Interesting article in todays Sunday Times. explains how a EV actually produces more emissions than a normal combustion engine.
https://edition.thewest.com.au/html5/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=WAN%2F2021%2F11%2F28&entity=Ar05503&sk=F98CC3D4&mode=text
Yeah, but he's thinking about it in entirely the wrong way.
True - mining yet more rare earth materials to make batteries - is polluting in its own right.
True - with Australia's mix of energy, charging EV's will likely come from Coal/Gas first - although this is rapidly evolving.
The reason he's wrong - is he's treating an EV, like any ordinary ICE vehicle. Fuel up, drive to destination, fuel up, drive to destination.
EV's of the future probably aren't like this, they are charging whenever they are stopped - their batteries become part of the grid itself, and 98% of trips are well within an EV range. You can hire an ICE vehicle if you need to. Which brings me to my next point - why own any of these things - they'll be automated, and on uber like service. The thing will just turn up to your driveway charged, and take you where you need to go, then it'll go off and do the next job, or be charged or be serviced.
Remember the iPhone was only released in 2007 - and for better or worse has disrupted many industries that we could never have guessed at the time (like taxis & uber). EV's will be the same, policy settings will help - but ultimately the market will drive it for cost/efficiency/convenience (if the market is left to be truly free - which is one political persuasion, but they only like free market economics when it does what they want).
Owning a car won't be the same, journeys won't be the same, the methodology won't be the same - so attributing todays behaviours to it, will never look particularly good.
