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Anyone that has some real information know anything about wether or not hybrid engines actually output any fewer emissions when manufacturing/etc is taken into account? I know all my hippie college professors drive them because they know fewer emissions come out of the car - but I don't think they've thought about how much energy is expended packing that hydrogen into the fuel cell - energy that most probably comes from burning coal, seeing as 60% of our energy supply (in the US) comes from coal. Coal is actually much cleaner nowadays than you'd think, don't think of an old railroad engine driving when the transcontinental line was "new". However I doubt that when all this is taken into account those hybrids are that much environmentally sound than my non-hybrid coupe.

Thoughts? Information?

 
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according to the EPA Green Vehicles Guide the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid ranked the best in emissions. That being said in air pollution they also tied with about 30 other vehicles. As for their greenhouse gas ratings, it is likely they only received the highest green house gas score was due to their higher fuel economy.

http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/

As for the battery, its not a hydrogen fuel cell as for that is a completely different car your thinking of. It's a nickle metal hydride battery. But I'm not sure of how they are made, but it wouldn't be much different from other batteries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_metal_hydride

So, yeah they're better environmentally then your coupe.

 
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Only because they don't run the engine all the time. But wait till the Battery has to be disposed of. It just shifts pollution someplace else. Hybrids are a nice concept, but not fully matured yet.

 
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Actually if its a nickel metal hydride battery like he says then it will never have to be disposed of. Those are the rechargeable kind of batteries, for instance the kind that they use in RC cars. When the car gets too old they can probably easily be used in other applications, or the NiMH can probably be recycled for use in new batteries. If that recycling technology isn't out yet it will be soon if NiMH batteries continue to be used in cars I'm sure.

 
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if youre talking about hydrogen fuel cell types, i dont think we have a mature technique to make it yet. we cause more pollution and use more energy in making the hydrogen for fuel cell cars than the fuel cell cars themselves. but big companies such as bp and shell are trying to perfect the technique the production technique.

 
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the batteries have a life of about 7 or 8 years in the prius, I read about how toyota had to increase the warranty that covers the battery because of that.