Letter: The environmental cost of electric vehicles

Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to [email protected]
Many people believe that electric vehicles should be the first target in creating a more green and economically gentle environment. I disagree with this for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, EV production causes a shockingly high amount of pollution. According to Recurrent, “manufacturing an average gas powered sedan creates about six metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, but manufacturing an electric vehicle of the same size creates more than 10 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.” Secondly, there are other types of pollution that cause damage that should be researched more in depth first.
The most polluting part of the EV construction process is the mining of the lithium needed for the batteries. It’s well known that the “extraction processes for lithium, cobalt, and nickel are energy-intensive and often result in significant environmental degradation, water depletion, and contamination,” according to Greenly.
While it may seem that I am not supportive of the EV movement, I do believe in the potential that EVs bring for a cleaner environment. The problem is there are other big issues other than EVs. Some of the biggest polluting factors are agriculture and clothing, but they are seemingly never talked about and brought up in political campaigns or debates.
Giuseppe Aulisa
Bangor