I suspect "tiny battery+generator" EVs aren't a thing in the US because:
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It doesn't sound or drive like an ICE car. It still has a battery, so gets all that range/durability "anxiety" associated with being an EV.
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It's associated with all the issues of ICE-based hybrids.
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It's not "all-electric," not quiet, so it's not percieved as a luxury car like pure EVs generally are.
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The cars that do implement this tend to be smaller, so not marketable here in the US, apparently.
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Factories are still tooled to make ICE cars en masse, not EV drivetrains.
In other words, it's all perception and marketing. And I think, sadly, it's true: people wouldn't buy them here in the US.
You do see them outside the US though.