re: #217 Shiplord Kirel: Fan of Big Bird, Bert, and Ernie

That was a major selling point for electrics back in the horseless carriage days. An IC car had to be cranked to start, which could be downright dangerous if the engine backfired and twisted the crank back on an inattentive driver. They were also cantankerous, smelly, and prone to breakdowns. In the electric, you just turned a switch and drove away. The electric’s range, typically 25 miles, was as much as many IC cars were likely to manage before they broke down. For a while it looked like either one, IC or electric, could become dominant in the future. Then IC technology began to advance by leaps and bounds, while electric remained stagnant for the best part of a hundred years.

Too bad they didn’t have the batteries we have today. If IC hadn’t taken off, there would be a lot less lead in the bodies of Americans today.