Not OP but searched up EE’s video on a topic like this. Been a long while since I watched it so I don’t remember much about it in description is the sources. So at the very least you can check some of that type of stuff.
https://youtu.be/6RhtiPefVzM?si=_i0p3AQftvmqXcal
But yeah in general an ICE is horrendous at efficiency vs electric. An ICE blows some 70+% of its energy on making heat we don’t use but instead actively use some of the available energy made to cool it.
People want to trust it as a source of quick knowledge. It is easier to be told 9 goes into 81 a total of 8 times trusting that the computer is always right, because it had access to everything, than to work out the answer given was wrong and is actually 9.
Think of WebMD. People love to self diagnose despite it commonly being known as a bad practice. But they do so because they can do it with less effort, faster, and cheaper than making an appointment to drive to an office so you can speak with a doctor that runs a few tests and gets back to you in a week saying they aren’t sure and need to do that process all over again.
A newt?..