So why did electricity lose? The answer isn't just about engines. Gasoline was cheap. Oil fields dotting Texas and beyond poured fuel onto the market. Roads improved and people started driving far beyond the city limits. Electric cars, with their short range and long recharge times, could not keep up. A trip from town to country became a pain if you ran out of charge. Gas cars fueled up in minutes, drove farther, and cost less per mile.
Then engineering twisted the knife. Charles Kettering invented the electric starter for gasoline cars in 1912. No more dangerous cranking at the front. New mufflers cut down the noise. Henry Ford smashed production costs with assembly lines. Gas cars became the people’s car, while electric vehicles grew more expensive and faded from showrooms.
Context mattered too. Rural America and the rest of the world lagged on electric infrastructure. City grids spread, but not fast enough. Places without grid access bought gasoline because the fuel traveled easier than electrons. With companies scrambling to sell more, marketing pushed the idea that gasoline meant freedom and power, not cables and limitations.
By the 1920s, the decline was sealed. Better roads and cheap gas sealed the coffin on electric innovation. Only a handful of electric brands limped along—Detroit Electric barely survived the Great Depression. By 1935, electric cars had almost vanished. Oil became king, and gasoline culture rolled over everything in its path.
Today, we’re clawing back to where electricity once stood tall. The fight from here looks familiar. Range, charging times, and battery cost still decide what wins. The gasoline engine didn’t win because it was always better. It won because roads, oil, and timing made it the easier bet. That’s history. The next round is up for grabs.
