On Mar 23, 2007, at 9:34 PM, James Newtons Massmind wrote:

> old, high mileage, low maintenance, compact car.

(Can you really get all those together?)

All things considered, I would bet that the overall energy cost
to manufacture and dispose of a car is pretty close to proportional
the total mass of the car.  That is, I bet it takes more energy to
refine and recycle the metal than anything else.  The hummer weighs
about 1800lbs more than the prius; stop whining about the energy cost
of shipping the 150lbs of battery around and tell be about shipping
all that steel...

But what can I say; I'm a prius owner and immediately suspect. :-)

I didn't get it because it's maximally energy efficient; a motorcycle
would do better, as would suffering public transportation.  I did get
it because I think it is particularly energy efficient for the class
of car; compare milage to subcompact diesels (which aren't available
here, BTW) if you want; the prius is NOT a subcompact...

BillW
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