The Electric Vehicle and the Burden of HistoryIn the late 1890s, at the dawn of the automobile era, steam, gasoline, and electric cars all competed to become the dominant automotive technology. By the early 1900s, the battle was over and internal combustion had won. Was the electric car ever a viable competitor? What characteristics of late nineteenth century American society led to the choice of internal combustion over its steam and electric competitors? And might not other factors, under