Disappointed to see them here.
The EV industry is moving away from cobalt/nickel and other expensive metals in batteries toward iron and sodium. And while they are moving away from cobalt, the oil industry will continue to use cobalt (once, no recycling) in the refining process. Also, they are now looking at extracting lithium free sea water, so even the future of current extraction methods will change. For every EV bought, 500-800 gallons of gasoline/diesel is unburnt. EVs last longer, are cheaper to run and maintain.
The recycling process for batteries now averages 95%, and that is after they have spent 10-15 years in a car, then had a second life of 10 years as utility storage. I have been driving EVs since 2014, and they simply work. And before you bring up the lack of charging infrastructure, it is no longer 2015, or 2020, or even 2023. Charging infrastructure is becoming ubiquitous. And since 85% of US drivers drive less than 35 miles per day, the vast majority of drivers only need a standard electrical socket to recharge for that amount of use.
The carbon footprint of an EV is recouped in less than 1-2 years of driving (11K-15K miles). The carbon footprint of ICE cars is NEVER ongoing and never paid off.
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