Probably the biggest environmental product success of all time.

Yep, I guess us less intellectual folk just don't get global warming... or maybe it's the difference in income perhaps that prevents some of us from buying Priuses? A basic model here costs AUD$37k before dealer delivery and statutory charges.

I'd certainly like a Prius - but I settled for an LPG conversion to our family car instead that cost us $250 after the government subsidy. It's not a Prius, but compared to running our car normal gasoline:

11% to 20% less carbon dioxide
15% to 80% fewer oxides of nitrogen
20% to 40% fewer Hydrocarbons
30% to 35% less carbon monoxide

... just an option for people to consider who need to drive, would love to minimize impact but can't afford a Prius. If you're in Australia; check out the subsidy details here:

http://www.lpgautogas.com.au/index.cfm?Action=MyCar

Kudos to the Silicon Valley Set for their purchase decisions, but that quote just seemed a little "looking down the nose" at the rest of us. Not a great way to influence people IMO. But perhaps I'm just being a sensitive little flower ;).

This product has good intentions, but isn't the answer until they keep Lithium batterys from overheating to enable plug-in Hybrids. I get better better mileage than a Prius in my Jetta. And of course the Diesel engine will last 200k miles easily. Biofuels are available in my area.

The real impact of Hybrids will be on larger vehicles like the GMC and Chevy SUVs that are coming out this winter. They won't be spewing out as much exhaust on takeoff.

Of course, we can't forget the Hybrid Busses. Perfect for your city streets. They are saving tons of emissions and fuel.

I get better better mileage than a Prius in my Jetta.

EPA ratings
Prius - 46
Jetta - 33

Real-world number
Prius - 46.5
Jetta - 40.7

Air pollution scores
Prius - 9.5
Jetta - 1

(from fueleconomy.gov)

The reason there are no '07 Jetta TDIs is that it won't be able to meet the new emission standards. This is an environmental website, so air quality matters.

And of course the Diesel engine will last 200k miles easily.

As will the engine of the Prius.

Intellichoice puts the 5-year cost of ownership of a 2007 Prius at $22,239 and the 2006 Jetta TDI at $29,957 -- $7,700 more.

I guess if one wants to spend an extra $128 per month (a good chunk of which goes to oil producers), put out an extra 12 tons of CO2 over 5 years, 30 times the NOx, twice the carbon monoxide, and 8 times the particulate matter, then the Jetta is the vehicle of choice.

Darn it #4 don't hide behind Anonymous.

When fugazi48 says he gets better mileage, it's true - for him. People that drive mostly on highways about 65 Mph, and use a diesel car with manual transmission, yes, get better mileage than a Prius.

However the Prius gets better mileage when you're stuck in bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic, and city driving.

Whichever the case, the Prius always pollutes less.

I own the Prius 2006 model, and like the car.

What I like most is my future upgrade path to plug-in with LION's (or better!?!) in three years when it's paid for.

So the first four years are an investment in a car that will have full electric + plug-in + gas backup, for a combined total cost of less than 50k USD.
Not bad, not bad.

Native to Silicon Valley (formerly known as Orchard Valley) I watch all the Prius race by me every day travelling 70-80 mph with only the driver in it.

Which part of the intellect translates this behavior into environmentally friendly?

Oh yeah, then they complain the gas milage isn't really that great.

I believe George Bush has one of those "higher educations" too.

Good for you! Thaaanks!

"Are we ahead of the curve, or what? The intellectual capacity within Silicon Valley is amazing. That higher level of education reflects a higher level of understanding of the terrible consequences of global warming."

What an astonishingly smug statement. This is NOT an intelligence issue.

uh, they're still driving. so why does driving a prius make someone "smart"?

if they're soooooo smart, why don't they bicycle?

cars still demand roads, which demand clearing natural space. cars still congest roads. cars still make noise. cars still take up space. cars still benefit the insurance companies, the cops, the dmv, what have you....

fuck cars. walk.

this is pretty cool, wht an unexpected use of technology

Anonymous:

Diesel get very poor scores because of the particles they release and the bad quality Diesel.

But newer Diesel engines include DPFs (Diesel Particle Filter) and newer low-sulfur formulations of Diesel will have a strong impact on those numbers you quote.

I have myself a 2002 Golf TDI with an after-market DPF partly subsidized by the German government and my emissions level (we get a sticker for that, red/yellow/green) is now well into the green area.

Also: Prius seem to be the ideal cars for the city because of all the stop-and-go, but I'm not sure they are the best for American commute, which always includes a fair amount of highway driving.

RANGE ROVER SPORT 25% cleaner then Prius

The person with the first comment "Probably the biggest environmental product success of all time." is an idiot. And so is everyone buying the Prius, its not enviromentally friendly at all. Oregon-based CNW Marketing research did a two year study on how enviromentally friendly cars are, But they didnt focus on fuel consumption and factory manufactoring cost like all of the other surveys but it also looked at the factors of manufacturing all of the parts plus the energy used in research development. Even the energy used by workers commuting to the factories. But the main difference is that they also looked at the cars recyclability and durability. The study concluded that the Toyotas SCION xB is the cleanest car, and the Yaris is the second and as i said at the start the range sport is 25% cleaner then a Prius in its lifetime. WHY!, because the Prius is made up of parts that are not good for the enviroment and take much longer to degrade; especially the engine. This is a big problem seeing as the engine in the Prius needs to be changed every few years

So all this 'Enviromentally friendly people' are actually helping distroy the environment faster then one of the biggest SUV's/4*4 on the market.
Wise up

I am wondering...last time I was in silicon valley, I noticed more ferraris, lambos, rolls royces and bentleys than anywhere else i've been. The gluttony of the valley has not stopped yet.

Intellectual capacity - are you kidding? The only reason that people buy these is so they can use the carpool lane at peak hours. If a V8 BMW was allowed in the carpool lanes, everyone would be driving that here.

Yes, those Silicon Valley folks do seem to condescend to the rest of us.......

I've flown out to SV a couple of times on business trips and I gotta tell you I've learned to despise you hybrid drivers. I thought it was just out there on the left coast, but your cult seems to be moving to my humble midwest. I'm just glad I drive a big Yukon with 4WD and a 350. It amuses me to no end to get behind you people and scare ya outa the fast lane, which is right where your goofy little cars shouldn't be.

Here's the deal.
Toyota Honda Nissan VW Mercedes and BMW to name the main players in the European Market that are recognizable in the US along with GM (OPEL) and Ford all makefuel efficient cars and sell them Europewide.
A lot of them get way better milage than the standard US Prius. Cant talk to the emissions though however I am sure they are equivalent to US requirements.

When will these manufacturers stop selling Corollas (for example) with 1.8 ltr engines and sell the ones with 1.3 ltr engines. they go just as far as fast and last as long. Sooner GM starts selling its OPEL brand here the better it will be for them (fuel efficiency wise).

In 2006, I visited Ireland and rented a Golf 1.4 got great gas milage and it was much better than my 1.8 ltr Integra.

We can have the same cars with smaller engines. Last time I looked thr speed limit was not 90 miles an hour.

I think you get the point.

remember south park episode on hybrid cars, it best sums up this story... people think they are superior for having those... and just feel better than everyone else... not a good way to change their mind.

I bought my Prius a couple of months ago for under $28,000. The milage is never lover than 45 MPG, and that includes city and highway trips. the Prius currenty uses NIMH batteries and not Lithium Ion ones. they are time proven and do quite well. To bad GM buckeled under BIG OIL's demand to discontinue electric vehicles several years ago (EV1). Even Honda had a screwy hybrid that I would never have bought! I think Toyota has it together with the Prius, and is not going to be convinced by big oil to stop producing the Prius now.
IT is not all about global warming and cliamate change folks, it is also about being able to drive somewhere and not spending $20 to drive 70 miles that day to enjoy yourself or go to work. Soon Hybrid cars will have diesels and be able to plug into your house to charge. The car companies that are not with the new technology will be gone soon.....

I bought a Prius in 2006 thanks to a job that had me driving quite a bit. I love it, and get right around 50 MPG in the warmer months, and about 45 MPG in the cooler/winter months.

I would like to say, however, that if I ever get as condescending as that about owning a Prius, someone can slap my A** back into the Stone Age.

Hummer greener than Prius? Debunked! The CNW report is based on false assumptions (e.g., 379,000 mile lifespan for Hummer and 109,000 lifespan for Prius, made up out of thin air) and math mistakes (e.g., 11,763 miles x $3 a gallon = $344,128, off by a factor of 10). Very shoddy work, but whoever paid for the report got what they wanted.

All the typical hybrid basher comments. Can't have a single post mention the Prius on this blog without all haters screeching their lies.

It appears that no one has considered the environmental impact of mining an additional 100 pounds of copper for a Prius engine. Remember, a typical open-pit copper mine may have less than 1% copper in the soil which requires an awful lot of energy spent by the smeltor and refinery. For each pound of copper, you need to melt 100 pounds of earth in a smeltor furnace. How much driving time does it take to recover this initial environmental handicap? I haven't done the math but I'm sure all of you have taken it into consideration.