Buying Used Greener Than Buying Hybrid?
As gas prices continue to rise, we can only imagine that the trend towards vehicle downsizing will continue to pick up speed. And while swapping out large trucks and SUVs for more fuel efficient options, even hybrid powertrain vehicles, will save some money at the pump there’s an even simpler way for consumers to actively reduce the amount of carbon dioxide they put into the atmosphere.
Wired magazine points out in this month’s issue something that many of our readers have been advocating for a long time; that is the environmental benefits of purchasing a used vehicle instead of a new one. The magazine reports that it takes roughly 113 million BTUs of energy to make one Toyota Prius, the unchallenged poster child for the green vehicle movement. Figuring that there are about 113,000 BTUs in one gallon of gasoline, one can surmise that the Prius has used the equivalent of 1,000 gallons of gas before anyone even drives it. That means that the Toyota hybrid has incurred a sort of “carbon debt
Comments
Mike B
"The magazine reports that it takes roughly 113 million BTUs of energy to make one Toyota Prius, the unchallenged poster child for the green vehicle movement. Figuring that there are about 113,000 BTUs in one gallon of gasoline, one can surmise that the Prius has used the equivalent of 1,000 gallons of gas before anyone even drives it. "
"On the other hand, when a used car is purchased that carbon debt has already been paid by the original owner. Wired points out for instance that the 1998 Toyota Tercel and its 27/35 mpg rating with no carbon investment would take a new Prius 100,000 miles to equal."
Cute Math, but you did not factor in the energy to produce the original car. Sure, it's "Already Paid", but comparing a new to a used car is a joke. what about increased repairs, leaks, etc.?
Me, I'll just stay with a nice size (mid to full) and just pass on the larger engine.
john
The higher pollution inherrent in an old car (there's a big difference between emission test passing and "partial zero emissions" status) would quickly offset everything said in this article.
enthusiast
Most people who buy a fuel efficient car don't care about the environment or going green, the biggest reason they do it is because it costs too much to fill up. Hybrids are made for self benefit instead of environmental help. Personally I wouldn't care if my car was worse for the environment as compared to a used one, as long as I get good gas mileage and I pay less often - it works out for me.
enthusiast
Also older cars barely had half the safety features that we have now and they tend to break down a lot more than newer vehicles and they look outdated.
Goose
"Safety Features" = "Some jerk is honking at me; Can't he see I'm on the phone?"
Rex
How much Energy did it take the make the used vehicle when it was new? I'm guessing about This is ridiculous to compare a older used to a hybrid made today. Yes it cheap to buy a used vehicle which has not been weighed down with all the safety features of todays vehicles but how much is your life really worth to you.
bepsf
Reuse and Recycling is the mantra of "Green" - so purchasing pre-owned is a good start...
...and there are PZEV pre-owned vehicles out there with state-of-the art safety equipment - such as the Volvo S60 & V70 2.4, BMW 325i, late model 4-cylinder Honda Accord and Toyota Camry...
http://www.greencar.com/features/features1/
indi
I'm inclined toward the "resuse, recycle" ethic but there
are cons regarding pollution and safety as others have
pointed out. I'd be much more interested in a study
comparing the relative merits of using batteries which
are full of toxic waste versus straight series hybrids
using small ICEs to generate power. I suspect the small
ICE would be more green than the batteries.
JHinton
So I must be a super-greeny because I bought a used Prius right? Of course, it still doesn't have 46K miles on it so the original owner must have passed on that carbon debt to me right?
I find these type of comparisons to be strange. "Let's compare apples to oranges to bananas!" Why not take it farther. It is greener to buy a bicycle, wait no, buy a used bicycle, no buy shoes and walk, no buy used shoes and walk, no don't wear shoes because your feet self-regenerate! Where does it end?
Trinks
Wow, maybe before commenting you guys should actually read the article. The idea isn't "buy a Metro, save the world" but rather that people don't need to buy into hybrids in order to do their small part to reduce air pollution, foreign oil dependence, and hell maybe save a few bucks at the gas pump. The author notes many other models and admits that their list is not comprehensive at all.
Also, this only looks at carbon footprint, it doesn't consider anything else, so feel free to dispute their assumptions but calm yourself before you start squealing about safety features, repair costs, etc.
andrew
no, JHinton, I would stop at used shoes. Walking barefoot can lead to splinters, blisters, plantar fasciitis, and eternally blackened feet. Also, the lady doing your pedicures would probably shriek in horror at the sight of those pups. ;)
Russ Bellinis
Yeah but just think, you can now buy any gas guzzling new suv for almost used car prices. A friend's sister just bought a late model Porsche Cayanne (spelling?) for $20,000.00. I think she saw the name Porsche on it for that price and did not think to see what sort of mileage it would get.
John F
This study just measures the carbon emitted during the process of making the constituent materials. It doesn't include the carbon emitted: (1) by the manufacturing workers who drive to work (both Toyota and its vendors), (2) due to the electricity and heat consumed generally in the plant (both at Toyota and its vendors), (3) due to the electricity and heat consumed generally at the supporting offices and warehouses (both Toyota's and its vendors), (3) in the design and testing phases, (4) to ship the product from Japan to the U.S., (5) to ship the car to the dealership, (6) due to the electricity and heat consumed generally at the dealership, etc.
There will also be carbon emitted in the salvaging process for any vehicle.
When you trade in your SUV for a Prius, you yourself might consume less gasoline but the amount of gasoline consumed overall won't change. The guy now driving your old SUV will see to that.
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