We Could Have Had Electric Cars from the Beginning
Some of the reasons why petrol won:<p>There was no electric grid to speak of - even now there is concern the grid can&#x27;t support all EV&#x27;s, once you were outside the cities (and there weren&#x27;t many back then) the grid was spotty. The miracle of being able to pour some cheap liquid in an engine and drive for miles is a considerable achievement.<p>Lead acid batteries weren&#x27;t very good and were expensive (and still are) and don&#x27;t last long compared to petrol engines.<p>Electric motors were big then - it was only rare earth magnets that made them small enough to consider using in cars at high speed&#x2F;ranges.<p>Its always been possible to make a small electric commuter car to drive round at 30mph for short distances but even today there are none like this, because people want to take their cars on the road on the weekend without having to worry. In the 1900&#x27;s it was the call of the open road and cheap travel (petrol was very cheap then) that made petrol win.