[freebeard]

...batteries have improved to the point that ... EVs offer considerable running cost and performance advantages.

OTOH, the motors could be improved. Geometrically:

Hairpin technology
Hairpin technology is a winding technology for stators in electric motors and generators and is also used for traction applications in electric vehicles. In contrast to conventional winding technologies, the hairpin technology is based on solid, flat copper bars which are inserted into the stator stack.Wikipedia

https://www.rcgroups.com › forums › showthread.php?1326848-Designs-on-Axial-Flux-motors-curious-about-coil-types
Designs on Axial Flux motors, curious about coil types.
Serpentine Coil Construction - Part 1 (6 min 17 sec) which the uploader referred to as a serpentine coil. The key data I am looking for is: how to get a very low KV rating, low enough to get a direct drive on a full sized vehicle. planning on running either 72 or 144 volts, 72 at first, depending on funding, 144 at most.

And new materials:

https://news.northeastern.edu › 2022 › 10 › 17 › rare-earths-crisis
Researchers May Have Just Solved the Rare Earths Crisis
17 Oct 2022The problem is that tetrataenite isn't found in nature—at least, not on Earth. It's only found in meteorites, says Laura Lewis , a university distinguished professor of chemical engineering at Northeastern, who is part of a team that is attempting to make tetrataenite in a lab in an effort to uncover scalable solutions to the rare earths ...