Hey oilerlord, I disagree that the positive environmental impact of electric powered vehicles is neutralized by the carbon footprint created in the manufacturing and disposal process. The production of a new EV or ICE vehicle is similarly harmful to the environment (paint, metal, shaping, foams) and indeed a battery is more harmful to produce and ultimately recycle but this is only part of the story.
Cradle to grave over an
average lifespan of an automobile (100K to 200K), an EV is much more efficient because it uses locally produced electricity coming from regulated power plants and perhaps solar or wind through net metering (the electric grid is constantly getting cleaner while old automobiles are constantly getting less efficient and dirtier). I believe there is similar natural and geopolitical harm in sourcing Lithium as with Oil but once a battery is produced, it does not have to be re-mined and shipped across the world over and over to power the car. That can be left to a wide range of alternative, perhaps more stable and efficient, sources.
The following image shows the miles per gallon equivalent that electric vehicles achieve based on their location of charging around the world. Note that in America this averages out to 40mpg based on how we produce electricity (with coal and natural gas) compared with Brazil and Paraguay where they produce electricity with hydro electric dams (which may still be destroying habitats... but at least the electricity is polluting less). Hydroelectric dams rely on the natural evaporation and rain systems that replenish rivers and lakes, they are essentially solar powered as heat from the sun causes liquid water to phase shift into vapor and eventually condense and rain back down. The second image shows the CO2 output of electric vehicle production. Data and image
source here.
View attachment 430 View attachment 428
One final consideration... regardless of actual energy use and geopolitical context. Think about where CO2 is actually emitted. On ICE vehicles we put the tailpipe at the rear (because exhaust smells bad and is toxic... often used in
garage suicides). If we are going to emit pollution, doing it through a regulated, highly filtered coal or natural gas plant outside of town seems like a preferable solution than in our communities.
I agree that electric drive and battery technology can still be improved. By purchasing one of the existing products you are helping to fund future investment in the space and signal to companies and governments that efficiency is in demand. Sometimes I hear people preaching about "voting with your dollars" and I think that's worth considering here as well.