The missing piece is a standardized form factor - I hope the EU parliament or California legislature are working on something to nudge things in that direction.
The best way would be some rentable range extender battery (one-way, so that you can swap them like horses). With that available, affordable short range cars would suddenly become an attractive reality.
I guess the most universal interface for this would be some kind of trailer. Or perhaps even some semi-autonomous companion battery that follows in the slipstream under it's own power but on a non-tensioned reverse umbilical? Just brainstorming about ways in which modern technology could help making the add-on battery painless.
A) Battery weight is constant even when there is no power, compared to liquid fuel which gets consumed and the weight decreases. B) Because batteries are heavy (optimal location is low in the vehicle for centre of gravity) which is a mechanical and logistical problem for battery swaps C) Batteries are big and heavy. Swapping 1,800 pounds of battery is hard. Pumping gas is easy, fast, compact, and light.
Engineering around physics is hard.
gasoline is very hazardous. getting rid of this in exchange for some weight seems a good trade.
Battery fires aren't?
i mean, yes batteries can catch fire if mistreated. gasoline constantly evaporates toxic substances and will catch fire if you look at it too hard.