[HARD HAT MODE ON]Given the move to SUVs in recent years it is clear that the majority of the public are too selfish when it comes to caring about the environment, and hence if they saw the advantages to them of things like increased range, decreased recharging times they would likely take them over current BEVs[/HARD HAT MODE OFF]
BEVs and steam ruled until the advent of the electric starter motor in 1912 and WW1 and the significant improvement in ICE that occurred then. Post WW1 there was a massive growth in ICE production due to mass manufacturing techniques reducing the costs to level significantly below what could be achieved with either BEVs or steam, and without the maintenance overheads of those types.
Strangely some things achieved by BEVs in recent years haven't transferred to ICE - for example universal refueling standards which could be automated to improve safety and reduce the unpleasantness of fuel pumps.
It is also an interesting proposition that ICE would be invented fully formed, rather than as they were originally. So rather than 100 - 200 BHP/litre outputs, 10 BHP/litre meaning either massive engines or dramatically less power. Service intervals of 3,000 miles or less, engine life of 30,000 miles or less before a major rebuild, manual gearboxes without synchromesh requiring user skill, manual adjustment of mixture strength to account for a cold engine or atmospheric conditions and of ignition timing to account for engine speed, the list goes on.