Not sure the piston engine is a dinosaur? Amazing improvements. I'm 76 and a "car guy". My 1st car was a used 1953 Olds standard V-8. It was heavy, big motor, gas guzzler( 11 city/16 highway), poor handling and yet it was slow by today's standards. My present 2017 Focus has half the cylinders, about the same horsepower, 1500+ lbs. lighter,much superior handling, and way more than double MPG. And the exhaust much cleaner. 0-60 in around 8 sec. and I'm guessing the Olds took 11 sec. or more. Improvements are still coming. Turbo 3 cyl. motors, better transmissions, etc. The new Corolla is rated 32 MPG city/42 highway just because the motor is so efficient. 0 emissions is a great goal but apparently there is no free energy. It always takes energy to create energy. Water, wind and solar might get close but certainly a battery is not. Also, silly maybe, but I miss the sound of the engine reving and the feel of the trans. shifting.