I believe this is a question worth asking — and answering. Page 13 of this report from pro-climate MIT science advocacy group The Union of Concerned Scientists

I believe this is a question worth asking — and answering. Page 13 of this report from pro-climate MIT science advocacy group The Union of Concerned Scientists is of interest: https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/11/Cleaner-Cars-from-Cradle-to-Grave-full-report.pdf https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/11/Cl... It claims the manufacturing CO2 footprint for an EV would almost be identical to the footprint for a similar ICE vehicle except for the battery which does indeed increase the EV’s footprint by 15%. However they also claim that the total CO2 footprint for a 135,000 mile lifespan is still just under 50% less for an EV. This is of course due to the operational CO2 cost being much less for an EV when compared with an internal combustion engine. I don’t know how many ICE vehicles are scrapped before their time due to an EV purchase but the CO2 overhead of switching to a brand new vehicle will be recouped within a few tens of thousands of miles.