OK, Let me see if I have this right. He wants the performance of a 12 cylinder sports car. The ride and quietness of a high end luxury car. And he wants 50 miles per gallon all for $20,000.00.
I guess I'm odd because, although I love all cars, I have a special affection for cheap cars that are well designed, primarily because I can't afford a 30,000 + sports car, nor do I find them practical for everyday life.
To me, a car review should be geared toward the audience of the car. Everyone knows going in that a hybrid isn't going to be a powerhouse, and that it will have some compromises. Having compared an Insight to a Fit (and to my wife's CR-V), I see some definite weaknesses, namely the rear seat, the rear visibility, and the lack of cargo space (compared to the other two). I also think that Honda would have had a much bigger hit had they dropped the price an extra $1000.
When I read a review, I like to know what it does well and what it does not. While the Insight will never win a race, never win admiring glances from gear heads in the next lane, and never replace the mini-van, it seems like a perfect couples car and/or second or third car for commuting.
Sorry to resurrect a thread, but I figured that was better than starting a new one on a topic that has already been covered.
So the consensus of the people here at this forum is that the nickel mining done to create hybrid battery packs is not as damaging to the environment as is the burning of fossil fuel (oil)? Is that true regardless of how much nickel is mined for however many hybrid battery packs are created?
I have been curious about that aspect of hybrid vehicles for a while now (is it robbing Peter to pay Paul?). (I am not a scientist, if that wasn't clear already!)
This nickel mining issue is a red herring of the right. A regular car battery is much more of an issue. Probably most of the nickel in the battery comes from recycled sources to begin with, as according to Wikipedia:
"Most industrial nickel is recycled, due to the relatively easy retrieval of the magnetic element from scrap using electromagnets, and due to its high value."
"Toyota and Honda place decals with a toll-free number on their hybrid battery packs. Toyota offers a $200 bounty to ensure that every battery comes back to the company. In a press release, Toyota states, "Every part of the battery, from the precious metals to the plastic, plates, steel case and the wiring, is recycled." Honda collects the battery and transfers it to a preferred recycler to follow their prescribed process: disassembling and sorting the materials; shredding the plastic material; recovering and processing the metal; and neutralizing the alkaline material before sending it to a landfill."
This nickel mining issue is a red herring of the right. A regular car battery is much more of an issue. Probably most of the nickel in the battery comes from recycled sources to begin with, as according to Wikipedia:
"Most industrial nickel is recycled, due to the relatively easy retrieval of the magnetic element from scrap using electromagnets, and due to its high value."
"Toyota and Honda place decals with a toll-free number on their hybrid battery packs. Toyota offers a $200 bounty to ensure that every battery comes back to the company. In a press release, Toyota states, "Every part of the battery, from the precious metals to the plastic, plates, steel case and the wiring, is recycled." Honda collects the battery and transfers it to a preferred recycler to follow their prescribed process: disassembling and sorting the materials; shredding the plastic material; recovering and processing the metal; and neutralizing the alkaline material before sending it to a landfill."
Thanks, insightfulone. How touching of the right to acknowledge that there is an environment at all, much less that human activities are harming it. Now, if we could only get it to acknowledge climate change, in this, the 10th hottest year on record.
That's good to know about the battery's recyclability and that Toyota and Honda place such a premium on recovering their vehicles' batteries and disposing of them properly.
Sorry to resurrect a thread, but I figured that was better than starting a new one on a topic that has already been covered.
So the consensus of the people here at this forum is that the nickel mining done to create hybrid battery packs is not as damaging to the environment as is the burning of fossil fuel (oil)? Is that true regardless of how much nickel is mined for however many hybrid battery packs are created?
I have been curious about that aspect of hybrid vehicles for a while now (is it robbing Peter to pay Paul?). (I am not a scientist, if that wasn't clear already!)
Thanks.
i'm hardly a shill for big oil, and I don't want to sound the contrarian, but consensus is not science - the warming debate is a perfect example ... the true effects of widespread battery/ev/phev auto useage will likely have downstream effects that are unanticipated at this point ... with alt auto useage in the low single digits among all cars on the road the impact at this point is minimal ... what happens when useage is comparable to conventional powertrains? ... large scale (vastly exceeding anything in use today) battery infrastructures, mining/processing/exploring for nimh/lion/rare earths etc, roads into hitherto untouched areas of the world, tailings, backwash pools, refinement factories, battery waste disposal are only some of things i can think of off the top of my head and will have profound effects on the economics of the auto industry, environment, etc. ... neither would i put too much stock in the rather rosy projections of personalities and publications which obviously have a big stake (personal, political, religious, and otherwise) in the destruction of oil/gas & adoption of green tech - there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world!
i'm hardly a shill for big oil, and I don't want to sound the contrarian, but consensus is not science - the warming debate is a perfect example ... the true effects of widespread battery/ev/phev auto useage will likely have downstream effects that are unanticipated at this point ... with alt auto useage in the low single digits among all cars on the road the impact at this point is minimal ... what happens when useage is comparable to conventional powertrains? ... large scale (vastly exceeding anything in use today) battery infrastructures, mining/processing/exploring for nimh/lion/rare earths etc, roads into hitherto untouched areas of the world, tailings, backwash pools, refinement factories, battery waste disposal are only some of things i can think of off the top of my head and will have profound effects on the economics of the auto industry, environment, etc. ... neither would i put too much stock in the rather rosy projections of personalities and publications which obviously have a big stake (personal, political, religious, and otherwise) in the destruction of oil/gas & adoption of green tech - there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world!
Good points all, jcbesq. I don't even know what tailings are!
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
