Though widely thought of as the ultimate green car, the 2010 Toyota Prius is facing criticism over just how green it is.
The controversy centres on its use of a nickel metal hydride battery. The Prius uses a lot of fossil fuels during its hybrid battery development and now critics are calling for Toyota to correct its green statements.
According to them, the nickel on the Toyota Prius battery is mined in Sudbury, Ontario and then it is smelted nearby where there are reports of damage to the environment. The nickel is then shipped to a refinery in Wales.
From there, it is sent to China to be made into nickel foam before being shipped to Japan and made into a hybrid battery. Of course once the car is ready it is shipped again all around the world, including as far afield as the USA.
The argument surrounding the battery is that it uses so much fossil fuel during its development.
Of course, virtually all cars – whether conventional or hybrid – are built with similar processes in place. However, that has not stopped the criticism earning Press coverage in a publication as well respected as The Washington Post.
Clearly battery toxicity is a concern – although the move to nickel metal hydride batteries represents a clear improvement over rechargeable nickel cadmium. Nickel metal hydride batteries can also be fully recycled, with Toyota part of one of the largest recycling programmes.
