The killer prius
Earth savior or Earth Killer?
So this is the Toyota Prius, a car with great fuel economy and it is big enough for your family, but is the car really all that good just because it is a hybrid and there are claims that it will save the Earth? Just a small rundown of the Prius is that the battery takes rare earth metals to make, these elements are a probably unknown to some people but it is needed for several of our gadgets. The demand for these metals will see them being shipped out 40,000 tonnes annually and it will mean we will probably run out of these elements, and thus the Prius and the hybrid cousins of this car will effectively kill off the rare earth metals. Sure it sips fuel but it eats the earth metal like a hungry dog. The one element that is short on is neodymium, which is used to make the magnets in the electric motor in the Prius, then terbium and dysprosium are added in smaller amounts to the alloy to preserve neodymium’s magnetic properties at high temperatures, more rare Earth metal used, so is it over? Well…no. Lanthanum, is a major ingredient for hybrid car batteries, so there we go, all that just to make the magnet in the Prius. Jack Lifton, an independent commodities consultant and strategic metals expert, calls the Prius “the biggest user of rare earths of any object in the world.” so this ought to make the eco-freaks think twice before saying the Prius is the savior of the earth. So this is the stats, each electric Prius motor requires 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) of neodymium, and each battery uses 10 to 15 kg (22-33 lb) of lanthanum. That number will nearly double under Toyota’s plans to boost the car’s fuel economy. We will probably end up with no more rare earth metals by the end of 2011 at the rate this is going, because those people who see their idols with a Prius will say “I want a car like (insert celebrity name here).”
So here is a small note for the people who think the Prius is one of the Earth’s saviors, The Prius will kill the earth faster than cow’s fart…that’s saying something.
Car of the day
Audi A5
Engine: varies (3.0L TDI/3.2L V6 etc.)
0-62mph: 5.9 sec (3.0L diesel)
Price (SG): $159,000 – $206,800
Price (UK): £22,940 – £39,595
Top Speed: 155mph
Cool Meter: 75%
Practicality: 70%
You'll hardly be noticed in this...but when you do...you're stylish
It is quite the quality car isn’t it? Like those rich businessmen would drive…and it is actually, this is what I call a businessman’s car, because of it executive styling, its sleek design and best of all, it is quite discreet when you park it there, no one really seems to notice it as it kind of looks just like a car despite the styling. The interior of the car is beautiful as well, it feels extremely expensive and well built. This car doesn’t struggle at turns as well, which is odd, considering that it is quite big. Rear legroom is an issue though but you have a big boot and there is a convertible version out there as well, so you really don’t want people at the back. This is an overall cool car and probably a car that most companies will use for their company cars as well.
Wreck of the day
Dodge Caliber
Engine: 2.0L 4-cylinder 16-valve dual VVT
0-62mph: 11.3 sec
Price (SG): $90,000
Price (UK): £12,280 – £16,355
Top Speed: 155mph
Cool Meter: 0%
Practicality: 60%
an indecisive piece of work
First of all, the spelling is Calibre, and it is not how cars are meant to look, firstly it may look big but it is a hatchback not an SUV, it is a big hatchback that doesn’t feel big inside despite the big boot, which I suppose is this car’s only plus. This car is seriously uncool because it tries too hard to look like an SUV then says it is a hatchback, so to put that into a easier perspective, it is like saying “I look like diamonds but I am actually glass”, not the kind of combination but at least glass can look like diamonds. The handling is also laughable as you have better choices in hatchbacks, Volkswagen Golf comes to mind. So if you see one of these things on the street, laugh at the person driving it, because it is just funny.
Side note:
Happy birthday to the Halloween girl, not sure if you are reading, party was awesome.
