Electric Cars Ruled The Roads Before Gasoline Took Over
The Forgotten Era Of Electric Vehicles: Most people think electric cars are a modern invention, but they actually dominated American roads over a century ago. In the early 1900s, electric vehicles outsold their gasoline-powered competitors by a wide margin. The 1899 US census recorded more electric vehicles than gasoline cars, with electricity powering 38 percent of all automobiles by 1900. Steam-powered cars held 40 percent of the market, while gasoline vehicles trailed behind at just 22 percent.