How Early Electric Vehicles Were Marketed to Women at the Turn of the 20th Century

At the dawn of the automotive era, battery electric vehicles competed directly against steam and gasoline-powered machines across the United States. Quiet, clean, and spared from the physical hazards of manual hand cranks, early EVs were frequently tailored and advertised to women and urban professionals. The dynamic shifted only after internal combustion engines adopted electric starters and rapidly expanded gasoline fueling networks.