>"I don't understand this obsession in the media about how quickly people can charge their EVs."
Two reasons: Long distance travel, and for those who can't charge at home. And those are both valid. But for other times, slow would be fine, if it is better for the batteries.
>"If we're genuinely interested in conserving finite natural resources,[...], we really need to look more systematically at how we get from A to B on a daily basis"
I think we need to look at how we produce energy, primarily. The solution will most likely need to be nuclear fission or fusion. The current thought of covering the planet in [expensive and life-limited] solar panels and windmills and using tons of low-life batteries isn't going to cut it. Also, transportation is just 36% of energy usage, and a whopping 65% of our electric power is lost in conversion and transmission.
>"The way we typically do it nowadays, private cars that take up massive amounts of space & require huge amounts of infrastructure & bureaucracy [...]"
Alas, we are spoiled by this, and trying to force people to do something else is likely to fail (and has failed). I admit, I am spoiled as well. I want to get into my vehicle how and when I want, with storage, and go directly and quickly to where I want to go, in peace, comfort, and silence, and return back the same way. It really is a miracle, and incredibly wasteful, and I love it.
>"There's a plethora of alternatives that are more efficient & convenient"
Efficient, yes. Convenient for most use cases and areas, no.