Are Electric Cars Really Better for the Environment?

The environmental credentials of electric cars are more contested than EV advocates would like to admit. The yes camp argues that over a full lifecycle — from manufacturing through operation to end of life — electric vehicles produce significantly less CO2 than petrol equivalents, that the electricity grid is getting cleaner every year making EVs better over time, and that eliminating tailpipe emissions in cities dramatically improves air quality and public health. The no camp argues that battery production requires enormous amounts of lithium, cobalt, and nickel extracted through environmentally destructive mining, that in countries with coal-heavy electricity grids EVs can have a higher carbon footprint than efficient petrol cars, and that the recycling infrastructure for EV batteries barely exists. Are electric cars actually better for the environment?

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