Re: What's the verdict on the Prius?

Nice links, by the way...

When I read the report, I was thinking, well, it looks mostly ok, but it left me wondering. The pod cast left me feeling better about the report being more accurate. I had not realized that in some sense, the numbers are not really related to money spent, but are more related carbon released (so to speak). Now, if I choose to simply not recycle the car, then I can reduce the "cost" because I do not expend energy attempting to recycle items that are difficult to recycle, but I will increase the "cost" because energy is expended dumping it in a landfill.

Items I think I learned.

- Those first people that purchased a Prius paid the hefty "cost" because they are burdened with the initial development. This seems like an OK assumption as long as you understand it.

- A few years out, the newer version will be less "costly" because of less development. What version of the Prius are we on? It should be down now.

- it had not occurred to me to consider the cost of repair; interesting. In an accident, the Hummer is much more likely to be repaired and the Prius totaled because it is much easier to destroy a little car, and big metal frames are harder to destroy.... Someone actually bothered to do a study on that. What a waste of money. "People in big vehicles suffer fewer injuries and can inflict a whole bunch of destruction on a smaller car when they hit it".