Are hybrid cars bad for the environment?

Question

ive heard (but am still researching to confirm) that the process of creating the batterys for these things uses an insane amount of heavy metals which are causing havoc to the ecosystems in the immediate area of the factories

Answer 1

Hybrid cars are definitely better options then conventional cars as at least they do help a bit.

Batteries are definitely a cause of concern to all of us, not only those used in vehicles but in other electronic equipments too.

Recycling of battery is an important task which has to be efficiently implemented.

Answer 2

The problem with hybrid cars is that they use fossil fuels.

According to the IPCC reports we must reduce our output of carbon dioxide world wide  to less than one tenth of what they are today.

Hybrids still use far too much fossil fuels and their carbon dioxide emissions are still much too large.

We must convert to all electric vehicles that are powered by electricity that is not generated by fossil fuels.

Answer 3

No.

Answer 4

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/...

Battery Toxicity:  http://www.hybridcars.com/battery-toxici...

Hummer versus Prius: "Dust to Dust" Report Misleads the Media and Public with Bad Science:

http://www.pacinst.org/topics/integrity_...

Prius Versus HUMMER: Exploding the Myth:

http://www.thecarconnection.com/Auto_New...

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/...

Heard the One About the Hummer?:

http://www.toyota.com/html/dyncon/2007/s...

Usually the mythic "article" from The Mail on the nickel in the hybrid cars' NiMH batteries is quoted from a now retracted article.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...

(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.  If you were to add up the amount of nickel in the million+ hybrids sold since 1997, that total is less than 1% of the world's annual nickel production (far more nickel is used for stainless steel, for example).)

The hybrid batteries in the currently available hybrid vehicles are usually listed by the manufacturer to last the lifetime of the vehicle, and have long warranties (not pro-rated!, usually 8 years/80,000 miles to 10 years/150,000 miles, depending on model and where purchased) to cover it. So far, hybrid battery replacements are VERY uncommon, and rarely out of warranty. Pricing is much better when buying a used unit from a wrecked vehicle (much less than $1000), and not paying dealer-inflated rates/labor prices.

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. Often they'll have labels on the packs themselves listing who to contact to recycle them, and often there's a nice cash bounty reward as well (Toyota's $200).

Answer 5

hybrid cars are more efficient in the amount of fuel they use, and that means that they emit less pollutants and less CO2, which is good for the environment.

batteries, especially batteries that use heavy metals, such as lead, or nickel, can be a source of pollution, if during their production or recycling process the factory allows pollutants into the soil, but that is very rarely the case.

To sum up, hybrid cars are step on the right direction, maybe not the best of solutions, but certainly better than conventional cars.