I don't think there's a focus on electric cars so much as there are high-school kids (which now includes college undergrads, unfortunately) who just like to show off. There have been significant increases in diesel technology for decades now, as reflected not only in things like winners at LeMans but also the low-rpm power you don't get from a gasoline motor. This is completely new and interesting to some people, and they are the ones trying to either smoke or race other cars.