The hum of electric motors is becoming an increasingly familiar sound on our roads today. As concerns about climate change and the cost of gasoline rise, electric vehicles (EVs) are surging in popularity. However, the concept of electric cars is far from new. In fact, their story began over a century ago, and their initial appeal shares surprising similarities with the reasons for their modern resurgence.
To truly understand the present and future of electric cars, we must journey back to their origins. The late 19th and early 20th centuries represent a fascinating period in automotive history, a time when electric cars weren’t just a novelty, but a leading contender in personal transportation. Let’s explore the intriguing history of these Early Electric Cars and uncover why they once held such promise.
The Dawn of Electric Vehicles
Pinpointing the exact inventor of the electric car is impossible. Instead, the early electric car emerged from a collaborative period of innovation throughout the 1800s. Key breakthroughs in battery technology and electric motor design paved the way for these pioneering vehicles. Across continents, inventors were independently exploring the potential of battery power for transportation.
Early experiments with battery-powered vehicles arose in various corners of the globe. Innovators in Hungary, the Netherlands, and the United States, including a Vermont blacksmith, are credited with developing some of the first small-scale electric models in the early decades of the 19th century. Around the same time, Robert Anderson, a British inventor, created what is considered the first crude electric carriage. However, these were largely experimental. It wasn’t until the latter half of the 1800s that French and English inventors made significant strides, building some of the first truly practical early electric cars.
An early 20th-century electric car is being charged, illustrating the rudimentary charging technology of the time.
In the United States, the first successful early electric car is attributed to William Morrison, a chemist residing in Des Moines, Iowa. Around 1890, Morrison unveiled his six-passenger vehicle. While capable of a modest top speed of only 14 miles per hour and essentially an electrified wagon, Morrison’s invention was pivotal in igniting public interest in electric vehicles within America.
The subsequent years witnessed a proliferation of early electric cars from various emerging automakers across the U.S. Electric taxis even became a common sight in New York City, with a fleet exceeding 60 vehicles. By 1900, early electric cars had reached their zenith, commanding approximately one-third of all vehicles on American roads. Their sales remained robust throughout the following decade, solidifying their position in the nascent automotive market.
The Golden Age and Decline of Early Electric Cars
To fully appreciate the initial popularity of early electric cars around 1900, it’s crucial to consider the broader context of personal transportation at the time. The turn of the 20th century was a period of transition. While horses remained the dominant mode of transport, the burgeoning middle class in America was increasingly drawn to the newly invented motor vehicle. These vehicles came in three primary forms: steam, gasoline, and electric.
Steam power was a well-established and reliable energy source, proven in powering factories and trains. Indeed, some of the earliest self-propelled vehicles, dating back to the late 1700s, utilized steam. However, steam technology was slow to adapt to automobiles, only gaining traction in cars in the 1870s. Steam-powered vehicles presented practical challenges for personal use. They required lengthy start-up times, sometimes as long as 45 minutes in cold weather, and their limited range was further constrained by the need for frequent water refills.
Alongside early electric cars, gasoline-powered vehicles were also emerging, fueled by advancements in internal combustion engine technology during the 1800s. Though promising, early gasoline cars were far from refined. Driving them demanded significant physical effort; gear changes were cumbersome, and starting the engine required a hand crank, making operation difficult for some. Furthermore, they were noisy and produced unpleasant exhaust fumes.
Early electric cars neatly sidestepped the drawbacks of both steam and gasoline alternatives. They operated quietly, were easy to drive, and produced no tailpipe emissions, a significant advantage over the smelly pollutants of contemporary gasoline cars. Early electric cars rapidly gained favor with urban dwellers, particularly women, who appreciated their clean and quiet operation. They were ideally suited for short trips within city limits. Poor road conditions outside urban centers also limited the practicality of longer journeys for all types of vehicles at the time. As electricity became more accessible in homes during the 1910s, charging early electric cars became more convenient, further boosting their appeal across various segments of society, even attracting interest from “best known and prominent makers of gasoline cars,” as noted in a 1911 New York Times article.
A pristine Detroit Electric car, a popular brand of early electric vehicles, showcasing its elegant design from the early 20th century.
The burgeoning demand for early electric cars attracted the attention of innovators who sought to refine the technology. Ferdinand Porsche, the founder of the renowned sports car company, developed an early electric car called the P1 in 1898. Around the same period, Porsche also pioneered the world’s first hybrid electric car, a vehicle powered by both electricity and a gasoline engine. Thomas Edison, a prolific inventor, believed in the superiority of electric vehicle technology and dedicated efforts to developing improved electric car batteries. Even Henry Ford, Edison’s friend, collaborated with him in 1914 to explore the feasibility of a low-cost early electric car, according to Wired.
However, it was Henry Ford’s own creation, the mass-produced Model T, that ultimately dealt a significant blow to the early electric car. 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 had plummeted to $650, while an electric roadster still commanded a price of $1,750. In the same year, Charles Kettering’s invention of the electric starter eliminated the need for the cumbersome hand crank in gasoline cars, further boosting their appeal and sales.
Other factors contributed to the decline of early electric cars. By the 1920s, the United States had developed a more extensive road network connecting cities, and Americans were eager to explore beyond urban boundaries. The discovery of abundant crude oil in Texas made gasoline cheap and readily available, even in rural areas, and gas stations began to proliferate across the country. In contrast, electricity was still not widely available in rural America at that time. Consequently, early electric cars faded into obscurity, virtually disappearing by 1935.
Gas Shortages Spark Renewed Interest
For approximately three decades, electric vehicles entered a period of stagnation, a “dark age” characterized by minimal technological advancement. The combination of cheap, plentiful gasoline and continuous improvements in internal combustion engine technology suppressed demand for alternative fuel vehicles, including electric cars.
The late 1960s and early 1970s brought a dramatic shift. Surging oil prices and gasoline shortages, culminating in the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo, triggered a renewed interest in reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil and exploring domestic fuel sources. The U.S. Congress responded by passing the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1976, authorizing the Department of Energy to support research and development in electric and hybrid vehicles.
This legislative push coincided with renewed exploration of alternative fuel vehicles, including electric cars, by both major and smaller automakers. General Motors, for instance, developed a prototype urban electric car, showcasing it at the Environmental Protection Agency’s First Symposium on Low Pollution Power Systems Development in 1973. American Motor Company produced electric delivery jeeps, which the United States Postal Service tested in a 1975 pilot program. Even NASA played a role in elevating the profile of electric vehicles when its electric Lunar rover became the first manned vehicle to traverse the moon in 1971.
However, the electric vehicles developed during the 1970s still faced significant limitations compared to their gasoline counterparts. Their performance was restricted, typically reaching top speeds of only 45 miles per hour, and their driving range was limited to around 40 miles before requiring a recharge.
Environmental Concern Drives Electric Vehicles Forward
The 1990s marked another turning point. Following a period where interest in electric vehicles had waned after the gas crises of the 1970s, new federal and state regulations began to reshape the automotive landscape. The passage of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendment and the 1992 Energy Policy Act, coupled with stricter transportation emissions regulations issued by the California Air Resources Board, reignited interest in electric vehicles in the United States.
During this era, automakers began adapting some of their existing popular vehicle models into electric versions. This approach led to electric vehicles with improved performance, achieving speeds and ranges much closer to gasoline-powered cars, with many offering a range of around 60 miles.
One of the most notable electric cars of this period was GM’s EV1, famously featured in the 2006 documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? Unlike previous attempts to modify existing models, GM designed and built the EV1 from the ground up as a dedicated electric vehicle. With an impressive range of 80 miles and the ability to accelerate from 0 to 50 miles per hour in just seven seconds, the EV1 quickly garnered a dedicated following. However, due to high production costs, the EV1 never achieved commercial viability, and GM discontinued the program in 2001.
The booming economy, growing middle class, and low gasoline prices of the late 1990s meant that fuel efficiency was not a primary concern for many consumers. Despite limited public attention to electric vehicles at this time, scientists and engineers, supported by the Department of Energy, continued to work behind the scenes on improving electric vehicle technology, particularly battery technology.
A New Beginning for Electric Cars
While the intermittent progress of the electric vehicle industry in the latter half of the 20th century demonstrated the technology’s potential, the true resurgence of electric cars began around the dawn of the 21st century. Depending on perspective, either of two key events can be credited with sparking the current wave of interest in EVs.
Many point to the introduction of the Toyota Prius as the first turning point. Launched in Japan in 1997 and globally in 2000, the Prius became the world’s first mass-produced hybrid electric vehicle. Its instant popularity, boosted by celebrity endorsements, significantly raised the profile of hybrid technology. Toyota utilized nickel-metal hydride batteries in the Prius, a technology supported by Department of Energy research. Since then, rising gasoline prices and increasing concerns about carbon emissions have propelled the Prius to become the best-selling hybrid worldwide for over a decade.
(Historical Note: Before the Prius reached the U.S. market, Honda launched the Insight hybrid in 1999, making it the first hybrid sold in the U.S. since the early electric car era of the 1900s.)
The second pivotal event was the 2006 announcement by Tesla Motors, a small Silicon Valley startup, of its plan to produce a luxury electric sports car capable of traveling over 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 Tesla repaid nine years ahead of schedule – to establish a manufacturing facility in California. Tesla has since gained widespread acclaim for its vehicles and has become the largest auto industry employer in California.
Tesla’s announcement and subsequent success spurred major automakers to accelerate their own electric vehicle programs. In late 2010, the Chevy Volt and the Nissan LEAF were launched in the U.S. market. The Volt, the first commercially available plug-in hybrid, combined an electric drive with a gasoline engine for extended range. The LEAF, in contrast, was an all-electric vehicle (or battery-electric vehicle, EV), powered solely by an electric motor.
Over the following years, more automakers introduced electric vehicles in the U.S. However, a persistent challenge from the early electric car days resurfaced: charging infrastructure. Through the Recovery Act, the Department of Energy invested over $115 million to develop a nationwide charging infrastructure, installing over 18,000 chargers across the country. Automakers and private businesses also established their own charging networks, bringing the current total to over 8,000 public charging locations with more than 20,000 outlets.
Simultaneously, advancements in battery technology, supported by the Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office, improved the range of plug-in electric vehicles. Department of Energy research contributed to both the nickel-metal hydride batteries in early hybrids and the lithium-ion battery technology used in the Volt. More recently, investments in battery research and development have reduced electric vehicle battery costs by 50% in just four years, while simultaneously enhancing battery performance (power, energy, and durability). This cost reduction has made electric vehicles more accessible to consumers.
Today, consumers have an unprecedented selection of electric vehicles. Currently, there are 23 plug-in electric and 36 hybrid models available in various sizes, from compact cars to luxury SUVs. As gasoline prices continue to rise and electric vehicle prices become more competitive, EVs are gaining popularity, with over 234,000 plug-in electric vehicles and 3.3 million hybrids currently on U.S. roads.
The Future Trajectory of Electric Cars
Predicting the precise future of electric vehicles is challenging, but their potential for a more sustainable future is undeniable. Transitioning all light-duty vehicles in the U.S. to hybrids or plug-in electric vehicles, using current technology, could reduce dependence on foreign oil by 30-60% and decrease carbon emissions from transportation by up to 20%.
To facilitate these emission reductions, President Obama launched the EV Everywhere Grand Challenge in 2012, a Department of Energy initiative aimed at 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 working to overcome major scientific and technical hurdles hindering large-scale battery improvements.
Furthermore, the Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) is driving the development of transformative technologies that could revolutionize electric vehicles. ARPA-E projects range from investing in new battery types for extended range to cost-effective alternatives for materials critical to electric motors, with the potential to fundamentally reshape the future of EVs.
Ultimately, the path that electric vehicles will take remains to be seen. However, their long history, marked by periods of both prominence and obscurity, underscores their enduring appeal and the continuous innovation driving their evolution. From the early electric cars of the 1900s to the sophisticated EVs of today, the journey of the electric car is a testament to human ingenuity and the persistent quest for cleaner, more efficient transportation.
