The electric starter was what killed the steam car. Until then, gasoline wasn't really all that dominant. Even though the Model T sold millions, steam cars stuck around until the 30s.
Here's another one:
It had huge torque (1,100 ft⋅lbf or 1,500 N⋅m) at zero engine revs, and could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 km/h) in under 8 seconds[
To be fair, that one wasn't made until the 1970s.
You could drive that today without any problem
Absolutely. Manufacturers still sometimes toy with steam ideas.
I also double checked my understanding.
With the introduction of the electric starter, the internal combustion engine became more popular than steam,
Steam cars could take 30+ minutes to get to driving condition, though a few innovators were able to reduce that time by changing how much steam was made at once and how they heated the boiler.
I know a bunch about steam cars - but not nearly as much as Leno.
I know pretty much nothing about steam cars except what you have just told me
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