> not to mention the manufacturing process for the batteries emits carbon equal to driving a conventional car 80,000 miles. That's not accurate. Manufacturing lithium batteries releases about 150-200 kg CO2 per kWh of battery capacity. A car with a 60 kWh battery will be responsible for 12,000 kg of CO2. The average MPG of all automobiles in the United States is 25. Every 25 miles releases about 8.8 kg of CO2. So the math is 12,000 kg / 8.8 kg = 1,364. It takes 1,364 gallons of gas to emit as much CO2 as manufacturing a 60 kWh battery. At 25 mpg that's 34,100 miles. Electric car batteries are warranted for at least 100,000 miles, and many for 150,000, so over it's lifetime a battery will produce about 75% less CO2 emissions than a gasoline car. Even when a battery is considered "dead" it has 70% of its capacity left, allowing a formerly 250 miles per charge car to go 175 miles on a charge.