Yup, pretty much everything was terrible back then (by modern standards), so there was a very level playing field. The energy density and relative ease of handl

Yup, pretty much everything was terrible back then (by modern standards), so there was a very level playing field. The energy density and relative ease of handling of liquid hydrocarbons led to rapid iteration and improvement of internal combustion engines. Modern battery electric vehicles require power electronics and lightweight, robust batteries, with good power and energy. Take a look at the top speed of the BEVs in that historical list, then look at the form factor. There are some really good youtube videos out there of people driving them, for example Cheese Louise owned by Simone Giertz (of Truckla fame) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXzcIoq2ing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXzcIoq2ing