I swear steam IS the answer, but it will require another disaster or two to revive it.
Run it on pellet fuel, moonshine, coal for Christs sakes, even wood pallets and dirty baby diapers.
Anything but electric, gas or diesel.
But I would start with diesel, then a steam engine fueled by diesel....one step at a time, as they say, “How do you eat an elephant? One piece at a time”
After my post I was thinking how much more efficient steam cars could be now after the advent of the steam turbine.