I must respectfully disagree with your assumptions and findings.
1) The grid isn't either all green or all fossil fuel but instead a mix. Currently the US is powered by:
62.7% fossil fuels, 19.7% nuclear and 17.5% renewable energy. Even if an EV only achieved comparable mileage to an ICE, right out of the gate you would be producing 37.2% less carbon than a gas or diesel vehicle. Now add the fact that EV's are, at the minimum, 2 times more efficient at turning an equivalent amount of mined energy into road miles you can quickly see that electric cars are much more environmentally friendly then combustion engine powered vehicles, even plugged into the dirtiest of grids.
Well, you make the argument as one of degrees. I'm pointing out that assumptions people make are not usually correct. And yes, an electron doesn't know how it was generated, but if your electricity is 30 percent produced by coal, then you're 30 percent coal-dirty.
The point is that buying an electric car doesn't magically make you "green." You're more greenish, but the virtue signaling by some people makes you think they believe they're saving the world. No.
2) You are using old data to make your point here as these days the amount of energy to make an ICE car is right about on par with EV vehicles. What you fail to factor in is the extra amount of carbon and other noxious gasses that ICE will spew out during it's lifetime that the EV will not which has a huge cost to society. Also consider that with electric the power generation is done out side of cities and is not coming from the tailpipe ahead of you on the road. Did anyone happen to catch the pictures taken recently of major metropolitan areas during the last covid shutdown where you could see the skyline in blue and not orange smog haze? Again even if EV's were only equally efficient to ICE cars, what value is not having to suck on that tail pipe in front of you?
Well, I don't think it's old data. If you take a car that is perfectly fine and replace it with an electric vehicle, you're using energy to do it.
I'm not saying there aren't pollution advantages, but if your electricity is all produced from coal, all you're doing is changing the point source. It might make city air cleaner, but that dirt is going into the atmosphere somewhere.
3) I have zero range anxiety. I can go 270 miles in a charge and fill up at 150kw+ and be on my way in about the time it takes to get a coffee and use the restroom. The newer models have much bigger batteries and even faster charging (250kw) making this whole range/charge anxiety a thing of the past.
That's good. Not all people feel that way. As I noted above, 300 miles range will do what most people need. But not all such cars have that range. At some point these issues will fade, but they remain a problem in many people's minds. For me, a 300-mile range would work just fine. The two trips that wouldn't come under that range limit could be done with an ICE car, or I could wait around for it to partially recharge.
4) I think your assumptions were based on old technology and you also forgot to factor in maintenance which is a huge chunk of the cost of owning an ICE car. The web is littered with sites comparing ICE costs to EV. Here is is a comprehensive study out of Canada comparing the total costs of ICE and EV for your students to check their work against. By the way the EV's compared in this study are older and not terribly efficient ones either.
New cars don't have a lot of maintenance. I went 5 years before any significant repairs on my 2014 Focus. Brakes and tires, sure, but the only major repair was covered under warranty. It is true that older cars have more repairs, but most older cars don't have large monthly payments.
And it's not like electric cars don't have any maintenance.
https://www.2degreesinstitute.org/r...ectric_and_gas_powered_vehicles_in_canada.pdf
The average 10 year savings from EV ownership is $26,900 Canadian. Not an insignificant amount thats for sure. Add to that the long term costs of damaging the environment, EV's are a no brainer.
There is potentially a long-term advantage, but it depends on the assumptions you wish to make to make that point. Once you get past the amortization of the loan, fuel costs are very low for an EV, but when gasoline prices are low, not so much. You also have to factor in how much MORE you pay in the early years of an EV.
I'm not anti-EV--but what I am is a realist. It's not a panacea. There are energy and pollution costs in making them. There are pollution costs in charging them. And they're generally more expensive, especially early in the life cycle. That in itself is the difference between people buying them and not.
When the cost approximates an ICE, I'll likely get one--though right now I probably wouldn't. My Focus is paid off, works great, gets great mileage, and serves my needs.
And lastly, owning and EV gives you a choice in where your power comes from. Adding solar is the absolute cheapest way to drive with the huge benefit of being positive you are not sending a penny directly or indirectly to the Middle east, Russia, Venezuela, Nigeria, Angola or any number of places where your petrodollar might find it's way back to hurt you.
With respect, electrons don't know where they're from. And while EV enthusiasts tend to focus on the cost of fuel per mile to drive, you have to look at the whole picture, including the up front costs. When you do that, some of the shine comes off EV ownership.