>The energy density of even the best lithium battery is almost an order of
>magnitude less than the equivalent weight of diesel.

But EV motors are up to 95% efficient, while diesel engines are less than half that. So most of the higher energy density of diesel fuel is lost as useless heat and friction, while almost all the energy from lithium ion batteries is used to actually move the car. Plus, burning diesel fuel adds CO2 to the atmosphere, which causes global warming, and burning diesel fuel adds aerosol pollution to the atmosphere, which causes quite a lot of health problems, including asthma, and also contributes to melting the ice caps on Greenland and the Antarctic, when the black carbon from burnt diesel settles on the ice.