A telling of the early history of electric vehicles, by Paul Hughes. "Today, few people realize that successful electric automobiles were being produced as early as the 1880's. For over 20 years, electric cars were commercially produced, and were for some years in heady competition with internal combustion and steam-powered carriages. Not until internal combustion technology and promotion, along with cheap fuel, had outstripped all competition, did electric cars drop out of the automotive picture."