One doesn't have to be a genius to figure out that fossil fuel efficiency is not and will never be a priority as long as profits are the primary motivator. There is a valid argument against providing cheap energy to the masses leading to population explosions but is has nothing to do with climate .Look up Calhoun's Rodent Paradise. The problem with Climate Change initiatives is that they function to enslave the multitudes with taxation and regulation using purchased, politicized junk science that ignores real, obvious causation like Sun cycles and changes in the Earth's rotation and polar wobble. Just follow the money. The $green$ everyone keeps talking about is the color of the wealth that is there for those who get in on the ground floor of a political, global pyramid scheme.
Lots of words, zero understanding of the meanings of them. What we are seeing now is going in the opposite direction of the Milankovic Cycles. And the TSI of the sun is, at present, declining slightly.
The Carnot cycle limits the efficiency of the ICE. It does not apply to the EV's. They are over 90% efficient if they are regen. As the price of the batteries comes down and their energy density goes up, an EV will be less costly to purchase than an ICE, far more dependable, and far, far cheaper to run. As well as running circles around the ICE's in performance and handling.