Something that's been nagging me for a while, and now triggered by reading road test reports on the new Lexus RX. It's clear that our car taxation system is designed to flatter/encourage cars with low CO2 emissions. Yet that of course only has any impact whilst the car is being driven. It would be interesting to understand the whole life environmental impact of a vehicle, over say 10 years/150,000 miles, or whatever, including the CO2 (and any other environmental) costs of manufacture, impact of routine servicing (oil use/disposal etc), cost of any major scheduled parts replacements, such as new batteries for a hybrid, and the environmental cost of final disposal/recycling.
It seems to me that the inclusion of massive batteries in the RX may mean that whilst its daily running impact is environmentally better than say a new E-Class estate, the whole life costs may well swing in the Merc's favour. Also, there are likely to be CO2 differences in manufacturing processes - which manufacturer is most efficient?
So - any idea how we can discover the true impact? Was thinking of asking my local Lexus dealer for a view...
It seems to me that the inclusion of massive batteries in the RX may mean that whilst its daily running impact is environmentally better than say a new E-Class estate, the whole life costs may well swing in the Merc's favour. Also, there are likely to be CO2 differences in manufacturing processes - which manufacturer is most efficient?
So - any idea how we can discover the true impact? Was thinking of asking my local Lexus dealer for a view...
