I get you now. It is amazing the points of view on this topic. I saw a study that evaluated the production, use, maintenance, and ultimate destruction of various autos - to compare how green a car really is. I believe Scion won and the Hummer turned out being more green than a Prius. It seems that mining for rare earth elements like Lithium and even magnets in windmills is a dangerous dirty process for humans and it leaves the environment damaged. That Prius battery probably will set you back a few grand every few years when you replace it and dispose of the toxic waste it contains.
Prius batteries are 100% recycled.
Forget those fears that hybrid and electric vehicles will result in landfills full of dead batteries.
When Toyota hybrid battery packs reach the end of their lives, every piece is recycled. And it's all because of a program launched a year ago by Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. and its dealers.
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120102/RETAIL07/301029980/1147
Other automakers like Tesla and Nissan have battery recycling programs as well.