[gambiting]

I think it's because the environmental cost of making a brand new electric van has a higher environmental cost than just driving the van you already have until it dies. Basically the world would be better off if people stopped buying new vehicles tomorrow completely, and just drove whatever they have, no matter how polluting it is - it's still better on the planet than making a new one. Of course our economy doesn't work that way and it's a completely unworkable solution for now - so replacing ICE vans with electric ones is second best solution.

[thinkcontext]

Well, you'd have to do the math on manufacturing emissions vs operating emissions, factoring in remaining lifetime of the ICE vans. If they are driven enough miles EVs would come out ahead over a certain period of time.

Also, they could just buy no more new ICE vans and replace them with EVs when they get to their normal end of life.

On top of all that, you'd also have to consider that the ICE vans would be sold into the market and not destroyed.

[prolepunk]

I think this argument is more true for personal vehicles that sit idle for 99% of the time -- they don't consume gas when they don't move.

For commercial vehicle that spend most of their life on the road, energy savings from running a more efficient vehicle recoup the energy used in making that vehicle pretty quickly.