The Coalition of the Swilling

The battery question is what cured me of the notion of going with a hybrid. I'll stick to a proper Accord.

It is NEVER part of the dialogue when folks are wavin' daisies and talking 'hybrids'.

Answer to A: I can't find any disposal procedures for the average Joe.

Answer B: To purchase a brand new hybrid battery from a dealer, the price for a Honda Insight Hybrid battery is around $3600.

In November of 2005, when asked about the price of a new Prius battery, Toyota spokeswoman Mona Richard said, "The service parts price for a new battery is $3000, but we have not had to sell a battery yet."

Where are they going to go is an easy answer. Battery recycling is quite a good business. I got a job offer one time from a company that recycled lead acid batteries. I didn't take the job, and an couple interviews doesn't make me anything like an expert, but I did learn that it's a good business model.

My wife and I almost bought a hybrid Lexus suv, the RX-400h. Very cool car. As an engineer I loved it. But the truth is that the electric power plant doesn't save gas, it adds power. It transforms the gas guzzling 330bhp RX-330 into an even more gas guzzling 400bhp vehicle. And it cost a lot more. We decided not to get it because we didn't need the extra power (god, did those words just come from my keyboard?) and the lower fuel efficiency with the higher cost didn't make much sense.

We compromised and got a trailer hitch, though. And four wheel drive. So, I'm happy, she's happy, and our bank account is happy.

I'm sure they're pointing to people "not caring enough" (yes, one night I listened to a children's radio show where the host asked kids to call in and theorize about why grownups don't care about the environment) but it all comes down to money, doesn't it? Isn't that why Hondas are popular? All the hybrid Hondas in the Philly area are Civics. I never dared to find out how expensive a hybrid Accord would be.

As for me, I want the most safety I can afford, and those teeny enviro-tin-cans make me nervous.

I'm with you, Kate.

And an old diesel Rabbit gets better mileage than a Prius, anyway.

I recently read an online report involving some real-world driving tests of the Accord hybrid, the mileage numbers varied wildly for the car. IIRC, the mileage was actually worse in the hybrid than it was for the 4-cylinder Accord. In Honda's defense, I believe that the company admitted that the purpose of the hybrid engine in the Accord was not to provide better gas mileage, but to provide an additional boost to the engine.

I've been wondering for years, just what kind of mess is it going to make when you have a severe accident and the battery case is ruptured?

And do they factor in to the mileage figures the oil/gas/coal burned to make the electricity?