Spinella. "It delivers the same fuel economy as a Prius, but at half the price."" and per http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=22229, you'll see that the Prius' 44 mpg in Consumer Reports' tests is the "same" as the Aveo's 27 mpg.

Of course it makes perfect sense that a horribly unreliable Hummer H2 (*s below mean insufficient data) would last 300K miles while the Prius which has excellent reliability only lasts 100K miles... right. Also, of course the vehicle w/the 10 year/150K mile HV battery warranty in CA and a few other states is also made by the vehicle maker w/the highest predicted reliability and the "300K mile" vehicle is made by one that's #34 (3rd from dead last).

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2007-0...port-list_x.htm

I guess the author and CNW don't know about and/or have ignored this Prius owner http://john1701a.com/prius/owners/jesse3.htm.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Delta Flyer @ Mar 9 2007, 05:20 PM) [snapback]403060[/snapback]</div>

What seems to be overlooked is that the 2006 numbers from CNW Marketing Research shows that the Prius has a lower lifetime cost/mile than all large SUVs. Apparently economies of scale are kicking in, but also SUVs took a hit and he considers them more expensive as well. But this report isn't getting publicized for some reason...?

It's still highly suspect (I'm being polite), I put together a couple items on it at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_ele...rketing_Reports
For the record, CNW says a Prius will last 109,000 miles (also the HCH), but a Yukon goes 265,000 miles on average, the Tahoe 268,000, Excursion 269,000, you get the point. If you chose even just the industry average of 178,000 miles for the Prius, the cost/mile value would blow away all the SUVs.

The nickel plant was also discussed at the same location, but somebody removed that from the Wikipedia page. Is it better to bring it up to refute it or hope that it dies from neglect? This author rehashed old items, but I think it's happening less often as time goes by.

And of course, can you really compare a cheap bottom-of-the-line Korean Daewoo-made Aveo to the Prius with the better ride and handling and features? Of course, if you want the best car for the environment, a used Toyota Echo is better than a Prius, since less oil was used during production. Even though it does use somewhat more gas during operation, the net effect is still probably better than the Prius. But that comes with fewer amenities and interior room, it's all a matter of priorities and money. For people who want a mid-priced car, and all that comes with it, the Prius is the best option from an environmental viewpoint (until highway-capable electric cars are readily available). Certainly better than a large SUV, that's completely off the charts, environmentally.

 

There has been some REAL research done in Germany to determine the environmental impact of a Prius, from dust to dust. Look at the charts here (top of the page). It's in German, but you'll get the point. Ok, they're not comparing it to a Hummer there, but if it's cleaner than an Avensis Diesel (European counterpart to the Camry)...

 

<_< G'Day khool-H

An aside: Do you see many Hummers on the roads and motorways in the U.K.? What with the price of petrol and the fuel consumption of the Hummer, I sincerely doubt it.

The article author is obviously suffering from 'tunnel vision.' For the record, nickel is re-cyclable, Toyota pays a 'reward' for main batteries returned, the writer fails to provide a complete comparison of the Prius and Hummer taking both back through the manufacturing processes. Another missing element is the environment-friendly nature of the Prius.

What you purchase is your decision but don't take such narrow-opinion articles too seriously. In addition, if you are going to compare, compare similar vehicles.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Charles Suitt @ Mar 10 2007, 11:28 AM) [snapback]403370[/snapback]</div>

Careful. . . I'm pretty sure Canada isn't a part of the UK any more

 

Oh yes! It must be true when it's on the internet
Another tool of the gas guzzlin' industry. They must really think folks are stupid. They never reconcile Prius Taxis in Canada with 400,000 miles on 'em . . . 4X the life expectancy than they give it credit for. More efficient than Hummers :lol: Yea, that's why we're all running out and buying one next week . . . (OH, wait! They stopped making the big one!) That's just for starters on how off the mark that article is. Some dimwit reprints it every so often.

 

Even notice how people that hate the green movement paint all their supporters as extremists?

"I'm a vegetarian, a treehugger"

Some of us are, but it takes a quick visit to FHOP to find some are not - a diversity of beliefs.

Hey - maybe I should tell my biker friend at work to get tatoos, chains, and shave his head. After all, we are supposed to be conviently be pegged for those that refuse to think beyond an IQ of 80.