guest blog: ed begley sets the record straight on the prius battery debate
I had been hearing about how toxic Toyota Prius batteries were, and that they didn't last very long. I personally own a Prius, and was upset by this news. If the battery was super toxic and didn't last long, then that would negate the car's eco characteristics, which would be a major bummer. I went to my trusty eco friend Ed Begley to see if he had any insight on this, because I was having a hard time believing this news. Here is what Ed told me:
"As far as I can tell, most of the misinformation about Prius (& EV) batteries has come from an article written by a conservative fellow in Canada. It was wrong on nearly every count. From the gross overstatements about carbon footprint for shipping the batteries around the world, to assigning all the pollution from a nickel plant in Sudbury to the Prius batteries - a plant that was cleaned up years before the first Prius ever rolled off the line and that makes nickel for many other uses, not just Prius batteries.
But first, some battery basics: Folks throw away old AA, AAA, C, D & 9V cells (even though they shouldn't!) because there's no deposit on them. Ditto with old cell phone batteries, computer batteries, etc. Car batteries are different, even in internal combustion cars. There's a deposit on each and every battery. Any service shop would be throwing hard cash away by discarding an old 12V if they just dumped it. And, they'd risk a hefty fine. Very few do-it-yourselfers just dump car batteries any more, since there's a deposit on their batteries, as well. As for hybrid and electric cars, there is a rigorous battery recycling program in place at Honda, Toyota and Ford for all the batteries that they will one day receive. I say one day, because it's all theory at this point.
I have friends with 150,000 miles on their electric RAV-4 with the same battery pack! Mine has nearly 75,000 miles after 7 years with the same pack... Which is nickel-metal-hydride, by the way, and is nowhere near as hazardous as lead. And, ask around among the many friends that we both know who have a Prius. See how many of them have replaced even one of the many battery modules in their hybrid.
But back to the pollution associated with batteries and oil: the amount of pollution and waste associated with drilling, refining and pumping gas is a number. The amount of pollution involved in battery production, recycling and use is another number; it's just a much lower number. But, our goal should be zero pollution, no matter what technology we use! Still, hybrids and electrics are a positive step for now."
Personally, I have never ever had a problem with my Prius. I had a 3-year lease on my first Prius, and then leased another one after that. I ended up buying the second one many years ago... All in all, I think I have been driving a Prius since 1999, maybe earlier, and have never had one problem. My car before the Prius, which was a Ford Bronco, had to be fixed every 3-6 months!
I hope this helps any of you out there who have been hearing the same nasty rumors about Priuses and their batteries that I was hearing! And thank you Ed!
22 comments
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When it comes to electric cars what matters the most is how the electricity is produced. If you electricity comes from coal plants there isnt much point to it. An electric car that runs purely on electricity from coal is more dirty than an economic fuel car.
It is therefore very importent that you use your voice to increase green energy production in your area. More wind and solar power will make electric cars worth using.
In Denmark where I come from about 40% of energy production is from green alternatives (Mostly wind, but also wave power, solarpower and others.). And its here an electric car is just a little bit greener than an economic fuel car.
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As far as household batteries, AAAs, AAs, and power tools batteries, your Home Depot should have a recycle bin located near one of its entrances. You can also recycle certain types of lightbulbs. If your Home Depot doesn't, simply ask to talk to a manager about it and they will probably get one started.
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I purchased a 2005 Prius in Sept 2004 and haven't had any battery problems; nor have I heard of several friends who also own a Prius.
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I work at a Toyota dealership doing car maintenance and have thus far NEVER replaced a Prius battery. In fact I've only been asked to even go so far as testing ONE and it was still at 95% battery life after 90,000 miles.
I'd also like to mention that Toyota has been re-designing all their models in the last couple of years to make the oil filters more eco-friendly. Plus we recycle all of the used oil filters we pull out of cars, including the older models. (One of the brightest moments of my workday is always putting those crushed filters in our recycling bucket. :) )
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hey, my hubbie and i were just discussing what car to buy next (the old one needs replacing soon). We have been looking into all the hybrids, but i like some imput. We dont have a fortune to spend so i would like to know what the best car for the best price is... sorry im weiting weird... its 7 am :) dose anyone have any advice about hybrids?
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I've had mine for 6 years and it has over 153,000 miles and I only had two problems (electric pump and catylic converter). No problems with the battery :)
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You'd be suprised as to how many places will take used batteries (not car batteries). In Chicago, many of the local libraries except the AA, AAA, other disposables, and possibly electronic batteries. Also, I know it sounds silly, but if you live near an Ikea they also do except batteries and I think lightbulbs too.
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www.earth911.com is a great resource for finding recycling centers in your area that will take batteries, other metals, oils, etc...all those things we should be recycling but don't!
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Thank you mfor posting this info - I reall appreciate it, and am going to post this link on FB for all my pals!
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Alicia thank you for posting this.
Ed Begley is such an interesting guy, he'd be a wonderful friend to have and he's in one of my favorite movies ever(Transylvania 6-5000!).
nyway I do not own an eco friendly car, and can not afford a new car or prius anytime soon. I am working toward the goal of owning a prius, but it will be years. Regardless, I rented a prius last year when I went on a vacation in the Pacific Northwest and absolutely loved the ride. The gas was unbelievably cheap and allowed me to do more things on my vacation due to the money that was saved, not to mention it felt good to drive a Prius(and be seen in one!). I'd also like to add, for anybody contemplating renting a Prius for a road trip or vacation, that it appears to be more expensive than other vehicles for rent but you make up for that in gas saved and beyond and it turns out to be the cheapest option. You'll also save time by not having to stop at the pump, which is really nice when you're out of town.
I read Jeff Garlin's book last year about healthy eating, weight loss and being kinder to the environment and Ed Begly popped in the book for his helpfulness and expertise on the evinronment...Ed seems to be the go-to guy.
Lastly I recently purchased the Ecotools train case designed by Alicia, along with one of the makeup brush sets/pouches, Ecotools lotion, shower gel and 2 bottles of body spray. This was one of my smartest purchases. Everybody compliments me on the train case, which is so much easier for me to carry my makeup and stuff around in. I like something small and light, but durable and can hold not only makeup, but deoderant and gum. I used this daily and filled it up on a trip to Canada two weeks ago. The brushes are wonderful animal friendly alternatives to the cheap animal hair brushes sold in drug stores. The animal hair brushes make my face itchy and red, we're not ment to rub our skin w/animal hair and it causes allergies. :)
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Thought some of you might like this article I wrote last year. . .
J
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Every Whole Foods I have been to has battery recycling contains at the front of their stores -- you just have to tape the ends. Also, my office has a battery recycling program, but that doesn't help those of you that don't work here.
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I'm not sure as to how to properly dispose of AA, AAA, etc batteries. I do know that you can get solar powered chargers for them, as long as the batteries are rechargable. Most batteries for appliances like laptops and cell phone can be recycled at places like Best Buy.
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Also on the subject of batteries, is there a way to find a place to recyle them? I have a recycling center with my city that I used to take them to but I got yelled at for not throwing the batteries away with my last recycling load I sent to them. The guy at the recycling center told me that they no longer were an issue and that they could be disposed of in the trash. Is there a way to find out if this is true or not?
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I would love to get a Prius, if I only had the $$. I was wondering though, on the subject of batteries...how can we dispose of the batteries we do use in a safe way? Ed mentioned that we really shouldn't throw those old AAs in the trash.
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Well said, Mr. Begley!! Thanks for clearing up all the gross misinformation floating out there. The Prius has been my trusty source of transportation since 2005!! I am grateful to Toyota for this wonderful machine!!
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