In America, if someone asked you to name a hybrid, you would say the Toyota Prius. The Prius, synonymous with being green, efficient, the car of earth day worshipper's and tree huggers, has an enormous environmental footprint. But how, you ask. This vehicle gets over 50 miles per gallon, nearly 60 in the city. It’s even in the name, Toyota Prius Two Eco. So it must be economical and green.

Well, one of those is true. The Prius is fantastically efficient in using gasoline. However, it does use a considerable amount of electricity courtesy of its 207V Lithium-Ion battery and electric motors. These two electrical components are what contribute the most to this vehicle's environmental impact. Cadmium, lithium, magnesium, graphite and aluminum are all found in the making of these parts. Cadmium is one of the worst offenders in the plight of this vehicle's impact. Cadmium's mining impact is phenomenal in the worst use of the word. Strip mining is the common way that this metal is extracted from the ground, a process that produces thousands and thousands of tons of wasted material and incredible amounts of pollutants that are sent into the air and water around these mines. China is an excellent example of this, with entire towns being forced to move due to the sheer volume of pollutants entering the rivers nearby.

This is only the start of it. Materials sourced to make the Prius come from all over the globe; Canada, U.S.A, China, Japan, South America and Europe. These are all flown from country to country on 30-40 year old lets spouting massive amounts of jet fumes into the atmosphere. Some materials are even flown from one country to another for manufacturing, then to another for final assembly, further increasing the impact. So one must ask, how is this vehicle touted as such an earth friendly car yet because so much damage? It is the simple fact that car manufacturers don’t need to broadcast their assembly processes and techniques. This allows them to use any means necessary to produce their vehicle, regardless of the impact it may have.

To put this into context: a 2013 Mercedes-Benz S350 blueTEC, which costs over $100,000, has leather seats, wood trim and every other amenity imaginable, won an award for its sustainable manufacturing processes. The wood is recycled. The leather is from cows that were already slaughtered for meat, to further their usefulness. Every material in that car is made from recycled or natural products, greatly reducing the impact of producing such a car. It is incredible that a vehicle touted by its manufacturer to be the gold standard for premiership luxury and prestige, cloaked in opulent materials and designed with abandon to be the finest form of four wheeled transportation can outperform an automobile advertised to be unequivocally the best form of eco-friendly and environmental movement for the discerning conservationist who wishes to further decrease their hydrocarbon footprint.

The reality is, “eco” vehicles are often the opposite of that. Eco in function, absolutely. Eco in production? Absolutely not. The aforementioned Mercedes would need to be driven over 125000 miles before its less efficient powertrain overcomes the massive environmental cost of producing a Prius. This is incredible. So, buyers beware. Not all vehicles are created equal and know that many ecotec vehicles have enormous production costs.