TLDR: BEVs still have huge pollution problems that lead me to believe that they are not environmentally friendly, but are marginally better than currently offered ICEs.
Full response: Many of the comments seem to be more inflammatory or reactive than logical. This is one of the problems with both sides of the argument. People rarely compare apples to apples or use logic rather than emotions.
Similar to what someone stated previously: most manufacturing processes produce pollution and to truly remedy this it takes massive and difficult changes, but some companies (outside of auto) are getting there. The auto industry is particularly bad for not reforming the materials and processes used to manufacture. The auto industry is not only cost competitive, but it also relies heavily on material engineering. This then takes us to the next point…
On one hand, most existing ICE manufacturing plants still use non-renewable energy. On the other hand, the ICE plants that do use renewable energy would produce far less pollution. Although many BEV sheep wail about this being “fake news,” there is a sufficient amount of studies done on the subject to paint a complete picture. BEV batteries and motors are simply more chemically complex and difficult to utilize than the iron, aluminum, and magnesium used in ICE drivetrain components. It really has little to do with how the plant is powered, it’s the materials used in the manufacturing process. All plants can be converted to renewable energy, but you can’t easily switch out the materials used. The mining, refinement, manufacturing, and recycling of batteries and electric motors is what produces to bulk of problematic pollution from BEVs.
Manufacturers that talk about the recyclability of their car and its components are often lying or being extremely liberal with the numbers. Countless studies have found that not only are ICE drivetrains more recyclable (once again, they are more basic metals and already have recycling infrastructure in place) but that BEV batteries are actually rarely recycled and not nearly as recyclable as claimed. Not to mention all batteries need to be replaced and recycled eventually which for most BEV manufacturers sits at around 60% of its original capacity, which is problematic.
To wrap things up, yes, advances in battery chemistry are being made. Yes, these advances could make a difference. No, the advances are not right around the corner like many on reddit seem to claim, nor are they going to rid of all problems with BEVs pollution. Yes, most BEVs are more environmentally friendly than most ICEs. Most comprehensive academic journal articles and government reports that I have read on the subject have shown a smaller improvement in pollution than I think many are led to believe between BEVs and ICEs. Many have even shown that it is so close, that they are virtually equal. So no, I wouldn’t call BEVs environmentally friendly, but I would consider them a better short term solution than buying an ICE. Long term, other options should be explored such as hydrogen.
linking a list of shitty e-bikes here…