The embedded energy in making EV's and Internal Combustion Engined (ICE) vehicles is similar and varies widely. It depends on many factors, such as country of manufacture, size and materials used. The big difference is in energy required for the life of the vehicle. The article below talks about the issue you raise about manufacturing
@Bluey. Overall EV's are much better for environment than ICE vehicles even if the grid is powered by fossil fuels, this advantage for Ev's improves as the grid becomes cleaner with more renewables, like is occurring in Australia for solid economic reasons. Most EV owners charge their vehicles when electricity is cheap and many use solar on weekends (if commuting) and during the day if retired.
life-cycle-emissions-of-electric-cars-are-fraction-of-fossil-fuelled-vehicles
I will ignore the obvious emotion
@Drover in your above post, we all fear change. I will point you to a very interesting video by Tony Seba about the great disruption we are going through in Transport. if you do not want to watch the whole video, just have a look at the first couple of minutes where Tony shows 2 photos of New York 13 years apart showing the change from horses to cars. We are in the first part of similar disruption as we move from Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) and imported Saudi Arabian fuel to Electric Vehicles (EV's) and our own Australian made fuel (Renewable Electricity).
Anti Nuclear Rave below - Please do not read if you do not want:
I now digress, nuclear power is not necessary in Australia. We have lots of sunshine and wind. We have yet to build the planned offshore wind generators (Star of the South will be the first) along the eastern seaboard which will become a major generator of renewable power. We also have yet to upgrade the national grid to handle the change to renewables. tThese things are happening despite lack of Federal Government Policy, NSW has already started in a big way.
Coal and gas power were once the best technology for power generation, but they are no longer. In NSW we built power stations last century on top of coal mines and provided cheap coal, these contracts have now run out and the price of coal is going up. No one will build coal or gas power stations in Australia without massive taxpayer subsidies. Fortunately, Australia has the highest rate of home solar in the world and an increasing level of home battery storage. Renewables will make up much more of grid power over the next 10 yrs as coal generators shut down. Gas has a very limited future as a short term bridging technology. In South Australia the gas peaking generators are been used less and less and in the next few yrs will be no longer needed as battery storage and associated renewables increase, SA now has no coal generators and in a few yrs soon no gas generation
Nuclear power has no place in Australia for power generation as nuclear reactors are uninsurable (in the US Gov insures all nuclear reactors by limiting their liability to $US10B) the power they generate is the most expensive power produced for electricity grids world wide and no successful safe decommissioning of a nuclear reactor has yet to occur anywhere in the world. The decommissioning costs of existing reactors will be born by the taxpayer and no safe storage for high level nuclear waste occurs anywhere. The only countries that use a lot of nuclear power are countries that need nuclear reactors for nuclear weapons and the nuclear industry is heavily subsidised and even their nuclear power is very expensive. Hinkley Nuclear reactor in the UK when finished will provide the most expensive power in the UK. Nuclear weapon proliferation is a serious threat to us all.
