Alternative Fuel Vehicles, Are They Sustainable? (part 1)

They are the next generation vehicles. The hybrid, plug-in hybrid, electric, or the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle - they all use alternative fuel. Fuel that carries a promise to take care of the planet. How? By burning less or no fossil fuel at all therefore reducing or eliminating emissions that heat-up the earth.

However inasmuch as a lot of people are clamoring for these green cars, there are also a lot of naysayers. They say, these vehicles whether hybrid, electric or hydrogen is not as green as the consumers are led to believe. Some are more bold into saying that they do more harm to the environment than cars run by conventional fuel combustion engines.

So let’s lay their cards on the table, those who are for it and those who are against it, and see how each fare. So everyone can appreciate the arguments, let me first give brief descriptions on how each vehicle operate.

Hybrid Vehicles

Hybrid vehicles are powered by not one but two engines. One runs on conventional fuel (gasoline or diesel) while the other on electric batteries. The goal of this car is to increase fuel economy. Since the gasoline engine is much more efficient at high speeds, it only kicks in when the car has gained momentum. The electric motor is used to get the car rolling from a full stop and at low speeds. Now, the batteries that run the electric motor gets continuously charged when the car is cruising using the gasoline engine and during braking, recovering the energy that would otherwise be lost.

AGAINST: They say that hybrid vehicles are not as fuel efficient as the manufacturers say they are. In fact, some conventional gas powered cars get higher MPGs (miles per gallon) that these hybrids.

FOR: On the other hand, the people who actually own hybrid cars can attest about achieving higher mileage, even up to 94 MPG. A lot of them are able to get spectacular results by putting a little thought and consideration into their driving habits. Meaning, one must adapt his/her driving style to that of a hybrid car.

Below is a testimony, posted in HybridCars.com of a Honda Insight hybrid car owner.

Dennis (Honda Insight)
I own a 2000 Honda Insight with 60,000 miles. Love it. My lifetime mileage is 53 mpg. When I try to impress someone with the mpg, I can easily average 65 to 70 mpg. In one controlled test trying to get high mpg, highway and city, I averaged 94 mpg. Then there was the time I got 134 mpg during a 10-mile level freeway stretch going 55 mph in 5th gear.

HERE’S WHAT I HAVE TO SAY: Hybrid vehicles are a step towards better cars and by that it means that as the technology improves, they will become more efficient to operate leading to significant increases in MPG.

Ok we’re on to the next…

AGAINST: The booers say that “Hybrid Cars Don’t Save You Money.” Hybrids are priced 20% higher that conventional counterparts and even if you could save on gasoline, it could take up to 8 years to recover the premium one has to pay for a hybrid.

FOR: The cheerers simply brush-off this argument in many ways than one. A lot are saying that the main reason of buying a hybrid is not to save money but to help reduce the consumption on fossil fuel in going from point A to point B.

A commenter in AutoBlog.com had this to say about recovering the premium paid for a hybrid car.

The new Civic Hybrid, which gets 50mpg is only $2k over a comparably priced Civic. A recent review by Forbes says you can recoup the difference in 45K miles, without the $2k tax deduction taken into consideration.

HERE’S WHAT I HAVE TO SAY: The title I gave this post asks if hybrid vehicles are sustainable. One factor of sustainability is economic viability. So if hybrid vehicles cost about 20% more than conventional vehicles, does that mean they are no longer viable? People who buy SUVs seldom think twice about their much higher price tag or their ridiculously low MPGs. So the issue is not whether hybrid cars are cheaper or more expensive than conventional vehicles. The important questions to answer are
(1) Does it require less fossil fuel to run them? I’d say yes.
(2) Can people afford them? Judging by the increasing sales of hybrid cars in the United States which is currently 20,000 plus units a month, I guess the answers to that question too would be ‘Yes!’

I also got this from HybridCars.com.

That the premium one has to pay (about US$3,000 to US$5,000) is reduced by federal/state tax incentives, lower insurance premiums, lower maintenance costs, and strong resale values.

And once again, as volume and efficiency in producing these hybrid vehicles improve, prices are expected to go down as well.

One more argument coming…

AGAINST: Those who are against it say that the cost to replace hybrid car batteries are hidden so well that buyers are in for a surprise when they need to cough-up a third of the amount they paid for their cars just for new batteries. Plus, when these batteries are dumped into landfills they ooze out substances that are extremely harmful to the environment. So it will be trading one problem for another.

FOR: Those who are for it as well as the hybrid car manufacturers confirm that the battery packs will last the whole lifetime of the vehicle and they are covered with a 8 to 10 year warranty.

With regards to the toxic ooze, the nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery used by hybrids are fully recyclable. The manufacturers will pay $200 per battery to encourage owners to bring them in for recycling.

People should be more concerned of the 2.6 million metric tons of lead in the batteries of conventional vehicles on the road today upon 40,000 metric tons of which are dumped into landfills each year.

An environmental researcher, Jim Kliesch, had this to say.

“While batteries like lead acid or nickel cadmium are incredibly bad for the environment, the toxicity levels and environmental impact of nickel metal hydride batteries—the type currently used in hybrids—are much lower.”

HERE’S WHAT I HAVE TO SAY: Given to what was discussed by those who are “FOR it”, I would have to say that hybrid vehicle batteries are a least concern.

Ok let’s wrap-up Part 1 of this extremely long topic. Next on this series are discussions on Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles, Electric Vehicles and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles.

For the meantime, we would be pleased to know your (the reader) thoughts on the matter so please leave a comment under this post or send a note to gogreen[at]technoverde[dot]com. Cheers!