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Compare to what, a '90s gasoline car or a new combustion one? Because the answer changes quite a bit.
Yes, they're worth it, but the real environmental gain depends on where you charge. If the power comes from renewable or nuclear sources, the electric car is definitely cleaner over its entire lifetime. If you charge from a grid that's still very fossil-fuel-heavy, the advantage shrinks but it's still there. Battery production is heavy environmentally speaking (lithium extraction, cobalt, lots of energy), but you recover that initial cost after a few years of use. Once the battery is done, more and more companies are recycling it decently.
The real problem is they're not a complete solution unless energy sources change too. An electric car charged on coal is still better than a gasoline one, but not solving the energy problem doesn't change the bigger picture much. That said, for city driving they're excellent because they eliminate local pollution, and what you're actually breathing while you drive really does matter.
Elisa Ricci asker
Do you mainly charge at home or at public charging stations? Because the type of grid really makes a difference in your specific case.
The key point is really this: the source of the energy you use to recharge. If you charge with renewables (solar, wind) the environmental advantage is huge right from the first year. But if you're in an area where electricity comes almost entirely from coal or gas, the situation is grayer - the advantages aren't zero, but they're much less clear-cut. In Italy for example we have a pretty good mix of renewables and gas, so an electric car does have a better impact than a petrol one, but it's not heaven on earth like it could be in Norway.
Second point: the battery's production cycle does pollute, that's true. A new-generation battery though recovers the advantages within a few years of normal driving. And at that point yeah, it's definitely worth it. The comparison with a modern new petrol car is more balanced than it seems - less of a difference than years ago.
One more thing I'd add: it also depends on how you look at it. If you drive little and keep your car for decades, maybe the old combustion cars that use less fuel are already on the road, and then the environmental argument gets complicated. But if you're someone who changes cars anyway, then a new electric vs a new petrol one is definitely better for the environment.
The battery is the real dead weight: it costs tons of carbon just to produce it, and you need to offset that footprint over years of clean charging. But if you look at the full cycle, an EV charged on the average Italian grid reaches environmental parity with a new gasoline car in about 2-3 years of normal use, then it's all gain from there.
One hack nobody mentions: if you can, charge at night when the grid is less congested and more often draws from hydroelectric plants or offshore wind. It's not magic, but statistically the energy quality changes quite a bit compared to charging randomly during the day.
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