There Were Many Electric Cars on the Road 100 Years Before Tesla

Certain things in the universe seem to have been forever but upon closer examination, reveal themselves to be barely old enough to vote. Consider the security at airports. There’s also one more thing that’s modern, even though it was first invented 200 years ago – electric cars.

There Were Many Electric Cars on the Road 100 Years Before TeslaThe History of Electric Cars

The objects that appear to be ultra-modern but are hundreds of years old are at the other extreme of the spectrum. Things include watching movies in ultra-high definition and describing things as “awesome” to express your approval. Electric automobiles fall well into the second category as they have a nearly 200-year history that we’re only now beginning to revisit.

In April 1881, an engineer by the name of Gustave Trouvé made history in Paris when he rolled down the street in his most recent creation: the first electric car capable of carrying people and having its power source. It combined a tricycle and a Siemens electric motor and was powered by a rechargeable battery, a relatively recent invention. Electric cars were being developed in the UK, France, Germany, and, by 1891, the USA, within the space of a decade.

The first electric vehicle in the US was produced in Des Moines, Iowa. It had six seats and a peak speed of 14 miles per hour. Although it wasn’t very advanced, it was enough to influence other auto manufacturers in the nation, which helped the industry grow.

Electric cars are still a long way from the crazed popularity they had more than a century ago. An electric automobile was almost twice as likely to be found in the wild during its peak, in the 1900s, as a gas-powered one. Less than one in every hundred automobiles on the road today is an electric vehicle.

California Will Ban Sales of New Gas-Powered Vehicles

By 2035, California will not allow the sale of new gas-powered vehicles. Other states are likely to follow. Electric cars should be just as affordable to purchase in five years as gas-powered ones, and some fairly creative ideas are being proposed to make the environmental alternative even greener.

Will electric vehicles ever become as popular as they were a hundred years ago? Only time will tell.