Yeah. It's worth noting that for engines in stationary devices like fabrication tools and machinery, electric totally won. So what made the difference with cars wasn't just the engines themselves, but rather the energy storage/distribution network. Now that we have batteries that are good enough at a cheap enough price, electric is gaining fast despite a lot of cultural opposition.
I'm not sure about totally won - here is a demonstration of a gasoline-powered flashlight, which might create a resurgence of this method for power tools. At 0:30 he expounds on the advantages of the device.
And let's not forget compressed air, which is still a very popular way to run power tools. Electric vastly outnumbers it, of course, but compressed air is still used in a significant portion of tools.
Compressed air is not an energy source, it's a short term energy storage medium. The same static/non-static correlation between electric and gasoline exists. Most compressors in static installations are electric. Compressors that must be used in the field are frequently powered by a small internal combustion engine.
Compressed air is used because the powerhead is much smaller and lighter than an electric motor (at available voltages) of comparable power. This makes it suitable for handheld tools. Otherwise, compressed air represents a NET loss of energy, and would be avoided.
It's a matter of context. In the broadest sense, nuclear reactions are an energy source. In general, I agree with you, but it's easy to see the difference between electricity and compressed air. Compressed air is an intermediary in the sense that wire-transmitted electricity is, but it's used in very limited contexts.
I don't understand the distinction you're drawing between electricity and compressed air. Aside from the fact that compressed air is much less efficient and much more difficult to run over long distances, they look pretty much identical to me: they are both ways of transmitting energy.
There was a french company that built compressed-air vehicles, and they were supposed to be much more efficient. The comment you replied to is tongue-in-cheek though.
It took hundreds of years to go from belt drive in factories to individual electric motors which probably didn't get installed in large numbers until post WW1
Even in the late 70's the mechanical technician courses in the UK required you to be able to design an old school belt drive.
Yup. I am quite familiar. My great grandfather made a minor fortune in the 20's with a service company that would refinish the bearings used in shops with overhead drive shafts, etc.
