Myths/hybrid cars pollute more than standard cars

Myth: Hybrid automobiles cause as much or more pollution than petrol-only cars.

Myth

Examples

"I heard that Prius, to make the battery it uses more Nickel and therefore causes more pollution to our environment.... It emits more carbon dioxide than regular gas cars! So, please continue to support Toyota by buying their Prius's!" — Cyn Rickman-Kirkman, Facebook comment, 2015-03-22

• 2013-03-11 Green Cars Have a Dirty Little Secret by Bjorn Lomborg, global warming denier: the article makes a lot of true statements, based on faulty comparisons, leaving the reader with the false impression that hybrids and EVs pollute more than standard automobiles without actually saying so.

Origins

At least one major origin of this myth appears to be a 2007 report by CNW Marketing Research, an "automotive marketing company", which used faulty analysis techniques to reach the conclusion that the Hummer H1, H2 and H3 are more energy efficient than a Toyota Prius hybrid and many other smaller vehicles.

Related

• Myths/there are no sustainable energy sources
• Myths/electric cars pollute more than standard cars

Reality

This myth consists primarily of focusing on the environmental costs of production only, and ignoring or downplaying the long-term environmental savings gained from that investment.

The amount of additional pollution created by the production of the additional batteries needed by EVs and hybrids is a one-time event which must be factored in over the lifetime of the car. A 2006 US Department of Energy report agreed that hybrid cars do indeed require more energy to produce (and emit more greenhouse gases during production) than conventional cars, but also found that petrol-only vehicles require far more energy to operate and emit far more greenhouse gases over their average lifetimes.

Further Reading

• 2007-05-26 Hummer versus Prius: “Dust to Dust” Report Misleads the Media and Public with Bad Science
• 2007-06-04 The Hummer vs. the Prius "A 450-page report by the Oregon-based CNW Marketing Research, an "automotive marketing company," has come to this startling conclusion: The Hummer H1, H2 and H3 are more energy efficient than a Toyota Prius hybrid and many other smaller vehicles." ... "The lesson here is to beware of junk science. If you want to do your part to fight global warming, it probably doesn't make sense to trade in your Prius for a Hummer."