How practical were electric cars in the 70s really though? I feel like the technology back then would have meant much shorter ranges, less performance, and also more environmental damage than even modern battery technologies cause in manufacturing.
Not very practical. There were a few city cars, but all they had were lead acid batteries. I believe the Electrek was one such car but by God is it an abomination.
Batteries already existed that could range up to 100 miles. This would have pushed companies into the battery evolution earlier, pushed industry away from shipping fuels (50% of all shipping overseas) across oceans, and created energy independence for regions around the world, depleting that as a mechanism of war. Also means public transit in form of trains and buses would have been hopefully pushed more as well.
