When I first said end-to-end analysis, I was referring to an analysis of all the technical issues, for the supply of coal vs ethanol, for example.What type of pollutants come from each? How do each contribute to global warming? Are we talking nuclear or coal? That is, a beginning to end analysis well beyond the question of efficiency is what deserves a societal approach.
Beyond the technical, we are also noting that others here are talking about social costs and psychological costs. Depletion of natural resources, and the rate of that depletion is another social/technical issue, for both EV vs gas engine.