Trends in Transportation - Hydrogen and Fuel Cells: Advances in Transportation and Power - page 141

Chapter 5
Trends in Transportation
The first automobiles in the 1890s were a luxury item for the rich, but
the car became a mass-produced commodity within a few decades. Orders
for these gasoline buggies increased to meet the demand and this new
industry would go on to affect many areas of modern life from housing to
recreation. Steam cars competed with internal combustion vehicles in the
first decade of the 20th century. The Stanley, Locomobile, and White steam
cars were admired for their quiet operation and range. There was also no
need of a crank handle for starting. Starter motors in gasoline cars would
appear much later. This edge was shared by electric cars and was a real
consideration since careless cranking could injure your arm.
However, steam cars needed up to half an hour to build up a head
of steam and required large amounts of water and wood. Then, there was
also the fear of boiler explosions.
The gasoline engine was greatly improved after 1905 and the use of
steam cars disappeared. By 1911, White and Locomobile discarded steam
and switched to gasoline engines.
EARLY ELECTRIC CARS
Early electric cars were popular for a while but they would lose
their popularity to the wider driving range of the gasoline car. The lack of
good roads outside the cities forced most of the early traffic on local streets.
While cars kept within the city limits, the shorter range of the electric car
was not a problem.
The early electric cars were favored by many city dwellers and were
popular as taxis. In the New York of 1898, the Electric Carriage and Wagon
Company had a fleet of 12 electric cabs with well-appointed interiors
available on the city streets.
In 1900, at the first National Automobile Show a poll showed that
electric power was the first choice, followed closely by steam. Gasoline
was a distant third, with only 5% of the vote. During that year almost
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