Even if the materials used in the batteries were in fact "clean" these EV's still aren't clean at all. The reason being that, yes, they run off of electricity rather than burning fossil fuels, HOWEVER, no one ever asks where that electricity comes from.<br><br>The fact remains, the generated energy that powers EV's is still primarily produced from burning fossil fuels, as is most of the nation's electricity.<br><br>Everybody owning an EV does nothing to solve the climate crisis, it merely changes where the emmissions happen, but they still happen. If everyone has an EV then more electricity needs to be generated to power them, and that energy will be primarily produced by burning fossil fuels.<br><br>The pollution produced by mining the elements used to make EV batteries is just further pollution on top of the pollution produced in the generation of the "clean" electricity that powers them.<br><br>EV's are only as clean as the source of the electricity that powers them.,(reply>), 1. ICEs engines are only ~25% energy efficient. Oil power plants are ~40% efficient. 5% is lost to the grid, 10% is lost when charging your EV. 0.4 * 0.95 * 0.9 = ~0.342, or ~34% efficient. Therefore, EVs are more efficient even when burning fossil fuels. The bit where this also moves the tailpipe from where people are to where people aren't is a nice side effect<br><br>2. On average, US is 40% nuclear + renewal. Europe is 60% renewable + nuclear, which further reduces the emissions.<br><br>3. An ICE car will run on gas forever, whereas the fuel source for EVs is changing as grids are moving towards renewables<br><br>4. As we know, fossil fuel extraction never ever causes pollution or spills that render entire rivers dead. Never happens. Ever. Especially not in third world countries.