When do electric vehicles become cleaner than gasoline cars?

generally speaking, the shear number of parts in ice are staggering when compared to electric motors. each part creates waste.

after the manufacturing is over, every trip is "cleaner".

 

Statistically or real-world?

Are Electric Cars Really Better for the Environment?
How Green Are Electric Vehicles? - The New York Times.
Analysis: When do electric vehicles become cleaner than gasoline cars? | Reuters
Are Electric Cars Truly Better for the Environment?

 

It's as good a yardstick as any I've seen.....

 

there's a thread running right now that talks about one of the first ENVIRONMENTAL studies brought about by the oil industry back in the 1950's. There's the feeling that since the oil industry generated the test - that it taints the results .... whether or not that's true. then Along came art spinella, now dead, working to 'prove' the Hummer was more green than a Prius - cradle to the Grave. All that to say, unfortunately we have to look through jaded lenses because often the creator of such green factor tests - have an agenda.

 

I only read the Reuters article so far. Good article, thanks for linking.
Statistical analysis relies on large numbers, so the results will rarely match an individual’s case.
When people use “real world” they typically mean “my personal results”.

As mentioned by Reuters, the results depend upon the variables.
In their look at the variables, best case is an EV ‘pays off’ the extra CO2 manufacturing cost after 8% of its lifetime.
Worse case, it pays off the difference after about half of its lifetime.

 

The OP's linked article could be better titled;
When DID Electric cars become cleaner than gas vehicles.
Does it really matter if costs/environment/labor are arguably more intensive to build at this moment in time?
You buy a new Fleet of commercial jetliners because they are more efficient & it doesn't matter if their up-front costs are greater.
.

 

^ I think the carbon cost for the batteries is the thing.
Some of it is FUD.
Some of it isn’t.

Elon seems to want to leverage his sun gazing to offset the environmental cost of getting all of the battery building blocks….and remember….the airliner comparison is apt.
EVangelists love to think that they’re saving the world by using BEVs to go to the Food Whole but most of the things and many of the people on the planet still move by trucks, ships and planes.

Nucular power is still the most carbon neutral way to burn your morning toast, but try getting another one built anytime soon….

I use “real world” in the military sense.
There’s simulated….and then there’s real world.
You train like you fight so that you fight like you train, but you still have to use simulations sometimes.
Often times when the fit really hits the shan or vice versa you will hear somebody ask whether or not it’s”real world.”
A historical example in the 40s was: “Air Raid. Pearl Harbor….This is NO DRILL!”

In big “E” (the greens) they use a lot of studies to fight their battles, so I often say….

There’s CLEAN, and then there’s STATISTICALLY clean.

It’s sort of the same thing…..

ACTUAL mileage WILL vary.