Did you know that electric cars have been around for nearly 200 years?
Surprising, isn’t it? You often hear people say, "Electric vehicles are the future." Understandable, as they are incredibly eco-friendly, making them an excellent choice for both people and the planet. Today, Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Hyundai, Mahindra, Chevrolet, BMW, and Renault are pioneering electric vehicles, but do we really know the history of electric cars? The journey goes back almost 200 years, beginning in 1828 in the workshop of Ányos Jedlik, our outstanding and brilliant Hungarian inventor. While Jedlik didn’t quite build an "electric car," he did invent an electromagnetic device, which he mounted onto a small model car he designed. This consisted of a direct current motor, rotor, and commutator.
The first full-sized electric vehicle was built a bit later, around 1832, by a Scottish inventor named Robert Anderson. Although it wouldn't technically qualify as a "car" by today’s standards, Robert's electric-powered carriage, equipped with non-rechargeable power cells, certainly marked a drastic shift from horse-drawn carriages of that time.
Following Robert’s carriage, rapid progress ensued. In 1835, Thomas Davenport unveiled a small electric vehicle powered by the first American direct current electric motor. Then, in 1884, Thomas Parker built the first production electric car in London, using his own high-capacity rechargeable batteries. This was followed by William Morrison's simple electric car, introduced to the US between 1889-1891. It may have been little more than an electrified wagon, but it was a huge hit.
From left to right: the inventions of Robert Anderson, Thomas Davenport, and Thomas Parker
This success pushed electric vehicles into the mainstream, becoming a popular mode of transportation thanks to their quiet nature, ease of driving, and pollution-free operation. In fact, between 1900 and 1912, one-third of vehicles on US roads were electric.
You can imagine how much attention this success garnered, especially from notable figures like Thomas Edison. Edison was so fond of electric cars that he praised them as "the superior mode of transportation" and quickly began studying ways to improve electric batteries.
A quick side note: Did you know that Ferdinand Porsche launched the Porsche brand with an electric car? That’s right! In 1898, Porsche created the Egger-Lohner C.2 Phaeton, a vehicle driven by wheel-hub motors. After its unveiling, Mr. Porsche refined his electric hub motor and, by 1900, installed it in a new car, complementing it with a traditional engine—creating the world’s first hybrid vehicle, the Lohner-Porsche Mixte. Amazing, isn’t it? The Porsche Taycan and Porsche’s hybrid lineup have roots far deeper in the history of electric cars than you might have originally thought.
Electric cars thrived until 1908 when Henry Ford introduced the Ford Model T to the world, the first affordable car. Easier to refuel and competitively priced, the Model T became a massive success and eventually marked the decline in electric cars’ popularity. Ford sold 15 million units by 1927, just 19 years after its debut.
After the Model T, the world went quiet for electric cars until the 1960s and 1970s, when gasoline prices soared, paving the way for a resurgence in electric alternatives. The allure grew even more when NASA sent astronauts to the moon, and what did those astronauts drive? Naturally, an electric buggy.
This "perfect storm" gave birth to what’s often referred to as the "second generation of electric cars." New technologies emerged, battery advancements skyrocketed, and car manufacturers began producing electric vehicles again.
In 1973, a major breakthrough occurred when British chemist M. Stanley Whittingham invented the world’s first rechargeable lithium-ion battery – the same batteries used in mobile phones and today’s electric cars. Whittingham is often referred to as the "founding father of lithium-ion batteries" and is arguably one of the most important figures in the history of electric cars.
Just as things were starting to pick up for electric cars, petrol prices began to drop, and interest in electric vehicles waned once again. By 1979, the movement had gone quiet once more.
Then, in 1997, Toyota introduced the world’s first mass-produced hybrid vehicle, the Toyota Prius.
First-generation Toyota Prius hybrid (1997)
Despite criticism (which persists to this day), this helped reignite the electric revolution and paved the way for companies like Tesla and cars like the Nissan Leaf. With environmental factors driving interest, a cult following soon became widespread, and that’s how we arrived at where we are today. Just think – it took only 100 years to go from the Wright Flyer’s first flight to the Boeing 747, so imagine where battery technology would be today if it hadn’t stalled all those years ago.
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