Pro's and con's for buying an electric vehicle

makes interesting reading, definitely something that has to change sooner rather than later when the demand is higher.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/09/the-dark-side-of-electric-cars-exploitative-labor-practices/

The reluctance to address / push the issue is of couse linked to costs. The last thing manufactures and even governments want is for battery prices to increase substantially. However, eventually public pressure will force a change for the better. Hopefully before too many more children are poisoned.

Cariadon, if you put in "child labour and car production" on the web you'll find many examples to do with all types of vehicles, not just EVs and also other examples from many things we buy and use. I checked out BMW who have said they are making efforts to set up "best practice" supply chains in the D.R. of C and it's hoped that cobalt can be reduced as battery development improves. Meanwhile we poison the atmosphere in our towns and cities by continuing to ignore pollution levels. Not much else I can add is there? 

It is a fact of life that cars pollute somebody somewhere but the "Electric car lobby" do love to publicise how green EVs are. I wonder what the people in the DRC think about all the extra cobalt required to run these EVs

They probably don't think much about it. Most people just go to work earn their money and pay their bills!

All modes of transport have their downsides ,and the downsides are always exagerated by the latest "ideas"from the "new" ideas of which the downside is "hidden in the push to impliment it"like the latest EV publicity 

I had an email from the salesman to say that he will be in contact to let me know a build date for my new Electric Smart car that is on order.

Just a thought how much more to buy is the Smart EV than the petrol version,

The Kia Soul EV is £10,000 more than the petrol version

As it is a category one vehicle it should qualify for a government grant of £4500. Does the £10000 you quoted take that into account?