Today everyone talks about climate change and believe that the introduction of electric vehicles are boon to the current environmental scenario. However, the truth is that electric vehicles were not new to the world they were invented around 1832 [1].
The first electric carriage known as Crude Electric car was built around 1832-1839 by Robert Anderson of Scotland. The carriage was powered by non-rechargeable primary power cells. He used a battery and a motor for the carriage. Hence the electric carriage was also called as horseless carriage [2].
Electric carriage
In 1835, American Thomas Davenport built the first practical electric vehicle. The electric vehicle development depends almost entirely on the battery technology. After the development of rechargeable batteries, different models of electric cars are exhibited in Chicago in 1893. In 1897, the first electric taxis were introduced in New York City and the sale of Electric vehicles reached high level during this year.
The General Manager of the London Electrical Cab Company, Walter Bersey, developed the Bersey electric cab in 1897. The Bersey Electric Cab was the first electric taxi cab in London. The vehicles had a top speed of 19 km/h and accommodated two passengers [3]. Bersey taxis disappeared from the roads within two years due to the increase in the noise and the vibrations it created while vehicle was in motion.
Around 1900 – 1910, one third of all vehicles on U.S. roads are electric, powered via a network of charging stations. Electric vehicles a number of advantages over their competitorsElectric vehicles were quieter and smoother than the gasoline cars. Electric cars started instantly unlike the gasoline cars which required manual effort to start. No gear changing was required and didn’t emit a smoke. Electric cars were marketed as a suitable vehicle for women as they had a driver friendly operation. Electric vehicles did faced criticism over their limited speed range.
Meanwhile, Ferdinand Porsche, developed an electric car called the P1 in 1898. He also developed the world’s first hybrid electric car – a vehicle that is powered by both electricity and gasoline so that the range of vehicle can be extended [4].
At the beginning of 20th century, the sales of electric cars started to decline. The invention of electric starter for gasoline engines that eliminated the need for manual start up and the discovery of petroleum reserves were major reasons for down fall of electric cars. The gasoline powered car “Model T” produced by Henry Ford made a revolution in the auto industry. The gasoline cars became cheaper than electric cars and that ruined the sales of electric vehicles.
In early 1970s, the oil prices were increasing and the oil exports to the United States, Japan, and western Europe, which together consumed more than half the world’s energy, were prohibited by Arab members of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries [5]. This led to the countries to find alternate fuel for their vehicles. The U.S government supported the Energy Department to promote research and development in electric and hybrid vehicles. Many electric cars were introduced by different companies. General Motors developed a prototype for an urban electric car and the American Motor Company produced electric delivery jeeps. NASA developed its first manned vehicle for moon Electric Lunar rover in 1971. Still research was going on in improving the performance of electric vehicles to that of gasoline cars. The introduction of 1990 Clean Air Act Amendment and the 1992 Energy Policy Act in U.S paved the way for electric vehicles again [1].
In 1997, Japan introduced the world’s first mass-produced hybrid electric vehicle Toyota Prius. It gained lot of attention world wide.Many variants came to the market like Nissan Leaf, Tesla roadster, Chevrolet Bolt, BMW i3,etc. Tesla also became the first auto manufacturer to produce 1 million electric cars in March 2020. Many more companies are focusing on electrification of vehicles in different sector as the world is fighting to combat the climate change.
[1]. https://www.energy.gov/articles/history-electric-car
[2]. https://www.upsbatterycenter.com/
[3]. https://blog.sciencemuseum.org.uk/
[4]. https://www.thedrive.com/tech/20246/the-real-story-behind-the-worlds-first-hybrid-car
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