Electric vehicles often begin their lives with a bigger carbon footprint compared to hybrids. That’s mostly due to the complex battery production process, which involves mining and refining materials like lithium, nickel, and cobalt. This upfront environmental cost is known as the carbon debt. However, EVs start paying that debt back the moment they hit the road. Unlike hybrids and fuel cars that keep burning fuel with every kilometer, EVs begin reducing their overall emissions.

Studies from Argonne National Laboratory estimate that an EV becomes cleaner than a hybrid after driving about 31,000 kilometers. Other studies like one published in Nature place the figure at 45,000 kilometers. Over a car’s typical lifetime, EVs still come out ahead. According to IOP Science, electric cars beat both hybrids and gas cars in lifetime emissions after just 1.3 to 2.4 years of use.

EVs are not only cleaner in the long run, they’re evolving fast. Battery technologies like LFP and LMR are improving sustainability from the production line. Meanwhile, more countries are switching to renewable energy for their power grids, cutting down emissions tied to charging EVs.

Recycling efforts from companies like Redwood Materials are also reducing the need for fresh raw materials, helping close the loop through a circular battery economy. That said, hybrids and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) remain excellent transitional options for drivers not yet ready to go fully electric. Even gas-powered cars today are far cleaner than a decade ago.

Still, when comparing emissions across a car’s full lifecycle, from factory to junkyard, EVs come out on top. While Toyoda’s comments reflect Japan’s energy reality, they miss the global shift toward renewables. In most of the world, the path toward cleaner air and lower emissions points clearly toward electric mobility.