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EV's certainly are an overall improvement over fossil based ICE's. While battery raw materials production, like all industrial processes, have their issues, the total mass of Li being produced and used is tiny, roughly 10 kg per vehicle.  In comparison, my highly efficient Prius will consume over 24 metric tonnes of gasoline over its lifetime. So, EV battery production is nothing like as environmentally damaging as fossil fuel production and transportation. Ask the folks in Maritius for example. And GHG production of the electricity being used in the vehicles can be zero if renewable or nuclear electricity is used. 

No one is suggesting that there is a single technology that can immediately replace all uses of ICE's, and that isn't necessary anyhow. A typical range of 250-300 miles for today's ev's is plenty for 95% of  requirements, without ever stopping for a fast charge somewhere. But that doesn't mean the viable alternatives need to continue to be "explored", as if we don't understand them yet. There are very well proven technologies that just need to be implemented. PV is a very well understood technology for example, as are Li batteries.