Why are environmentalists so positive about EVs? What gets burned to produce the charging stations energy? Could it be....uh...oil or gas?

mine is gravity in hydro so burn nothing.  Works 24/7/365. 

So, only in Texas. they are stuck to oil and gas.

As for the battery..."THEY CAN BE REBUILT USING THE SAME MATERIALS OVER AGAIN like Lead acid batteries have been done since their invention.

Muskovich is working on his battery problem as he has rare earth elements in them.

EVs and PHEVs running only on electricity have zero tailpipe emissions, but emissions may be produced by the source of electrical power, such as a power plant. In geographic areas that use relatively low-polluting energy sources for electricity generation, PHEVs and EVs typically have lower emissions well-to-wheel than similar conventional vehicles running on gasoline or diesel. In regions that depend heavily on coal for electricity generation, PEVs may not demonstrate a strong well-to-wheel emissions benefit.

Remember when President Donald Trump promised to revive the coal industry? When he vowed to “put our miners back to work” during his 2016 campaign trips to coal country? When he said he would end “the war on coal?” A half-dozen times after becoming president, Trump signed bills and executive orders that were supposed to save the industry, always with coal miners standing behind him, applauding his promise to bring coal back.It hasn’t exactly worked out that way. 145 coal-burning units at 75 power plants have been idled during Trump’s time in office, the fastest decline in coal-fuel capacity in any single presidential term.

On average Americans travel 40 miles per person per day, charging the car in spring, summer and autumn from about 12 solar panels on the garage roof is totally possible and affordable in all US states.  Solar is so cheap, there is no reason not to cover all roofs in solar.

In addition to city dwellers having cleaner air. (I dislike going to the city, don't you?  It really stinks right?) The benefits of driving electric isn't just environmental. Electric cars are quieter, accelerate faster, need less maintenance and you can charge them at home (even if you don't add solar and live in a state that does get the majority of it's electricity from coal)

And I agree, the batteries contain valuable elements and they should and will be recycled when it is economic to do so or government steps in.  Likewise ICE cars would also be acceptable, outside of the city limits at least, if we recycled the materials and the fuel.

They don't care about the people displaced by their filthy mines.

Don't environmentalists ever wonder what solar cells are made of and they call them green?

where does neodymium come from?

Do you know how far I can go on $3 worth of electricity?  the answer is 110 to 120 miles.  How far can you go on a gallon of gas?  And - I am not an environmentalist, I am just cheap and I don't have to spend 50 hours per year going to the gas station.  And, used EV batteries never end up in the dump.  They are combined into huge units and are used to store electricity at night for cities and then used during the day to provide electricity.   Gasoline engines are very inefficient.  Only about 20% of the energy gets transferred to the wheels.  A lot of it goes out the tailpipe and through the radiator.  A lot of energy is wasted when the engine is running but is not being used such as at stop lights or going down hills. 

The difference is that most electricity is produced by a point source plant, where it is much easier to control pollutants escaping to the atmosphere. That is a lot more efficient than relying on a catalytic converter in each car spewing its exhaust gasses in the streets.

Environmentalists have tunnel vision and don't consider the side effects of their ideology. For example, here below is a electric car charging station in Australia powered by a diesel generator.