Yes producing the batteries must make a carbon print too. It seems that it is less than traditional cars anyway. The days of the horse power burnouts are gone (sorry
). The hot rod culture is very American so it is going to be painful, but there is no smart defense for burning up all that fuel . The efficiency of the batteries will improve I guess. Hybrids are a good intermediate solution.
Also making the fuel consumption efficient by using all of it, like BMW does, is a good idea. There you get the hp and the speed and still use less fuel.
I have to add that the American cars never have been on my favorite list. I like the elegance of the Ferrari and the Porsche (and yes BMW) much more than the Dodge Viper, even if the Viper has more hp's. And I am sure that the Viper uses the most fuel of them too.
I think the car industry has moved forward and developed in Europe and Japan where the American industry delivered "muscle". I also think there is a difference in what the Americans and the Europeans prefer. It seems GM lost their market shares in Europe that way and that the American market slowly is moving in that direction too. That is why I find Tesla so refreshing and actually world leading with a new technology, in an otherwise very car-conservative country.
(Although I'll have to admit that I would like a spin in the Chevy above - I am not that fanatic about it
)