I always wonder if folks who say EV's are dirtier than gas cars know what generated the electricity that refined their fossil fuels so they can try to sum up that dirty-ness
I have never been one to suggest that EV's are "dirtier" than any direct fuel burning vehicle, but I do object to those who say that the EV has a zero carbon production. Let's not wrap ourselves in the solar, wind power answer.. we cannot generate enough power to support all electric vehicles and all other loads today with just solar and wind. Maybe some day we will.
I also object to those that say "there is no pollution with an EV." Electricity produced by fossil fuels of any kind produces carbon. Batteries which we do not know how to re-cycle at this point, produce pollution. It is wrong to represent an EV as a totally free of pollution solution. Less pollution? Sure. Different kinds of pollution that ought to be easier to manage via large scale solutions? Sure. Zero pollution... no. Even when all electricity is generated by solar and wind - not something that happens in any state of the USA today - one still has the issue of the batteries.
Remember, all electric devices have losses... they produce heat which warms our environment. That too is a form of pollution is it not? If we are so concerned by global warming, why are we not screaming about all the electric consumers that heat the environment? And our generating plants produce a huge amount that is dumped to the environment.
I say, let's call a spade a spade. Let's be honest about the whole picture. EV's do reduce the carbon foot print of autos. They are an improvement. But, they still pollute... They are not the end all answer despite some of the rhetoric that says they are.