A less detailed, perhaps, but appropriate for today's debate over electric cars, discussion of the history of electric cars is included in Wikipedia, from which I offer the following brief quote:

"It was not until 1895 that Americans began to devote attention to electric vehicles ... In 1897, the first commercial application was established as a fleet of New York City taxis built by the Electric Carriage and Wagon Company of Philadelphia. Electric cars, produced in the USA by Anthony Electric, Baker, Detroit, Edison, Studebaker, and others during the early 20th century for a time out-sold gasoline-powered vehicles.

"These vehicles were successfully sold as city cars...the top speed of these early electric vehicles was limited to about 32 km/h (20 mph).

"...The years 1899 and 1900 were the high point of electric cars in America, as they outsold all other types of cars...

"...The only good roads of the period were in town, causing most travel to be local commuting - a perfect situation for electric vehicles, since their range was limited.

"...Electric vehicles enjoyed success into the 1920s with production peaking in 1912.

"The decline of the electric vehicle was brought about by several major developments:

• By the 1920s, America had a better system of roads that now connected cities, bringing with it the need for longer-range vehicles.
• The discovery of Texas crude oil reduced the price of gasoline so that it was affordable to the average consumer.
• The invention of the electric starter by Charles Kettering in 1912 eliminated the need for the hand crank.
• The initiation of mass production of internal combustion engine vehicles by Henry Ford made these vehicles widely available and affordable in the $500 to $1,000 price range.^[7] By contrast, the price of the less efficiently produced electric vehicles continued to rise. In 1912, an electric roadster sold for $1,750, while a gasoline car sold for $650."

I suspect we will find that the "new" electric car technologies will find their niche the same as the original...