The role of energy infrastructure in shaping early adoption of electric and gasoline cars

Electric vehicles have a potential to lower greenhouse gas emissions but still face challenges. This study asks what can be learned from US automobile history. In 1900 there were three equal contenders in the US automotive industry: gasoline, electric and steam cars. Only a decade later the gasoline car had achieved a crushing dominance. This dominance is often attributed to techno-economic factors, such as an innate inferiority of electric cars. Meanwhile, the role of infrastructures is not well understood. The research project examines the mechanisms behind this process, using information on more than 36,000 passenger car models. One result is that the slow diffusion of electricity infrastructure gave gasoline cars the upper hand.