The insurance will figure a value for your car if it's been involved in an accident, stolen, or gets damaged by some crazy storm or something. They use the cars age and mileage to figure this out. If the appraiser looks at the damage and sees that fixing it (parts and labor and paint) is going to cost more than the value they gave it...well then it is totaled.
A totaled car will retained by the insurance company and they pay you out according to your policy.
Those totaled cars can be sold for a residual value (see copart.com). And be built back up and driven. But the title is now branded as a salvaged vehicle. Anyone who buys a totaled car will get a branded title either salvage, flood title, idk what all different states have for the name of it. That branded title is tied to the vehicle by its vin number forever. That's why you see the commenters saying they should frame swap the motorcycle to get a different vin number on it.
They already do cause less of an impact than ICE powered cars. Anyone can Google the information that shows that even though battery production is unclean, fossil fuel production over the life of a car is worse.
If the EV last for more than about 5 years, it was worth it.