If you think electric vehicles are a new invention, think again. In the early days of automobiles, electric engines were very popular. In 1899 and 1900 they outsold all other types of cars.

Strengths:

Quiet and clean with no gear shifting, electric vehicles often appealed to women.

Electric vehicles were also popular with doctors. Sometimes called "doctor's autos," the quiet engines allowed doctors to make late night house calls without waking the neighbors.

Weaknesses:

Electric vehicles were often very expensive, limiting ownership to the wealthy.

The batteries had to be recharged at specific stations, limiting long distance travel. However, becuase good roads did not always exist outside of the city limits, this was not necessarily a tremendous drawback for the city dweller.