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Do EVs cause more environmental damage when they’re being manufactured than the carbon they save by not burning fossil fuels to run?
– Carolyn
Dear Carolyn,
It’s all fine and dandy that, once built, an EV doesn’t emit greenhouse gas emissions, but what about everything (including the critical minerals — lithium, cobalt, graphite, nickel — for the car’s battery) that goes into producing an EV? What impact does that have on our environment?
While Dot trusts that your question arises out of genuine curiosity, Carolyn, Dot must point out that it’s no coincidence that, as EVs are gaining in popularity and ubiquity, so too is misinformation about them. Particularly common is the myth that the environmental cost of producing an EV outstrips any advantage derived from driving an emissions-free car. This is, in fact, a myth — a stubborn one that’s fueled by those with a vested interest in keeping us reliant on extracting and burning fossil fuels. (In order to help identify and combat misinformation, digital literacy experts have some straightforward — and actionable — advice. For starters, consider the source and what incentive they might have for putting forth a particular point of view. Upton Sinclair famously said, “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” Watergate’s Deep Throat put it this way: Follow the money.)
What evidence does Dot have that this is misinformation? Let’s peek under the hood …
Read on to discover the actual data behind this pervasive myth.
