A Quick History of the Electric Car
Electric cars are set to become the new choice of personal transport, especially with the UK banning the sale of the combustion engine by 2030. Electric cars have a lower carbon emission compared to their combustion engine counterpart. With the likes of Tesla, Ford, Rivian, Toyota, and other electric automotive manufacturers dedicating the majority of their resources to developing electric cars of the future. Little is known that electric cars have been around for almost 200 years and it has taken until recent years for electric cars to become popular. Here is a quick history of electric cars.
The Emergence of Electric Vehicles
In 1832, Robert Anderson invented the first electric-powered carriage with non-rechargeable power cells. Three years later, following on from Robert Anderson, Thomas Davenport unveiled a small electric locomotive powered by the first American DC electric motor. Gaston Planté invented the rechargeable lead-acid storage battery in 1859.
First Electric Production Car
The first electric production car arrived in 1884 invented by Thomas Parker that had high-capacity rechargeable batteries. Following on from Thomas Parker, William Morrison introduced the simple electric wagon to the USA. The electric wagon became a huge success that it became the preferred method of transport. Between 1900 and 1912, one-third of vehicles on US roads were powered by electricity.
The Emergence of Combustion Engines
Electricity up until 1908 started to get unpopular until Henry Ford introduced the Ford Model T known as the first affordable motor car. Easier to refuel and competitively priced, the Ford Model T became a huge success and spelt the end of electric cars as Henry Ford had sold 15 million just 19 years after its release. Since the introduction of the Ford Model T, electric cars went quiet until the price of petrol sharply increased in the 60s and 70s leaving the door open for electric cars to reappear.
New technologies started to appear, batteries start to improve, and automakers started to create electric cars. Even though the technology had advanced the world and governments were not ready to leave oil as the price of oil was worth its weight in gold, electric car manufacturers did not receive much backing at this point.
Battery Breakthrough
In 1973, a breakthrough in battery technology was made when British Chemist M. Stanley Whittingham invented the world’s first rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. These are the same batteries used in smartphones and today’s electric cars.
In 1997, Toyota unveiled the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle, the Toyota Prius. Despite the negative image of the Toyota Prius, it did spark and pave the way for electric car manufacturers such as Tesla to appear.
Summary
Several environmental factors such as global warming and carbon emissions have been the catalyst for the development of electric cars. Today, countries around the world are trying to reduce their carbon emissions by 2030 and electric cars play a major role in that goal. Many manufacturers are developing their electric car technology as most countries look to make electric cars mainstream. Let’s hope this generation of electric cars is here to stay.