Earlier quoted context omitted.
Asian countries like Japan, Korea and China are the ones who are still pushing hydrogen tech. None of these are big oil producing nations so the conspiracy theory does not make sense.
Plus the folks here probably forget what poverty looks like. In areas with no infrastructure the only way of getting energy is to literally carry it home for your stove or motorcycle. Gas is ideal for these cases. Hydrogen cylinders maybe? Batteries are definitely a no go to transport energy.
Trickle charging a battery with a small solar panel is what no-infrastructure places are moving towards for charging phones and other electronics. That's not enough energy for cooking or transportation, yet, but I can see it moving towards that.
Another option is synthetic fuel. Currently horribly expensive because it is energy intensive and still experimental, it may become viable if solar energy prices continue to drop. It's much less efficient than an EV, but it works with existing gas/diesel/kerosene infrastructure.