You may laugh, but running an optimized diesel generator to charge battery-powered heavy vehicles can be much more energy efficient than running the vehicles directly on diesel engines. Check out Edison Motors, who are in the process of developing a mass-market diesel-electric hybrid truck: https://www.youtube.com/@EdisonMotors

This is actually the answer.

Diesel generators running at a fixed duty cycle and optimized for efficiency can be way more efficient than a mobile diesel engine operating at a wide range of workloads.

"Diesel" can run on a variety of fuels (diesel, natural gas, propane, etc) so you could probably start synthesizing the fuels if you've somehow got a bunch of energy that'd otherwise be wasted; methane's still a bit of a pain to deal with but not nearly as nasty as H2; for feeding remote generators you'd just compress it not liquefy it, and that's something that's already commonplace today.

Apropos YouTube video was served to me: https://youtube.com/shorts/BvC9oLeqOfY?si=Fj_Yxeq636IGBIhC

I like electric vehicles, they make sense. I think most construction workers would like electric equipment as well, not as loud, less fumes, less heat. Overall better but it has to make sense.

Large mine trucks are either electric or hybrid. They recharge as they go into the pit.

Well, the guy in the YT video is clearly not logical. One diesel genny feeding all of those trucks vs all of those trucks being ICE powered. Some people just can't connect the dots.

Modern train engines are just diesel powered generators pushing electric motors. That's how they can claim 100mpg. They could do similar to the construction equipment, and still improve vs just powered by diesel engines directly.

I agree that the guy re-posting is not logical but I would also say that having a gen-set charge the delivery van when they could run power from the mains is rather crazy.