... I'm a cheerleader for the "we can do it" faction. All great things come from dreamers that should know better.
I don't see why you are taking my posts so negatively. They are a realistic, factual view of where we are now, and very likely will be over at least the next few years (probably a decade). Don't shoot the messenger because you don't like the message.
Great things come from dreamers who manage to deal with the realities of the world. Dreams isolated from those realities die on the vine. What did Edison say, "Invention is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration"?
We certainly can "do it". And "it" is to progress on the price/performance ratio of batteries. That is the limiting factor for electric vehicle adoption. Any other problems are minor in comparison ( except for maybe a network of recharge stations, but with really good batteries, that's not much of an issue).
Research is ongoing with batteries. The technology is mature enough, and the motivation has been high enough (for mobile electronics) that I'm not expecting a game-changing moment, but rather continuous improvement. If someone comes up with an overnight success in a lab, great. But either way, the average person will have electric vehicles when they make sense for the average person.
I also wouldn't be surprised if ICE keeps raising the bar. As mature as that technology is, it isn't 90% eff like batteries and motors, so there are some opportunities. There is a 6 cycle engine that has been developed - it injects a small amount of water after the exhaust stroke. The water turns to steam and gives an additional power stroke. It is absorbing heat from the engine that would normally be wasted, so it reduces (eliminates?) the need for a cooling system, making the engine lighter.
There are also mechanical hybrid assists that might make more sense than battery/motor hybrids, pumping oil into a compressed air tank when braking and releasing it to power the pump for acceleration.
Those engineers are dreaming up some pretty good ideas
-ERD50