best hybrid cars: Your Answer

wartrolwarts answers:

For next year it looks like the LS 600h from Lexus. With 430hp and AWD it’ll redefine what a hybrid is all about. As for a more mainstream hybrid, I like the Accord hybrid

wartrolwarts answers:

There isn’t a best Hybrid car as at the moment most small diesels will easily out perform them and return better mpg. Plus they are much more expensive than a standard fuelled vehicle and you will never get that money back in fuel savings. The only single advantage to having one is the congestion charge doesn’t apply.

wartrolwarts answers:

toyotas hybrid suv is the best. i think toyota is the only car manufacturer who builds true hybrids

wartrolwarts answers:

You best bet would be a Toyota, since they are the leaders in Hybrid Technology.

80% of all hybrid vehicles on the road today are Toyota’s.
57% of those are Prius’s

wartrolwarts answers:

Hm, as none of the currently-available hybrids use lithium ion batteries (they use nickel metal hydride batteries), it is hard to say where you would be best to invest. Future hybrids (such as the proposed PHEV version of the Toyota Prius and the upcoming Chevy Volt) may use lithium ion technology, but they are still being researched (safety concerns, battery lifespans, etc.)

Toyota/Lexus and I think Honda get their hybrid batteries from Panasonic EV, and Ford/Mercury/Mazda from Sanyo.

The Toyota hybrid design is well-tested (on the road since 1997), and is licensed to both Ford and Nissan. Toyota also has hybrid drivetrains available in 9 models of their fleet (Prius, Highlander, Camry, RX400h, GS450h, LS600hL, Alphard, Estima, Crown), more models than any other manufacturer. Toyota’s sales have also been on the increase in the US, so they may be a safe bet.

You may also want to look into investing in PHEV conversion companies. http://www.calcars.org/howtoget.html

Meanwhile, there’s a lot of myth, urban legend, and misinformation out there on hybrid vehicle batteries and vehicle production, thanks to a flawed marketing paper by CNW and a poorly researched student newspaper article that keep getting quoted…

Anyhow, I suggest reading:
Prius Versus Hummer: A Nickel for Your Thoughts:

http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200711/mrgreen_mailbag.asp#headaches

“I read an article stating the Prius has a worse impact on the environment than a Hummer because of the enormous pollution created in making the car’s batteries. True?” : http://www.straightdope.com/columns/080404.html
Hummer versus Prius: “Dust to Dust” Report Misleads the Media and Public with Bad Science: http://www.pacinst.org/topics/integrity_of_science/case_studies/hummer_versus_prius.html
Prius Versus HUMMER: Exploding the Myth: http://www.thecarconnection.com/Auto_News/Green_Car_News/Prius_Versus_HUMMER_Exploding_the_Myth.S196.A12220.html
Giving Directions: No, the Hummer Actually Isn’t More Energy Efficient Than A Prius, Let’s Put This “Debate” To Rest:

http://www.betterworldclub.com/articles/hummer-not-more-efficient.htm

Hybrid Battery Toxicity: http://www.hybridcars.com/battery-toxicity.html
Dust in the Wind: Hybrids’ Total Energy Cost: http://www.hybridcars.com/environment-stories/dust-to-dust-energy-costs.html
Heard the One About the Hummer?:

http://www.toyota.com/html/dyncon/2007/september/hummervprius.html

Usually the mythic “article” from The Mail on the nickel in the hybrid cars’ NiMH batteries is quoted from a now retracted article. The retraction that clears up this bit of misinformation is at:

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=417227&in_page_id=1770

(They were using data from the early 1970′s about the INCO-Sudbury nickel mine, which was more than 20 years before the first hybrids needed NiMH batteries, and the plant has greatly cleaned themselves up and reforested the area since then. If you were to add up the amount of nickel in the million+ hybrids sold since 1997, the total is less than 1% of the world’s annual nickel production (far more nickel is used for stainless steel, for example).)

Here’s the 2004 Toyota Prius Green Report (life cycle assessment):

http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/k_forum/tenji/pdf/pgr_e.pdf

(you’ll need to download the Japanese fonts for your PDF reader in order to read it, but the entire document is written in English.)

Over the lifespan of the Prius, when compared to a comparable mid-sized gasoline vehicle, the Prius comes out ahead in the life cycle assessment (LCA) for airborne emissions for CO2, NOx, SOx, HC, but actually does worse for PM (thanks to the material and vehicle production stages). Measured lifespan is given as 10 years use/100,000km. The CO2 break-even point for the 2004 Prius compared to this unnamed gasoline vehicle is given at 20,000km. (more CO2 is emitted during Prius production, but the Prius makes up for it over it’s driven lifetime.)

Another neat thing is that the Prius is one of the first uses of Toyota’s Eco-Plastic (plastic made from plants, as opposed to petroleum products). The battery is recycleable (NiMH), as is much of the car (steel and aluminum body, for example).

As for the batteries themselves:

The lead-acid (Pb-A) 12v accessory batteries in hybrids tend to be smaller than those found in every traditional gasoline vehicle. Recycling programs are in place for traditional lead-acid batteries.

All the hybrids on the market use NiMH (Nickel-Metal Hydride) batteries, which contain no heavy metals (so they’re not hazardous waste, like the Pb-A batteries), and are easily recycled.