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Does mining for batteries erase the climate benefits of EVs? No, and here's why

By Camila Domonoske Thursday, May 9, 2024 • 2:34 PM EDT Earlier this year, NPR's podcast The Sunday Story reached out for listener questions about electric vehicles. You can hear the resulting podcast here.

Or, as Jennifer Sousie, who owns a Nissan Leaf, put it: "Does the manufacturing and ultimate disposal of the batteries completely negate all the good that the no-emission aspect of my car does?" A group called Lead the Charge is evaluating automakers on their efforts to clean up supply chains and source materials ethically; there's a wide range of ratings. This won't meaningfully reduce the need for mining until huge numbers of EVs on the road have reached the end of their lifespan.

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