How should gas versus electric heating be evaluated when buying an automatic cooking machine?

Start with the site: is there a gas line, are open flames permitted, and does the hood move enough air? If not, go electric. Where gas is available, cook the same kung pao chicken on both a gas and an electric wok robot, logging cold-start time, how quickly wok temperature recovers across six consecutive batches, meter readings, and pan residue plus cleanup time per dish. Electric holds temperature tightly but preheats slowly and may cap single-wok power; gas is fierce and recovers fast yet needs flue handling and leak safeguards. Never trust the quoted kW or burner count alone, since gas piping, dedicated exhaust and supply upgrades often cost more than the machine price gap. Accept on continuous-service taste and energy use.