I thought they defined persistence as literally the length of time an entity exists. There are many ways to persis under their model.
For non biological systems, it’s about being in a energetically favorable state for the environment. For example, while many chemicals will form and break down quickly as their environment changes, with form more stable structures that persist through the shifting environments. These structures are selected for as the basis of potentially new reactions and chemicals.
I haven’t given chemistry much thought, but the idea holds pretty well for biological systems.
Ultimately, you’re right this is totally a thought piece. However, it’s great discussion material.
I have a prius prime! Works perfect for my use case. Everyday driving is full battery with maybe a bit of gas. Big long trips require no extra planning or stops.
Not for everyone, and i figure will last until EVs are nice and developed with better infrastructure up where i live.