In the post I wrote supporting Texas Senate Bill 506, which would allow motorcycles to lane split during congested traffic, one of Austin’s local transportation bloggers and self-proclaimed Liberal made the issue into a Toyota Prius vs. motorcycle debate.
As in, he thinks his little Prius is more environmentally friendly than my bad-ass 1900 cc, 113 ci, air-cooled, classic big v-twin motorcycle.
It’s not.
According to Wired magazine, you’d be better off and more environmentally friendly buying a 10-year old Tercell than you are buying a new Prius:
Pound for pound, making a Prius contributes more carbon to the atmosphere than making a Hummer, largely due to the environmental cost of the 30 pounds of nickel in the hybrid’s battery. Of course, the hybrid quickly erases that carbon deficit on the road, thanks to its vastly superior fuel economy.
Still, the comparison suggests a more sensible question. If a new Prius were placed head-to-head with a used car, would the Prius win? Don’t bet on it. Making a Prius consumes 113 million BTUs, according to sustainability engineer Pablo Päster. A single gallon of gas contains about 113,000 Btus, so Toyota’s green wonder guzzles the equivalent of 1,000 gallons before it clocks its first mile. A used car, on the other hand, starts with a significant advantage: The first owner has already paid off its carbon debt. Buy a decade-old Toyota Tercel, which gets a respectable 35 mpg, and the Prius will have to drive 100,000 miles to catch up.
If it takes 113K BTUs to make a Prius, I’m guessing a Japanese cruiser like mine is probably a fraction of that.
And while my beast of a cruiser “only” averages about 44 mpg (I can get about 48 if I lay off the throttle a little), many motorcycles get 60-70 mph…much higher than any Prius. And when you change tires on your motorcycle? There are only 2 of them. Not 4.
Oil? I use about 4.5 liters of synthetic oil per year. Radiator fluid? None. My bike is air cooled. And the single, small battery that was in it when I bought it? It’ll likely be the only battery this bike ever needs.
Next up is Brian Sullivan at FoxBusiness who notes:
Next up, the Toyota Prius.  This hybrid car is beloved by those looking to reduce carbon emissions and save gas.  The problem: while the driver of the Prius is saving gas with its energy-efficient 55mpg, the total cost to the environment is much greater.  The reason? The massive amount of energy it takes to mine and transport the 30lbs of nickel that are found in the Prius’ batteries.
But hey, the Pirus driver doesn’t have to think about those mining costs to the environment — kinda like Al Gore racking up hundreds of thousands of miles in a private jet to talk about global warming and sacrifice.
Does my motorcycle produce more hydrocarbons than most cars? Yep, it sure does. But not nearly as much as older bikes used to, as my bike uses an oxygen sensor and three-way catalyst to reduce emissions.
But every other factor of producing, shipping, operating, and maintaining a motorcycle is remarkably less than a car.
So if driving a new Prius makes you feel environmentally green, go for it. But you’re wrong. You’ve just transferred you great fuel economy for other more environmentally destructive manufacturing processes.
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NOTE:Â As an aside, I enjoy M1Ek’s transportation blog — he does a good job of covering transportation, commuting, and urban sprawl/development issues in and around Austin
Off hand I’d say the Prius since their sales are about as flat as my feet.
Once again, the mining issue is FUD, as is most of the rest. (The effects of the infamous “Hummer vs. Hybrid” study still pollute the discourse). Wired loves diesels, by the way; they’re infamous for their bias on that scale.
And the “new versus used” argument is particularly stupid. That was a new car once, too; and if we all stopped buying new cars, where would the used cars come from?
If you want to argue anectdotally based on bits and pieces, one could also point out the brake issue (supposedly the infamous Prius cabs up in Vancouver went 200,000 miles on their original pads thanks to regenerative braking); the extra reliability of a Prius compared to your motorcycle; etc.
The emissions I was referring to were NO2, CO, and particulates, not unburned hydrocarbons.
The point of all this, by the way, is not that motorcycles are dirty, although some are, but rather that the motorcycle and the single-occupant Prius are so close together on environmental damage compared to the SUV/pickup that it’s ridiculous of you to pick this fight. I’d be thrilled if all the single-occupant Suburbans were replaced by motorcycles.
Hello everyone,
I saw the comments about being green and more environmentally friendly and thought I would add a quick comment. I think it is great that so many people are waking up to the fact that the planet is in trouble and that we need to take action now in order to help. I think we can all do that little bit extra to try and help save the planet. Whether that be the little things, such as making sure all water taps are properly turned off when you leave the kitchen or bathroom, switching all your electrical appliances off instead of standby. I do all these, but I have also changed the way I send greetings cards. The amount of paper birthday cards, and Christmas cards we send every I was shocked to think at how much money I was spending, and the amount of resources I was using. To change my ways, I have now become a bit of a fan of e-Cards. I think they are such a good way to help the environment, no paper required, so less trees to be cut down! This has to be a good thing! I have done my research and I have finally come across a really good Environmentally Friendly e-Card site. One of the things I like about this site is it is so easy to use, I am not that confident with using computers so this site was really good for me, everything was easy to use and the instructions were easy to follow. Another great thing about this site is that it is totally free, this makes me very happy, saves pennies!! I know e-Cards are not going to be for everyone, but I think they are worth a try! Hope you all find this useful, Kind regards, Nicole.
Nicole, you wrote:
I think it is great that so many people are waking up to the fact that the planet is in trouble and that we need to take action now in order to help.
And I just wanted to correct you right out of the gate — I don’t think the planet is in trouble, and I don’t think we need to to take any “action” now to “save” the planet. Man-made global warming is the biggest hoax and fraud ever perpetuated on the world.
I don’t ride a motorcycle because it’s environmentally friendly. I ride because of the joy of riding; the freedom, the wind in my face, the speed and raw power, and because it’s easier to find a parking space. Oh, and chicks really, really dig motorcycles. I’ll be more women ask guys for a joy ride on their bikes than ask guys for a joy ride in their hybrid car.
But, Nicole really really digs e-cards. And she should, since it is her own business.
Let’s not just consider energy consumption, because energy does not equal carbon emissions. Furthermore, the Prius has a hell of a catalytic converter, which takes environmentally toxic gases and neutralizes them. If I am walking on the sidewalk, I’d rather a Prius drive by my air passage than a hog.
Robbie: If you don’t want to feel guilty about your actions, then you better believe global warming is a hoax. I challenge you sit there and sniff the fumes out of your muffler. Why not, since it’s not harmful at all to burn fuel for the love of it? I say we reduce our fuel consumption, if for no other reason than to improve our air quality. Reducing global warming: That’s just a bonus!
Energy consumption is directly related to carbon emissions when it comes to internal combustion engines, since the chemical reaction (stoichiometrically) is roughly (2)C8H18 + (25)O2 -> (16)CO2 + (18)H2O + 10,860 kilojoules.
The only thing the cat reduces are unburned hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen; it has no effect whatsoever on carbon dioxide emissions.
What is it, exactly, that you have against plant food?