Don't get me wrong, I don't hate EV's all together. My comments above were tongue in cheek.
Hybrid cars aside, It does however make me think about a few things...
With EV's being so quiet, how many more people will get run over?
When the majority of vehicles are EV'S, will we have enough electricity for everything else?
Will batteries become 100% recycleble?
Let me answer some of your questions for you, as a person that had similar questions prior to getting a hybrid and now an EV.
Both Hybrids and EVs emit a noise when traveling at low speeds, it is a part of their design to alert pedestrians that a vehicle is approaching.
Like phones, you charge the battery when needed. As battery technology gets better, the range of travel increases, which will decrease the amount of time a vehicle will need to charge in a week/month. Device are being designed to be more energy efficient each year and older tech is being replaced to minimize the strain on the grid. In addition, new methods of energy generation are being added as well. This change over is not happening overnight, it will be years before a majority of vehicles are electric and in that time a lot of improvements will happen to allay those fears.
Without fully understanding the construction process, I can't speak to that however, there are companies that have started up to recondition EV batteries and provide an alternative to the OEM for replacement at a lower cost. Some places have figured out how to replace bad modules, instead of an entire pack, as a dealer would recommend, at a much less cost than paying for an entire pack when it isn't needed. This is a smaller recycling of the batteries but as time goes by, there will be enterprising people that will help to start an industry around this, to provide options to the OEM route.
I believe over time, an individual might be able to swap out the modules in their battery for improved versions or just swap the entire pack for one with longer range. This is an idea being floated around by one of the Chinese EV manufacturers, that has battery swapping stations. Much like a subscription service, you can sign up for that and swap your battery for a longer range one for when you need to go on long road trips. Meaning you pay a lower price for a vehicle with a smaller battery for your daily commute and go to a swap point to get the larger pack when you need it. This is a whole new area with a lot of people thinking about multiple solutions to aid the growth of EVs.
Your questions aren't new and are being asked by a lot of folks new to this area. Just know that a lot of them have been answered or are being addressed to ease the transition. I hope that helps.
