Save the Earth: Drive a Ferrari

How's this for a convenient truth? Priuses spew out 78 times as much CO2 as Ferraris. Amid the huffing and puffing on Capitol Hill and elsewhere about jacking corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) for new vehicles to 35 mpg by 2020 (or up to 50 mpg if you happen to live in California) while reducing tailpipe emissions to the level of an ant fart, it seems the world has overlooked this surprising statistic: Toyota Priuses are78 times more toxic to the environment than Ferraris. Furthermore, they consume 78 times the amount of gasoline. The Math That's right. While we're sure to be called out on this by our more persnickety readers, the math breaks down thus: Since the beginning of the 2004 model year, when the current Prius debuted, Ferrari has sold roughly 7900 cars in North America. Annual mileage for the average Ferrari is tough to estimate, as some are destined to remain zero-mile collectors' items while others are daily drivers, but according to a Ferrari spokesman, Ferraris sold in North America get driven "right around 5000 miles per year for V-12 models, less with the V-8s." Assuming, then, that the average Ferrari is driven 4500 miles per year, the total fleet mileage for this fresh herd of prancing horses is 35,550,000 miles per year (all too few of them with our hands on the reigns). The average Ferrari CO2 emissions level hovers somewhere near 400 g/km, or 644 g/mile, according to Ferrari. Over the 35 million or so miles that the fleet of North American Ferraris will travel in the next year, they will be responsible for approximately 23 million kg of CO2. Fuel consumption, at an average of about 14 mpg combined for the Ferrari fleet, will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 2.5 million gallons of gas. Sound like a lot? Keep Reading: Save the Earth: Drive a Ferrari