> it won't matter if VW and Mercedes are going to improve their EV lineup in the next 5, 10, 20 years time

I mean, given the fuel prices it would be very nice, alongside more charging infrastructure in the EU. :(

Not to detract from the overall point, though to be honest, it's probably worthwhile to do improvements and refinements with the current technology, even if the future holds something vastly different. Both cause of gaining expertise and also maybe an improvement or two along the way, that might carry forward.

Like I haven't seen many steam locomotives around and for me the difference between saturated steam engines and superheated ones isn't very material in regards to transportation, but the latter is used in modern turbines.

There are many "steam" locomotives around in China and India, but you just don't see them.

Coal is burned and converted to electricity in coal power plants and the electricity is used to move the electric locomotives around.

Even with distribution losses, the thermal efficiency of coal power plant -> electric network -> electric train is much higher then the old steam locomotives (Only about 5% of the potential energy produced by a steam locomotive’s boiler is translated to the wheels in the form of actual driving power.)