I used to also have this view, I changed my mind after realizing that driving a vehicle is one of the more dangerous things you do regularly. In fact, it is a leading cause of mortality for my demographic. Automobile safety has changed significantly in the last 10-20 years. In many newer automobiles, there are DIY ways to remove the 'phone home' capability if you so desire.
Some combination of increased weight, increased torque, or removal of the "coasting" state from EV's leads many folks to experience reduced life on their tires compared to ICE platforms. Obviously your experience may differ, but in my experience it is common enough to mention to provide a fair viewpoint.
Not the Parent Author, but have been driving an EV since 2018:
Superior Qualities (in general):
- Less moving parts (less stuff to break)
- No oil changes
- No gas stops
- Lower center of mass = better stability and crash performance (moose test)etc
- Regenerative braking extends the life of your brake pads
- Lower total cost of ownership for comparable ICE platform
- Nearly 100% torque availability from zero RPM
- Full battery every morning if you remember to plug it in
- Reduced exposure to combustion byproducts
- Financial Subsidies and other Government incentives (HOV Lane access)
- You move the emissions from the consumer to the electricity producer who are more likely to have the funds to actually start working on viable greenhouse gas reduction strategies
Inferior Qualities:
- Heavier
- Take longer to "re-fuel" on road trips
- Regenerative braking and heavier vehicle reduces the life of your tires
- Eventually the HV battery will degrade to the point that it might not be practical for your use case