It's like how laptop power bricks used to be big and get hot, and now they aren't and don't.
They've been used to great success since we had the needed power electronics to drive the electric trains of Europe.
The lower efficiency means a lower range for the same battery, which is why the companies that have used them in the past, like Tesla, have abandoned them.
Permanent-magnet motors have the highest possible energy efficiency, followed by electrically-excited synchronous motors, than by the induction motors mentioned by you.
Both permanent-magnet motors and induction motors do not contain parts that need frequent maintenance, while this property is more difficult to achieve for electrically-excited synchronous motors.
And some heat which must be dissipated or else they will dethrone the BMW as the leading burning car. /s