i'm super interested in getting a hybrid, or even a completely electric car, when i next purchase. but i have one burning question: what happens with those batteries once they are used? is there a competent recycling system in place for hybrid/electric car batteries?
i toyed with the idea of getting a hybrid back when i first started teaching, and a friend gave me some advice that has stuck with me. she told me that i needed to consider that my honda civic gets 30+ highway miles and a hybrid gets around the same (maybe a few more). she continued by telling me that the places they make the batteries for the hybrid cars produce waste that is harmful. plus, how are the batteries recycled?
so i'm struck - not only do us greenies ask ourselves do we get a hybrid/electric car (so as to boycott those bastard oil companies), but also how do we function in a fast-paced, long distance society if said cars are harmful themselves?
i can't just "horse-and-buggy" myself to new jersey, pennsylvania, and new york when i want to see my family. and with all of my friends and family spread out over the united states, moving "closer to your loved ones" doesn't solve the problem either.
reverting back to a society in which mechanical travel was limited to two horses pulling a cart is impossible. just to get to work, i HAVE to drive. bike riding 15 miles is not reasonable - i mean, i guess i COULD do it, but i'd have to maneuver through busy rush hour traffic on a bike...
so joining the green movement has left me with more questions that answers. i am fully committed, but, really, how do we make an impact when society has pushed far beyond the limits of greenery?
my only answer? i can only change so much at the individual level; then i hit brick walls such as these - anyone who wants to follow me, and join me, would you like to start an action group here in roanoke? we can start simple - meetings, flyers (recycled paper ONLY), door knocking, even carpooling. whatever you want - but me, by myself, does little. i need you.
:)
Your friend is right. My hybrid escape gets at best 28 MPG, and much less than that in the summer. It is much better than the escape with just an engine, but if I had a smaller car I could get much better fuel economy. Hybrids work the best when you aren't driving far and aren't driving very fast, because then the motor can stay on longer.
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