[guudasitgets]

I worked for a battery company. The cost of recycling the Prius and other NMH and Li batteries is much higher and deals with more harmful chemicals the lead acid battery recycling. Lead acid batteries are, for the most part almost all recycled, plates, lead grids, plate tab burns, polypropylene cases, heck even the stainless studs on golf cart batteries. The first two require electrolysis to un-clad various metals used. If you want recycling efficiency you cant beat lead acid as compared to the NiCad, NMH or Li group. This was a concern when I found out Toyota was doing their own recycling program and every one was ok with it because it was taken care of by the factory. But at what cost to the environment. I know these are changing times and we all have a little Li battery in our cell phones and soon cars but years down the road we must examine what all these things are going to do when they end up in landfills, on the sides of roads etc. There are some operational benefits to other types. NiCad standby starting batteries for gen sets are rated to last 20 years before replacement, so they get used less therefore don't have to recycle as often. Li, improves performance in colder temps, (so they say) I haven't tested it myself but will this year on the sled in the winter. The answer to the greenest battery? Model T ford, with a hand crank and a magneto, it didn't need one. Had one just for the starting coils.