Imagine: you are a hip, wealthy citizen of the US in the year 1900, and you flaunt your fiscal superiority by cruising in a motorized vehicle rather than slum it in a horse-drawn carriage, or worse, by walking. You have a few options: gas, steam, or electric powered. Gas-powered vehicles are loud, difficult to drive, and stink up the air. Steam vehicles are an attractive idea, but the hour-long start up times and limited range make them unappealing. Electric cars are smoother, quieter, and easy to handle.

You go for the electric car, and you're the talk of the town. However, problems arise: there aren’t enough reliable electricity sources — it is 1900 after all — and the batteries are unpredictable. Meanwhile, gas-run vehicles are becoming more operator-friendly, and Texas discovers the joys and wealth of crude oil. Car and gas prices drop, and now, gas-run vehicles are more affordable and appealing. Electric vehicles are left in the dust.