[Greenbuilding] Fwd: Tata, funny name, un funny topic.

[Benjamin Pratt]

OK--here's some reputable research on what i was just saying:


http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VH8-44KDMHY-5&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=f9c0f74cae47f9a2439e72a945e596e1

Title
An environmental-economic evaluation of hybrid electric vehicles:
Toyota's Prius vs. its conventional internal combustion engine Corolla

Abstract

We compare the second generation of the first commercial hybrid
electric vehicle (HEV), the Toyota Prius, to the conventional internal
combustion engine (ICE) Toyota Corolla. The more complicated and
expensive Prius has lower pollutant and carbon dioxide emissions and
better fuel economy than the Corolla. In a world of limited resources
and many petroleum users and emissions sources, the policy question is
whether the best use of resources is to build hybrids, to improve the
fuel economy and environmental emissions of other mobile sources, or
to devote the resources to other environmental projects. We find that
the Prius is not cost-effective in improving fuel economy or lowering
emissions. For the Prius to be attractive to US consumers, the price
of gasoline would have to be more than three times greater than at
present. To be attractive to regulators, the social value of abating
tailpipe emissions would have to be 14 times greater than conventional
values. Alternatively, the value of abating greenhouse gas emissions
would have to be at least $217/t. There are many opportunities for
abating pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions at lower cost. We
conclude that hybrids will not have significant sales unless fuel
prices rise several-fold or unless regulators mandate them.