More than a century ago, the concept of electric cars emerged, captivating imaginations with promises of clean and quiet transportation. Today, these early visions are being realized as electric vehicles (EVs) surge in popularity, echoing the very reasons for their initial appeal. As concerns about fuel costs and environmental impact escalate, the shift towards electric mobility is gaining momentum.
The numbers speak volumes. While currently representing over 3% of new car sales, projections indicate a significant climb for electric vehicle sales, potentially reaching nearly 7% globally by 2020 – equating to a staggering 6.6 million vehicles annually, as detailed in a report by Navigant Research. This escalating interest prompts a deeper exploration into the origins of this transformative technology and its trajectory into the future. Join us on a historical journey to uncover the fascinating story of the electric car, from its humble beginnings to its burgeoning resurgence.
The Genesis of Electric Mobility: Tracing the 1st Electric Car
Pinpointing the precise birthplace of the electric car is a complex endeavor, as its invention wasn’t the brainchild of a single individual or nation. Instead, the 1st Electric Car was born from a series of groundbreaking advancements throughout the 1800s, each contributing a crucial piece to the puzzle – from the development of efficient batteries to the refinement of the electric motor.
In the early decades of the 19th century, pioneering inventors across Hungary, the Netherlands, and the United States, including a Vermont blacksmith, independently experimented with the idea of battery-powered vehicles, crafting some of history’s earliest small-scale electric cars. Around the same period, Robert Anderson, a British inventor, engineered what is considered the first rudimentary electric carriage. However, it was during the latter half of the 19th century that French and English innovators truly advanced the concept, building some of the first practical electric cars capable of carrying passengers reliably.
Across the Atlantic, the United States witnessed its own electric car milestone around 1890. William Morrison, a chemist residing in Des Moines, Iowa, introduced his creation – a six-passenger electric vehicle. While capable of a modest top speed of 14 miles per hour and essentially an electrified wagon, Morrison’s vehicle played a pivotal role in igniting public interest in electric vehicles within America.
The subsequent years witnessed a proliferation of electric vehicles from various manufacturers across the U.S. New York City even boasted a fleet exceeding 60 electric taxis, showcasing the early commercial viability of EVs. By the dawn of the 20th century, electric cars had reached their zenith, representing approximately one-third of all vehicles on American roads. This strong market presence continued throughout the ensuing decade, cementing the electric car’s place in early automotive history.
The Early Reign and Decline of the Electric Car
Understanding the widespread appeal of electric vehicles around 1900 requires context – specifically, understanding the nascent stages of personal transportation and the competing technologies of the era. At the turn of the 20th century, horses remained the primary mode of transport. However, as prosperity grew in America, people began embracing newly invented motor vehicles – available in steam, gasoline, or electric variants – for personal conveyance.
Steam power was a well-established energy source, proven reliable in powering factories and trains. Indeed, some of the earliest self-propelled vehicles in the late 1700s utilized steam. Yet, steam technology was slow to adapt to cars, with adoption taking hold only in the 1870s. A key drawback for personal vehicles was practicality. Steam cars required lengthy startup times – sometimes up to 45 minutes in cold weather – and needed frequent water refills, severely limiting their operational range.
The emergence of electric vehicles coincided with another burgeoning technology: gasoline-powered cars. Improvements to the internal combustion engine throughout the 1800s paved the way for gasoline vehicles. While promising, early gasoline cars were far from user-friendly. Driving them demanded considerable manual effort – gear changes were complex, and starting the engine involved a hand crank, posing difficulties for some drivers. Furthermore, they were notoriously noisy and produced unpleasant exhaust fumes.
Electric cars neatly sidestepped the issues plaguing steam and early gasoline vehicles. They operated quietly, were easier to drive, and crucially, emitted no foul-smelling pollutants, unlike their contemporaries. This made them instantly attractive to urban dwellers, particularly women. Electric cars were ideally suited for short city commutes, and the poor road conditions prevalent outside urban centers limited the practicality of longer journeys for any type of vehicle. As electricity access expanded in the 1910s, charging electric cars became more convenient, further boosting their popularity across diverse demographics, even attracting interest from “best known and prominent makers of gasoline cars,” as noted in a 1911 New York Times article.
Image alt text: William Morrison’s 1st electric car, an electrified wagon from 1890, sparking early EV interest.
Recognizing the surging demand for electric vehicles, innovators of the era actively sought ways to refine the technology. Ferdinand Porsche, the founder of the renowned sports car company, developed the P1 electric car in 1898. Around the same time, he pioneered the world’s first hybrid electric car – a vehicle ingeniously combining electric and gasoline power. Thomas Edison, a staunch believer in electric vehicle superiority, dedicated efforts to developing improved electric car batteries. Even Henry Ford, a friend of Edison, collaborated with him in 1914 to explore the feasibility of a low-cost electric car, as reported by Wired.
However, it was Henry Ford’s revolutionary mass-produced Model T that ultimately dealt a severe blow to the electric car’s early dominance. Introduced in 1908, the Model T made gasoline-powered cars widely accessible and affordable to the masses. By 1912, the price of a gasoline car plummeted to just $650, while an electric roadster commanded a hefty $1,750. In the same year, Charles Kettering’s invention of the electric starter eliminated the cumbersome hand crank, further propelling gasoline car sales.
Other factors compounded the electric car’s decline. The 1920s witnessed the expansion of the U.S. road network, connecting cities and fueling a desire for longer-distance travel. The discovery of Texas crude oil made gasoline cheap and readily available even in rural areas, and gas stations began proliferating across the country. In stark contrast, electricity access remained limited outside urban centers during this period. Consequently, electric vehicles faded into near obscurity by 1935.
Renewed Interest Sparked by Gas Shortages
For roughly three decades, electric vehicle technology languished in a relative “dark age,” with minimal advancements. The combination of inexpensive, abundant gasoline and continuous improvements in internal combustion engines stifled demand for alternative fuel vehicles.
The late 1960s and early 1970s marked a turning point. Surging oil prices and gasoline shortages, culminating in the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo, ignited renewed interest in reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil and exploring domestic fuel sources. Responding to this urgency, Congress enacted the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1976, empowering the Energy Department to champion research and development in electric and hybrid vehicles.
This legislative push spurred both major and minor automakers to explore alternative fuel options, including electric cars. General Motors, for instance, developed a prototype urban electric car showcased at the Environmental Protection Agency’s First Symposium on Low Pollution Power Systems Development in 1973. American Motor Company produced electric delivery jeeps for a 1975 United States Postal Service test program. Even NASA contributed to raising the profile of electric vehicles when its electric Lunar rover became the first manned vehicle to traverse the moon in 1971.
Despite these efforts, electric vehicles of the 1970s still faced performance limitations compared to their gasoline counterparts. Typical top speeds hovered around 45 miles per hour, and driving ranges were often restricted to about 40 miles before requiring a recharge.
Environmental Concerns Propel Electric Vehicles Forward
The 1990s ushered in another era of change. Two decades after the gas lines of the 1970s, public interest in electric vehicles had largely waned. However, new federal and state regulations began to reshape the landscape. The passage of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendment and the 1992 Energy Policy Act, coupled with stricter transportation emissions regulations from the California Air Resources Board, fostered a resurgence of interest in electric vehicles within the U.S.
During this period, automakers started adapting existing popular vehicle models into electric versions. This led to electric vehicles achieving performance metrics closer to gasoline cars, with many offering ranges around 60 miles.
One of the most iconic electric cars of this era was GM’s EV1, prominently featured in the 2006 documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? Unlike adaptations of existing models, the EV1 was a ground-up design and development effort. Boasting an 80-mile range and a 0-50 miles per hour acceleration in just seven seconds, the EV1 quickly garnered a dedicated following. However, high production costs rendered it commercially unviable, and GM discontinued the EV1 in 2001.
The booming economy, growing middle class, and low gasoline prices of the late 1990s diverted consumer attention away from fuel-efficient vehicles. Despite limited public visibility, scientists and engineers, with support from the Energy Department, continued behind-the-scenes efforts to advance electric vehicle technology, particularly batteries.
A New Dawn for Electric Cars
While the fits and starts of the electric vehicle industry in the latter half of the 20th century underscored the technology’s potential, the true revitalization of the electric car commenced around the dawn of the 21st century. Depending on perspective, two key events ignited the contemporary surge in electric vehicle interest.
Many point to the introduction of the Toyota Prius as the first pivotal moment. Launched in Japan in 1997, the Prius became the world’s first mass-produced hybrid electric vehicle. Its global release in 2000, coupled with celebrity endorsements, propelled the Prius to instant success, significantly elevating the profile of hybrid technology. Toyota’s Prius utilized nickel metal hydride batteries, a technology supported by Energy Department research. Subsequently, rising gasoline prices and growing concerns about carbon emissions have solidified the Prius’s position as the best-selling hybrid worldwide for over a decade.
(Historical Note: Prior to the Prius’s U.S. debut, Honda introduced the Insight hybrid in 1999, making it the first hybrid sold in the U.S. since the early 1900s.)
The second transformative event was Tesla Motors’ 2006 announcement of a luxury electric sports car capable of exceeding 200 miles on a single charge. In 2010, Tesla received a $465 million loan from the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office – a loan repaid a full nine years ahead of schedule – to establish a manufacturing facility in California. Tesla has since achieved widespread acclaim and become the largest auto industry employer in California.
Tesla’s announcement and subsequent success spurred major automakers to accelerate their own electric vehicle programs. Late 2010 saw the U.S. market launch of the Chevy Volt and the Nissan LEAF. The Volt, the first commercially available plug-in hybrid, features a gasoline engine to supplement its electric drive once the battery is depleted, offering electric driving for most trips with gasoline backup for extended range. The LEAF, in contrast, is an all-electric vehicle (also known as battery-electric vehicle or simply EV), powered solely by an electric motor.
Over the ensuing years, other automakers joined the electric vehicle rollout in the U.S. However, consumers still grappled with a recurring challenge – public charging infrastructure. Through the Recovery Act, the Energy Department invested over $115 million to facilitate the creation of a nationwide charging infrastructure, deploying over 18,000 chargers for residential, commercial, and public use nationwide. Automakers and private businesses also installed chargers at strategic locations, bringing the current U.S. public electric vehicle charger network to over 8,000 locations with more than 20,000 outlets.
Simultaneously, advancements in battery technology, supported by the Energy Department’s Vehicle Technologies Office, began to enhance the range of plug-in electric vehicles. Building on battery technology pioneered in early hybrids, Department research also contributed to the development of lithium-ion battery technology utilized in the Volt. More recently, the Department’s investment in battery research and development has driven down electric vehicle battery costs by 50 percent in the last four years while simultaneously improving battery performance – power, energy capacity, and durability. This cost reduction, in turn, is making electric vehicles more accessible to consumers.
Consumers today enjoy an unprecedented array of electric vehicle choices. Currently, 23 plug-in electric and 36 hybrid models are available, spanning sizes from the two-passenger Smart ED to the midsize Ford C-Max Energi and the BMW i3 luxury SUV. As gasoline prices continue their upward trend and electric vehicle prices become increasingly competitive, electric vehicles are gaining traction – with over 234,000 plug-in electric vehicles and 3.3 million hybrids currently on U.S. roads.
Image alt text: Modern EV charging stations, a developed infrastructure addressing early electric car challenges.
The Road Ahead for Electric Mobility
Predicting the precise future trajectory of electric vehicles remains uncertain, but their potential to forge a more sustainable future is undeniable. Transitioning all light-duty vehicles in the U.S. to hybrids or plug-in electric vehicles, leveraging current technology, could reduce foreign oil dependence by 30-60 percent and decrease carbon emissions from the transportation sector by up to 20 percent.
To facilitate these emission reductions, President Obama launched the EV Everywhere Grand Challenge in 2012 – an Energy Department initiative uniting leading American scientists, engineers, and businesses with the goal of making plug-in electric vehicles as affordable as gasoline-powered vehicles by 2022. On the battery technology front, the Department’s Joint Center for Energy Storage Research at Argonne National Laboratory is actively tackling the most significant scientific and technical hurdles hindering large-scale battery improvements.
Furthermore, the Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) is championing transformative technologies poised to revolutionize electric vehicles. ARPA-E’s projects, ranging from investments in new battery chemistries promising extended driving ranges to cost-effective alternatives to critical electric motor materials, have the potential to fundamentally reshape the electric vehicle landscape.
Ultimately, the future path of electric vehicles remains to be written. However, their journey from the 1st electric car prototypes to today’s sophisticated models demonstrates a remarkable evolution, hinting at an electrifying future for personal transportation.
