I don't know the details of lithium fires etc, but I do feel that currently we are not ready for this.
Mainly due to the wastage of energy, and unregulated lithium mining.
I would be happy to read proof that a car such as my low emission, Ford Focus Eco Zetec (or something like that) is more damaging to the environment than a battery car that needs charging from a national grid that still uses huge amounts of gas, and needs batteries that are being ripped out of the ground causing loads of pollution.
I honestly think it makes sense in big cities to push for electric, as it is only in urban areas where pollution is a problem. But much of that pollution is older vehicles anyway. If somebody is driving long distances up and down the M6 every day, for example, I really don't think the emissions problem is the big issue.
This is the best study I've been able to find, to date. It's good because it's essentially the same car, but with either and ICE or an electric powertrain, so that direct comparisons can be more easily made. It's a bit old now (2018) and I know the UK's grid carbon intensity has fallen significantly since then, so that just strengthens the environmental case for EVs further:
Obviously, it varies by country. The USA still produces a lot of its electricity from coal, so an EV would take longer to "break even" over there, but in the UK, I think it's fair to say that now, a typical EV will "break even" (i.e. where its in-use CO2 savings pay off its increased manufacturing CO2) in about 40,000 miles. Every mile after that, leaves it lower CO2 than its ICE counterpart. Obviously, as the grid decarbonises further, that difference just gets bigger.