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Environmental Cost of Hybrids' Battery Recycling?
LostMyBeaver writes "I have been considering the purchase of an electric or hybrid vehicle for some time. The biggest problem I have currently is that both technologies make use of rechargable batteries. The same tree-huggers telling me gasoline is bad are telling me that batteries are bad too. I'm only partially knowledgable in this area, but it appears the battery technologies are generally based at least on lithium ion, nickel metal hydride, lead acid and nickel-cadmium. I was hoping someone on Slashdot would be knowledgable enough to explain the environmental cost of recycling these batteries. If I understand correctly, after these chemicals are 'spent' so the cells no longer maintain a charge, they are not useful for producing new batteries. I can only imagine that the most common method of recycling the cells is to store the toxic chemicals of the batteries in barrels and refilling the cells with new chemicals. This sounds like an environmental disaster to me. Is there someone here that can help me sleep better at night by explaining what really happens?"
Since the Prius cost more to drive and it takes more energy to manufacture than a Hummer, why would you want one.
Oh, to make it look like you a tree hugger and to make yourself feel like you have done something good.
Oops, sorry to burst your bubble.
Athiesm is a religion like not collecting stamps is a hobby.
> The hybrid battery packs are designed to last for the lifetime of the vehicle, somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 miles,
> probably a whole lot longer. The warranty covers the batteries for between eight and ten years, depending on the carmaker.
Huge steaming piles of BS.
That said. Buy a diesel, you will get better mileage.
If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?
The people behind the beer helmet have released a new helmet with small turbines.
They predict they will be able to power the US for the next 1000 years from the steam released from liberal ears if Obama goes down in November.
Some might indeed... But I'd rather be a weasel than a hippie any day... At least I'd get a bath once in a while.. :)
I find it odd that my post last week in the Honda insight thread on this EXACT topic was modded down as troll: http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=954363&cid=24883999
I reckon I should have posted my comment as an ask slashdot story to get the super ultra mega karma points.