Which is more environmentally friendly - the Toyota Prius or the Smart car?

Question

Which is more environmentally friendly - the Toyota Prius or the Smart car?

Answer 1

I remembered reading the article a week or so ago, and brought out some of the points.  There are also some other articles in this one also.

Anyways the more efficient diesel version of the smart car is not available in the us due to emissions.  The diesel version is the version which gets the better fuel efficiency.  The gasoline version is sold in the US and Canada (Canada used to sell the diesel version).  Basically the smart car isn't so smart because there are many options including the Prius which can match or exceed the fuel efficiency and have better driving capabilities.

In my opinion the smart car is being targeted towards the people who don't' have the knowledge and buy into all the hype the media make it to be.

Answer 2

Hi,

the Prius is the more environmentally friendly vehicle in multiple aspects. I'll break out each one and try once again to dispell the many myths about the Prius.

This will be a lot of information, so stay with me for the full answer.

The only way the Smart is possibly more environmentally friendly is the Smart is a smaller vehicle and uses less material, in general, to build.

However, the Smart uses 91 octane premium fuel, and the 3 cylinder internal combustion engine (ICE) returns "a disappointing 32 mpg overall" according to Car and Driver. So the Smart uses more expensive fuel and more fuel than other subcompacts.

In a Prius, I get 51.7 mpg on regular fuel as a year long average. That's a difference of 29 mpg more according to the EPA, and 25 mpg more according to Smart, in the Prius.

At 25 mpg more, that means I will be using 480 gallons of fuel less each year, or 2400 gallons of fuel less over five years. And spending at least $360.00 less each year, or $1800.00 less over five years.

And my Prius mpg are with the A/C and stereo on, A/C on the Smart "Passion" is an option, so the mileage will go down on the Passion version because the A/C is linked to the ICE.

The A/C is purely electric on the Prius, which means no true loss of mpg when the A/C is running (unless you sit and idle for 1/2 hour, then the ICE will turn on to help boost the hybrid battery).

The Smart also uses all the usual components that a standard vehicle uses, which means the Smart has more moving parts, and more parts in general, than the Prius. Let me clarify.

The Prius has no starter, no alternator, no timing belt, no mechanical steering pump, no steering belt, no mechanical throttle linkage, and the brake pads should never need to be replaced because of the regenerative braking system.

Eventually all those parts need to be serviced or replaced on a standard vehicle. They don't exist on a Prius.

Also, it is a complete myth that first repsonders or fire department personnel are somehow more in danger with a Prius, or any hybrid from Toyota/Lexus.

I teach seminars on hybrids for Toyota directly to fire departments and first repsonders. All hybrid components- including the nickel metal hydride (NiMH) hybrid battery are not grounded to the vehicle body.

What this means is the entire top of a Toyota/Lexus hybrid can be cut off, the doors can be removed, etc. and there will be no danger of electricution. Period. There are no high voltage lines running above the underside of the floor pan.

The Prius can be completely submerged in water and it will pose no more danger than any standard vehicle.

There are simply too many mechanical and electronic circuit breakers in place.

Common sense says that with over 1,000,000 hybrids sold from Toyota alone, it would be all over the news if there were problems with these vehicles or if someone had been hurt or killed.

No first responder, fire department or police department personnel has ever been hurt or killed by a Toyota/Lexus hybrid. Ever. Anything else is a myth.

As far as the Prius being some kind of scam being purpetrated on an unsuspecting public, do people honestly think only extreme greenies and blue-haired ladies are the only ones buying Prius?

Leaving myself out, I personally know dozens of engineers, technicians, educators, mechanics, and researchers who have purchased and pore over every detail of their Prius and other hybrids.

I present hybrids for Toyota at events where literally tens of thousands of people attend and bombard me for days on end with questions and comments about their hybrids.

These are not gullible, foolish people. The old saying about fooling some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time is very true.

Hundreds of thousands of Prius have been sold in the US for nine, almost ten, years. There are simply too many of them on the road, and in the hands of very exacting individuals, for it to be a fad or a scam.

And as far as the myth of the environmental issues with NiMH battery production, life cycle, or disposal, it is just that- a myth.

I have posted extensive details here in Answers, do a search for them or just let me know.

And no matter what, the Prius is still an AT-PZEV, or Advanced Technology-Partial Zero Emission Vehicle. That means it produces absolutely no emissions- from either the tailpipe or the gas tank system- for a large portion of it's operation.

Gas tank emissions are a major source of emissions, BTW. Fumes from unsealed tanks have led to regulations that require gas caps that lock down and help prevent air from entering the tank and mixing with the gas, causing fumes.

Imagine how many millions of standard vehicles' gas caps go "pssst" when they are removed- that's millions of vehicles releasing emissions without even having to be started. That never gets discussed.

The Prius (and all Toyota/Lexus hybrids) have a gas tank system that seals itself to prevent air from entering the tank. No standard vehicle has that.

Standard vehicles like the Smart, Fit, Yaris, Aveo, and any other you can name are not AT-PZEV, which means any time they are started they are producing emissions, no matter what.

If there's any other specifics you want, just let me know.

Answer 3

the toyota diesel does 74mpg and it looks better

Answer 4

According to the American Council for an energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), the Toyota Prius is more environmentally-friendly.

For 2008 US models, the Toyota Prius comes in 2nd (behind the Honda Civic GX) with a green score of 53 (48mpg city/45mpg highway, Tier 2 bin 3 / PZEV emissions), while the Smart Fortwo Convertible/Coupe comes in 4th (behind the Honda Civic Hybrid) with a green score of 49 (33mpg city/41 mpg highway, Tier 2 bin 5 / ULEV II emissions).

While the Smart car is physically smaller than the Prius (Smart is a subcompact, the Prius a midsize), meaning less materials used in production, the Prius has both a higher fuel economy and lower emissions.

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/...

"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/0804...

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/...

Dust in the Wind: Hybrids' Total Energy Cost:  http://www.hybridcars.com/environment-st...

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

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 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...

(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.

The hybrid battery packs in the Prius have labels on them for whom to contact to recycle them. See the HV Battery Pack Recycling section in the Prius Emergency Response Guides.

page 11 (of the printed version): http://techinfo.toyota.com/public/main/1...

page 19 (of the printed version): http://techinfo.toyota.com/public/main/2...

To quote Toyota's press release:

http://pressroom.toyota.com/photo_librar...

<quote>

How long does the Prius battery last and what is the replacement cost?

The Prius battery (and the battery-power management system) has been designed to maximize battery life. In part this is done by keeping the battery at an optimum charge level - never fully draining it and never fully recharging it. As a result, the Prius battery leads a pretty easy life. We have lab data showing the equivalent of 180,000 miles with no deterioration and expect it to last the life of the vehicle. We also expect battery technology to continue to improve: the second-generation model battery is 15% smaller, 25% lighter, and has 35% more specific power than the first. This is true of price as well. Between the 2003 and 2004 models, service battery costs came down 36% and we expect them to continue to drop so that by the time replacements may be needed it won't be a much of an issue. Since the car went on sale in 2000, Toyota has not replaced a single battery for wear and tear.

Is there a recycling plan in place for nickel-metal hydride batteries?

Toyota has a comprehensive battery recycling program in place and has been recycling nickel-metal hydride batteries since the RAV4 Electric Vehicle was introduced in 1998. Every part of the battery, from the precious metals to the plastic, plates, steel case and the wiring, is recycled. To ensure that batteries come back to Toyota, each battery has a phone number on it to call for recycling information and dealers are paid a $200 "bounty" for each battery.

</quote>

Answer 5

The Smart Car might be more environmentally friendly.  Getting the material for and disposal of the hybrid battery is a problem.  Emergency workers also have problems with the voltage if they have to extricate you from a car wreck is another!

One rumor about the hybrid is that drivers are sitting in a giant electro magnet and the magnetic field may affect you internally!

P.S.  Like all things that go green there are unintended problems that occur!

(New twisty light bulbs is a recent one.  The  banning of DDT to save bird eggs caused the deaths millions of human beings due to preventable ailments like malaria.  Making reefs out of millions of discarded car tires is another failure, fish just didn't like that idea and now 25 years later the tires are polluting the beaches when they wash ashore!  U.S. Navy has to remove these millions of tires now at a tremendous cost!  The "danger to the environment" has replaced the danger that the "Cold War" presented us 30 years ago!  Danger sells on TV!)

P.S. I had a 1968 Renault R-10 that got over 35 miles per gallon even around town. On a long run I got over 45 mpg.  Even back then it had 4 wheel disk brakes and 15 inch wheels.   Trunk in the front, engine in the rear - loved the crank handle that came with the car to turn it over when the battery was dead!  It was 4 door too!

Answer 6

If you are looking for environmentally friendly, I think it is the Smart Car as the production of batteries for the Prius causes a lot of pollution.

Answer 7

The eco credentials of the Prius are bogus and Toyota are playing a marketing trick with it.

It is not a very fuel efficient car and the batteries are environmentally unsound.  Additionally, the environmental cost of producing a Prius, far exceed that of the Smart Car.

Actually, neither car is the best option.  The future of eco driving (in the medium term) lies with the Loremo which is due to go into production next year.  It can return 150mpg+ on its diesel engine (which can run on waste vegetable oil) and, due to its method of construction and ultra-light weight, has a lower environmental impact in production.

In summary, the overall environmental impact of the Smart is less than the Prius (when taking production values into account), but both will easily be beaten by the Loremo in eco credentials.  

There are many cars, currently on the market that return a better MPG than the Prius (the diesel version of the Citroen C1/Toyota Aygo and the Fiat Panda 1.4D to mention a few) and the huge Toyota corporate propoganda PR machine can invent all kinds of figures to support their claim that their car is eco friendly (or pay US salesmen like Professorprius to talk about technical aspects that actually have no bearing on the environmental costs of heavy chemical laden hybrids.. Of course he will defend the Prius, because he is paid to do so).  It simply isn't true that the prius is anywhere near being an eco-friendly car... nor is the Smart, for that matter.

Answer 8

The Prius.

80-90% of a car's lifetime energy use comes during the operational phase (while it's being driven).  See pages 4-5 here:

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

Thus whichever car gets the best fuel efficiency uses the least energy, has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions, and has the smallest environmental impact.  That's the Prius with an advantage of 47mpg vs. 36mpg for the SmartCar.

A recent Swiss study also confirmed that the Prius is the greenest mass-produced car on the planet:

http://www.reuters.com/article/environme...

Answer 9

smart car

Answer 10

While the Prius is a bit of a marketing sham, several people have claimed that manufacture of the batteries is very polluting - and that's just not true.

One very biased marketing company did some "research" which was not peer-reviewed, not published in a scientific journal, because it was garbage.  They focused on a nickel plant in Sudbury Ontario, where the entire region around the plant is denuded of trees from toxic waste.  What they fail to mention is that the pollution stopped THIRTY YEARS AGO and the pollution damage is old.

People also complain about disposal of used batteries.  Clearly they know nothing about automobile batteries, because they are ALREADY RECYCLED.  A car battery has about $3 worth of lead in it.   A Prius battery has OVER $100 worth of nickel in it, and it is so large it can ONLY be changed out at a shop, so it won't randomly be thrown out by consumers by mistake.

What's more, a lot of people have misconceptions about how long a hybrid battery will last, because we've all paid to replace a car battery.   Well, hey -- car batteries are lead-acid, which is a very poor battery technology good for only two things - starting engines and being cheap.  Thomas Edison developed a battery for electric cars called Nickel-Iron, which is extremely reliable: lasts 40 years, withstands tremendous abuse, etc.

http://books.google.com/books?id=IKIgAAA...

The nickel-metal-hydride battery in the Prius is a roughly similar chemistry, and I would not be surprised if they lasted 30 or 40 years as well.  That's what you should expect from large batteries.  We tolerate lead-acid's poor performance only because the price is right.

Answer 11

the prius.....and it looks a whole lot better

Answer 12

a pushbike