gvb, I've no quarrel with your assessment. I have always said that alcohol makes poor motor fuel. It is, however, a near mature technology in blends with other compounds to make a "gasoline" (which is itself a complex blend of compounds) substitute. In addition, it fits well with existing infrastructure investments in fuel delivery systems. In addition, it is emerging as one of the single best simple carbon based fuels for fuel cells.
So, it has its place in the mix of emerging transportation technologies. Power concerns don't mean much to me, nor do they really mean much for the great majority of personal transport needs. Any vehicle power system capable of delivering 20-30 bhp to the road is more than sufficient for the great majority of purposes, and for strictly personal transportation, 5 bhp is more than adequate.
By that, I mean running errands, going shopping, commuting to work, etc. Going longer distances, the needs differ. For the great majority of transport miles, involving distances less than 20 miles and loads of maybe 100 pounds of groceries, there is no need for a full sized auto, as has long been known.
As a young man I owned a Nash Metropolitan, a Hillman Minx, a Citroen 2CV, a Simca 1000, and my personal favorite, a Subaru 360 van. A friend and I drove that van to Spokane, Washington, from Molalla, Oregon, to attend the Spokane World's Fair - Expo '74. It had a 2 cylinder horizontally opposed 2 cycle, 356 cc engine. With a full tank of fuel it weighed about 900 pounds, yet it easily carried 5 adults around town at street speeds. I frequently drove it between my family home near Molalla to Corvallis, Oregon while I was at OSU - using the backroads, mostly. You think getting run off the road by a cager on a motorized bike at 30 mph is scary? Try getting literally BLOWN off the road at 55 mph in a 900 pound box. That was fun.