Toyota applies flower power to Prius plant

Toyota has created a new species of pollution-eating flower to help counter criticisms about the environmental impact from the manufacturing process for its iconic Prius hybrid vehicle.

The flowers are a mixture (or should that be hybrid) of the cherry sage plant and gardenia, and are being grown on the roof of Toyota's Prius manufacturing facility in Japan. The former absorbs nitrogen oxides, while the latter creates water vapour which helps to cool the surface temperature of the plant.

The flowers are just one aspect of Toyota's efforts to green the Prius plant, and the company also installed 2,000kW of solar panels at the facility last year, providing about half of the electricity that it needs to operate. The other half comes from a gas co-generation system.

The auto company has had to fight a rearguard action against critics who are sceptical of its green claims for the Prius.

In a recent analysis of the manufacturing process, Wired magazine said that using the fuel savings from the car to pay off the carbon debt incurred through manufacturing would take 46,000 miles of driving. Much of the carbon emitted during the manufacturing process stems from the 30 pounds of nickel used in the hybrid's battery.

The article suggested that in many cases it might be better to buy a used car than a Prius.

In June, the Advertising Standards Authority banned a TV advertisement that claimed the hybrid vehicle permitted one tonne less CO2 than other cars.