Electric and Gas cars have both been around for well over a hundred years?

Question

So why dont they both have the same level of development?

Answer 1

In the early days, the electric cars didn't work quite as well and weren't as popular. They stopped making them in large numbers in favor of gas. If there is no market, why develop it? That's one of the reasons why the electric car didn't take off in the 90s.

Answer 2

Because the sales of electric cars went way down after the gasoline engine came to be the dominate way power a car. If people aren't buying it, why improve it? Would you spend millions of dollars improving a house that no-one wants?  Same thing with electric cars, why improve something you can't sell?

Answer 3

Gas cars are much cheaper to make, easier to package into something that people want, and easier to service.

Being around and being practical are 2 very different things.

Answer 4

Electrics were by far the most popular, especially with the ladies, because they were clean and simple.   Once they put electric starts on gas cars, though, and Henry Ford figured out how to make a gas car for $400, it was all over.  

Heck, the batteries for electric cars (Edison cells, NiFe) haven't even been made since the 60's. Lead acid batteries didn't have the range, and didn't last long, but they were great for starting gas engines so they took over the world.