I agree. One has to ask: what is worse for the environment, a car that pollutes more but lasts 400k miles or a car that pollutes less but only lasts 200k. The cost and environmental affects of manufacturing aren't zero.
But in Los Angeles? That's an entire different issue, especially as there will be so many that economies of scale come into play.
https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/comparative-l...