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Originally Posted by Homeslice
Does anyone have any data on the overall "impact" of manufacturing a hybrid or electric car? Gotta figure that those huge batteries aren't very environmentally friendly to produce....... or dispose of for that matter.
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I know there have been articles written, but they appear to almost always be designed to reach a desired result from the beginning based on the intended audience. The disposal problem isn't that bad with the batteries hybrids use. They aren't lead acid like what is in a standard car. The biggest additional impact from hybrids is due to the batteries, which require nickel that has to be mined and shipped around the world.
Plug in electrics add another degree of difficulty on top of that. The power still has to come from somewhere. Which is better, filling up with a tank of gas when needed or having to plug in every night? Is that power coming from a plant powered with petroleum, nuclear, hydro, wind, solar? What are the potential unintended consequences from that power source (especially wind and solar)? How efficient is the transmission of the power from the plant to the car? What happens when a natural disaster (hurricane, tornado, ice storm, earthquake) knocks out power for a week or more? A lot of these questions cannot be answered generally. They almost have to be taken on a case by case basis, which isn't very realistic.
I don't think we will really know the true impact from these types of cars until there are millions on the road. At that point it really will not matter because a) it will be too late and b) hybrids and plug ins will probably be dying technology anyway.