Toyota Looks at the Life Cycle Assessment

Bill Reinert, national manager of the Advanced Technology Group at Toyota Motor Sales noted the total life cycle of energy costs must be taken into account when developing 'green' transportation.

That's why a plug-in hybrid car would work in the U.S., France and Japan, but not necessarily in China. Energy that is created from low-carbon sources such as nuclear power, is more readily available in the former but not the latter.

Rienert said that Toyota takes a look at the "life cycle assessment" of a vehicle, not just the cost to drive it. That's why they don't use carbon fiber in their vehicles. The energy used to produce the material does not outweigh the reduced cost in fuel efficiency from using the lighter material.

"That's what we do at Toyota. It's kind of a shorthand for looking at a systematic approach," he said.

Source: It's not easy being a green car - Automotive News