interesting, i've read that making a pruis may cause more harm to the environment than driving an H_something.
A notion that has been thoroughly debunked.
http://www.thecarconnection.com/Aut...MMER_Exploding_the_Myth.S196.A12220.html?pg=1
http://www.betterworldclub.com/articles/hummer-not-more-efficient.htm
http://www.pacinst.org/topics/integrity_of_science/case_studies/hummer_vs_prius.pdf
Some highlights:
1) The most common source of the urban myth that a Hummer is more energy efficient over its lifetime assumes that a Hummer will last for 300,000 miles, whereas a Prius will only last for 100,000 miles. This assumption is based on precisely nothing.
2) The nickel mine where Toyota gets its nickel for batteries indeed had significant SO2 issues... thirty years ago. The mine (in Sudbury, Ontario) has reduced its SO2 emissions by 90% from its 1970 levels, and is targeting a 97% total reduction in 2015. Also, the amount of nickel that Toyota used for its batteries in 2004 was about 0.5% of the mine's total output that year.
3) The energy costs of development of the Hummer in the analysis were spread out over a large number of products, whereas the energy costs of development of the Prius were ascribed solely to the Prius. It's akin to saying that coffee has a higher marginal environmental cost than orange juice because the cup you use for coffee required more energy to produce... but only assuming that a coffee cup can only be used for coffee, and assuming that an orange juice glass can be used for anything.
4) The most commonly-cited study indicating that the Hummer is more efficient assumes that 85% of the total lifetime energy cost is used in recycling, and 15% in vehicle use. In reality, the numbers are reversed.