On Wed, 24 Oct 2007 11:25:57 -0400, Eisboch wrote:

Not the cite I was looking for (can't remember where I read it) but
this one makes the same point:

"Green" technology autos actually cost more to manufacture and use more
total energy during the lifetime of the auto than traditional designs.


http://equityprivate.typepad.com/ep/...ng_below_.html

Quoting one paragraph:

"For many hybrid vehicles 25% to 30% of the life cycle energy
expenditure is consumed in raw material production and manufacture- this
is much higher than in non-hybrid vehicles. For foreign built cars this
means that emissions in the country of use (the United States, say) are
not being eliminated, but rather transferred to the country of
manufacture. Next time a hybrid driver looks smug feel free to remind
them that they are likely dumping their emissions into the second or
third world. What kind of pig subjugates the peoples of Mexico and
endangers their health to look "green" for their suburban neighbors and
smirks about it? "


------------------------------------------------ Eisboch

Interesting article, one can easily mistake gas mileage for the total energy footprint, but I
would also be quite careful about putting to much weight on that article. That study hasn't
been peer reviewed, and some of it's assumptions are suspect. An example, the Hummer H1
is assumed to travel 379,000 miles, while the Prius is assumed to travel 109,000 miles. Also,
development energy costs, which are included in the study, will be of a heavier weight for new
technology spread over fewer cars, than older technology spread over many cars.

While I would agree, that when thinking green, the total energy footprint is the important
number, one has to be careful how that number is reached. Pacific Institute did a rebuttal to
the Dust to Dust study.

http://www.pacinst.org/topics/integr...r_vs_prius.pdf