“All told, suppliers must dig up 500,000 pounds of the earth’s crust for just one battery.”
Not an expert on how gasoline cars are built, but I suspect that much of the steel is RECYCLED from junkers at this point and probably similar for aluminum, since aluminum is already profitable to recycle, so not much mining there.
Not arguing the specifics of this statement BUT it MAY be missing the macro-economic consideration that just because recycled materials are used does not equate to making this use an environmentally 'free' use. There are any number of users of recycled materials such as steel and others. Use in these EVs is fine but once put to that use in EVs, that use is for the life of that EV.
Important and valid economic concept at play here, economics is 'frequently' driven by supply & demand opportunity costing models. How long ago was it that Lithium was a cheap material in costing because there was no market for it? Now there are worries about it being priced out due to shortfalls in availability. Adam Smith is like Isaac Newton, his theories may not be the most modern in economics but they still are a practical first read on how markets will react to certain conditions.
Steel and aluminum must be melted down and reformulated to be used in other products. No mining involved, but pollution guaranteed from the smelting and remanufacturing process.