Initially wanted a hybrid to get better gas mileage and disappointed in the SC mileage (like to see 30mpg somewhere). Realizing full electric cars are still in the future - until can go 1000 miles between charges or charges to go 500 miles take only ten minutes. Ford surprised everyone with the base Maverick as a hybrid getting up to 40mpg. Now just wait a minute - do I really want to have the extra weight of a battery pack? Do I really want to cruise with a fair amount of lithium under the boards? Are we really saving the environment with these somewhat more hazardous metals - lithium, cobalt, manganese and with all their handling and mining??????????? Manufacturers are being pushed into this electric car game through a false narrative. Fossil fuels expend NOx and CO which we all know are nasty but this country contains them fairly well. They say there is a demand for electric vehicles - well only 2% of buyers are going that way at the moment and some have reverted back to more conventional fossil fuel so what is the deal???? Now there is a foolish push to get rid of CO2. Back in Biology it was highlighted humans expel CO2 and plants use CO2 to grow. Now with more people, more CO2 is expelled so we need more food so hence need more CO2, cut back on CO2 and we cut back on possible plant food production. That's the way I see it.
Let me preface what I am going to say with some background about me. I graduated with a bachelor's in mechanical engineering where I worked on a hybrid/electric competition and took many classes on the matter. I then got my masters in automotive engineering where I specialized in hybrid/electric drivetrains. I currently work in product planning at an OEM and attend industry meetings where I speak with other automakers. I also want to point out that I did not choose to study hybrid/electric technology to "save the environment" or anything. I just recognized that the automotive industry is evolving and relying on the price of gas to plan a vehicle lineup is not feasible. Remember when everyone sold their big trucks in 2008 due to high fuel costs?
I really want to address your point about which drivetrain is cleaner for the environment. Firstly, there are thousands of research articles that highlight the effects of greenhouse gasses caused by traditional ICE. This has been well known since the late 70's and everything since then has been an effort to reduce the effects on the environment. If you're trying to argue that the gasses released by ICE are not harmful then I cannot discuss any further. This is well known fact at this point in the scientific community. Assuming you acknowledge the harmful effects of ICE emissions, lets compare electric vs ICE. There are 2 different talking points here.
First, there is the well-to-wheel cost. This is the total environmental impact on powering a vehicle. For an electric car, this is simply the environmental impact of getting the electricity to charge the battery. The best case is the power comes from wind, solar, nuclear, or water. The worst case scenario is the electricity comes from a coal power plant. For an ICE, this is the cost of mining, processing, transporting, and burning the fuel. It should be pretty obvious that even if the electricity for an electric car comes from a coal power plant, it is drastically better for the environment than getting fuel to the pump.
The bigger environmental impact is what you referenced in your post. This is the manufacturing of electric vs ICE vehicles. You are correct that manufacturing a NEW battery for an electric vehicle will result in a more negative impact on the environment than producing a ICE at first. However, it is unreasonable to stop the conversation there. When factoring in the well-to-wheel cost, at some point the electric car will become less harmful for the environment than the ICE. This is called a life cycle analysis (LCA). Now there are hundreds of scholarly articles on an electric car LCA. There are so many variables to consider, but the studies consistently show that the electric car is better for the environment than the ICE over it's entire life cycle. For instance, let's consider the worst case scenario. A new electric lithium-ion battery is produced and the electricity is coal generated. Most studies show that the electric car will become better for the environment than a new ICE after only 2 years. It is obviously less than that if powered by clean electricity or a recycled battery. Remember, we are still in the very beginning of this new technology. We will become much better at recycling used batteries and creating more energy dense batteries.
I would like to point out that only 2% of new cars in the US were electric. The world average is almost 5%.The number of new electric cars sold in the US has tripled since 2016 and will continue to grow as more affordable option become available. I'm shocked the number is that high considering the only real options were an expensive Tesla or a goofy Leaf or Bolt. Again, we are still very early with this new technology. As electric vehicles gain range, charge faster, and the infrastructure grows, so will demand.
As far as added weight on the Maverick, the curb weight of a SC and hybrid Maverick will be very similar. To your comment about "sitting on lithium" you currently sit on 20 gallons of gasoline. Ironically, Hyundai and Kia are currently in a half million vehicle recall due to a risk of fire for various reasons.
I don't want to sound like electric is flawless. I do not think electric is the answer for commercial work vehicles or people that due even a moderate amount of towing. I also think we need some serious updates to the power grid to support an electric future. I just get so tired of the "are electric cars actually better for the environment" narrative. Yes, the answer is yes.