> For example you couldn’t really make a car using steam power. That was only possible with gasoline and an IC engine.

Stanley (and others) made steam cars in the early 20th century. By all accounts they were quite nice, but did have drawbacks in regards to needing pre-heating, and they were rather expensive luxury cars. Steam cars were absolutely a thing, though. Electric cars too, but the battery technology of the time was too primitive for long range.

Also, hydrogen isn't a source of energy, it is merely a storage medium.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Motor_Carriage_Compa...