[Greenbuilding] OT What car?

[David Moylan]

This question has puzzled me for a while too.  I love seeing a Prius 
around thinking how they sip gas, but then I think "what's the embodied 
energy of a lithium ion battery and what are the consequences of mining 
and refining lithium and all of the other exotic materials?"...not to 
mention all the steel, aluminum, and plastic in a car.  Sounds like the 
type of question a thesis student might be interested in.  Any takers?

Of course the answer to the question doesn't really affect the best 
solution: whatever you drive, drive less.

Dave

Clarke Olsen wrote:
>     I think that you would have to drive a lot-o-miles to justify
>     the building of yet another car.
>     Clarke Olsen
>     Spencertown, NY
> 
> On May 3, 2008, at 2:31 PM, MKL wrote:
> 
>> Pursuant to the collective realization here of the
>> futility of attempting to establish a universal Green
>> manifesto.
>>
>>
>> A puzzle.
>>
>>
>>
>> If someone drove under 12,000 kms per year (suburban
>> or rural retiree perhaps) should they drive an old gas
>> guzzler (or just a gas fueled car) perhaps with a
>> bigger engine thereby reducing the need for new car
>> production and consequent production pollution and
>> save a lot of money on the price of the vehicle or buy
>> a new expensive fuel efficient vehicle and save on the
>> cost of fuel (with the AC off) but contribute to
>> production pollution and have less to spend on evac
>> tube technology?
>>
>> There is presumably a ratio like there is with
>> everything else practical by which this might be
>> decided but in a retiring baby boom dominated society
>> likely to be only going into town once a week will it
>> matter much if its in a   5 litre Bentley Continental
>> or Lincoln Town Car? Indeed SHOULD it be rather than a
>> NEW vehicle of any type? (assuming VERY low annual
>> mileage of course)
>>
>> If the store was only 3 miles away then would it be OK
>> then to drive from Buffalo to Arizona and back once a
>> year in the Lincoln? The auto industry in North
>> America has traditionally catered to the suburban
>> commuter where high daily mileage can be offset with
>> savings in the choice of engine but in the near future
>> aging boomers and beyond will not drive as much as
>> they did possibly making the savings on fuel type
>> small and for many the deciding factor of how much
>> they will pay to save a few dollars. Especially if
>> they live in the city in multi unit housing and only
>> use their car to get to the Summer "cottage/cabin" in
>> the country where they are active in tree planting,
>> growing organic foods and breathing cleaner air.
>>
>> Michael Lough
>>
>> No doubt concentration camps were a means, a menace
>> used to keep order.
>> Albert Speer
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>        
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