Some Background On The History Of Electric Vehicles

The first crude electric cars were invented in the early 19th century, around the 1830s. They operated on storage batteries and were built mostly in Britain. In 1899, a Belgian electric racing car set the top land speed record - 68 miles per hour. It wasn't until nearly the 20th century that America turned its attention to electric vehicles.

The early cars, such as the 1902 Woods' Phaeton were little more than carriages powered by electricity. It had an 18 mile range before the power ran out, and a top speed of 14 mph. It cost $2000, a large amount of money in those days. Woods invented the first hybrid internal combustion/electric motor car in 1916. The high point of electric car development in America was 1899 and 1900. After that, the gasoline powered car became more popular.

Benefits of electric cars included the lack of gear changes, better range than a steam car, and good performance for in town driving. Also, unlike gasoline cars, the electric car didn't have to be started with a crank. Downsides included limited range that kept them from being used on long trips, and expense. Once Texas crude oil was discovered, the low price of gasoline brought the internal combustion engine to the forefront, and electric car production dropped significantly.

Until the 1960s, when rising emissions caused things to start up again, the electric car all but died. Then several companies began to produce small electric service vehicles for use in cities with high emissions. These vehicles had 40-60 miles ranges and top speeds around 50 mph.

Concern in recent years about the effects of emissions, combined with government regulations, has made interest in electric cars start up again. Electric vehicles and conversions from gasoline vehicles are available now that reach superhighway speeds and have ranges of 50 to 150 miles between recharges.

The Big Three Auto manufacturers have also developed electric vehicles, but they have generally been considered R&D vehicles. These have included the Ford Ecostar and the GM EV-1. However, interest in the 200s has been focused mostly away from pure electric vehicles and towards gasoline/electric hybrids. These cars don't have the charging and distance limitations of an electric car, and generally have greater public appeal.

Hybrid cars include the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius. With gasoline getting more expensive and more and more people becoming concerned about emissions electric cars might have a stronger future, though. The limitations of electric vehicles are becoming less problematic as time goes on and technology advances.

Vehicle History