The basic error is the conversion of energy to get electricity. The hydrocarbon is not going away. It IS natures battery, as plants are the most efficient generator of stored solar energy. They also do it without any real maintenance or work to make sure they are doing their job. They also do it as a byproduct of other agricultural industries.
Also, the internal combustion engine, as we know it, is not necessarily the most efficient engine to utilize the hydrocarbon, but with current tooling and materials, it is still the most cost effective.
"I want to say one word to you. Just one word Benjamin... Plastics" And what are plastics made from? Hydrocarbons.
I don’t know how they will do it, but do it they will. Look at a 5 pound chunk of plutonium and then imagine how big a pile of hydrocarbons it would take to release the same amount of energy. Give me a battery cell with the same energy as a pound of plutonium, and the ability to release it in a controlled manner, and I’ll be quite pleased.
Agree 100%.
And the gas turbine is the most efficient engine to burn it in. Use that as an APU to generate electricity, and have an electronic "transmission" to motors on all 4 wheels, and NOW we're talking. That is more efficient than any piston engine. Of course, it has drawbacks, like anything: a giant spinning rotor at 50,000 RPM. But carbon-fiber shields have been made. It could be made to work, better than batteries or fuel cells powered by hydrogen.