The allure of automobiles is timeless. For over a century, they have shaped our world, offering personal freedom and transforming societies. But When Was The Car Made and how did we arrive at the sophisticated electric vehicles of today? The story is richer and more surprising than many realize, beginning much earlier than the roar of the gasoline engine that dominated the 20th century. Let’s embark on a journey through time to uncover the fascinating origins and evolution of the car, with a particular focus on the pioneering role of electric power.
The Genesis of the Electric Vehicle: 19th Century Innovation
Pinpointing the exact moment and inventor of the electric car is challenging, as its creation was a collaborative effort spanning continents and decades. The 1800s were a period of intense scientific discovery, and breakthroughs in battery technology and electric motors paved the way for the first electric vehicles.
Across the early decades of the 19th century, inventors in Hungary, the Netherlands, and the burgeoning United States began experimenting with the concept of battery-powered transportation. Figures like the Vermont blacksmith mentioned in historical accounts were among the early pioneers, crafting rudimentary, small-scale electric cars. Simultaneously, around the 1830s, Robert Anderson, a Scottish inventor, developed what is often considered the first crude electric carriage. However, these were largely experimental and not yet practical for widespread use.
It wasn’t until the latter half of the 19th century that more functional electric cars emerged, largely thanks to French and English inventors. These innovators refined battery technology and motor designs, making electric vehicles a more viable mode of transport. By the late 1880s, electric vehicles were becoming a tangible reality.
The United States witnessed its own electric car milestone around 1890. William Morrison, a chemist residing in Des Moines, Iowa, constructed a successful electric vehicle. His creation, a six-passenger vehicle capable of reaching 14 miles per hour, was essentially an electrified wagon. Despite its modest specifications by today’s standards, Morrison’s car played a crucial role in igniting public interest in electric vehicles within America.
The subsequent years saw a proliferation of electric vehicles from various fledgling automakers across the US. Electric taxis even graced the streets of New York City, showcasing the practicality of this new technology in urban environments. By the turn of the 20th century, around 1900, electric cars had reached their initial zenith. Remarkably, they constituted approximately one-third of all vehicles on American roads, demonstrating their early dominance in the nascent automotive landscape. This strong market presence continued for the following decade, solidifying the electric car as a significant player in early personal transportation.
The Ascendancy and Decline of Electric Power: The Gasoline Engine Era Begins
To truly appreciate the early popularity of electric vehicles around 1900, it’s essential to consider the broader context of personal transportation at the time and the competing technologies. At the dawn of the 20th century, the horse remained the primary mode of personal transport. However, as societies prospered, the newly invented motor vehicle, available in steam, gasoline, and electric variants, began to gain traction.
Steam power was a well-established and trusted energy source, successfully powering factories and trains. Indeed, some of the earliest self-propelled vehicles in the late 1700s relied on steam. However, adapting steam technology for personal cars proved challenging and slow. It wasn’t until the 1870s that steam cars began to gain any real traction. A major drawback of steam vehicles was their impracticality for personal use. They required lengthy startup times, sometimes up to 45 minutes in cold weather, and needed frequent water refills, limiting their range and convenience.
Simultaneously, gasoline-powered cars were emerging, fueled by advancements in internal combustion engine technology throughout the 19th century. While promising, early gasoline cars were far from user-friendly. Operating them demanded considerable physical effort. Gear shifting was a complex task, and starting the engine required a hand crank, making them difficult for many to operate. Furthermore, they were noisy and produced unpleasant exhaust fumes.
Electric cars, in stark contrast, sidestepped the issues plaguing both steam and early gasoline vehicles. They were remarkably quiet, easy to drive, and produced no smelly pollutants, a significant advantage in increasingly crowded cities. This made them particularly appealing to urban dwellers, and notably, to women, who found them easier and cleaner to operate. Electric cars were ideally suited for shorter trips within cities, and the poor road conditions prevalent outside urban centers at the time limited the practicality of any type of car for long-distance travel. As electricity became more accessible in homes during the 1910s, charging 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.
Recognizing the strong demand for electric vehicles, many innovators focused on refining the technology. Ferdinand Porsche, the founder of the renowned sports car company, developed an electric car called the P1 in 1898. Around the same period, he also created what is considered the world’s first hybrid electric car – a vehicle powered by both electricity and a gasoline engine, showcasing early foresight into combining power sources. Thomas Edison, a staunch believer in the superiority of electric vehicle technology, dedicated his efforts to developing improved electric car batteries. Even Henry Ford, despite his later dominance in gasoline car production, collaborated with Edison in 1914 to explore the potential of a low-cost electric car, according to reports in Wired.
However, it was Henry Ford’s revolutionary mass-produced Model T, introduced in 1908, that dealt a decisive blow to the electric car’s early dominance. 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 just $650, while an electric roadster still commanded a hefty $1,750. That same year, Charles Kettering’s invention of the electric starter eliminated the inconvenient and sometimes dangerous hand crank required for gasoline engines, further enhancing the appeal and ease of use of gasoline cars.
Other factors compounded the electric car’s decline. The 1920s witnessed significant improvements in road infrastructure in the US, connecting cities and fostering a desire for longer-distance travel. 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 remained largely confined to urban centers. Consequently, by 1935, electric vehicles had virtually vanished from the roads, eclipsed by the convenience and range of gasoline-powered automobiles.
Rekindled Interest: Gas Shortages and the Search for Alternatives
For roughly three decades following their initial decline, electric vehicles entered a period of technological stagnation. The combination of cheap, plentiful gasoline and continuous improvements in internal combustion engine technology suppressed demand for alternative fuel vehicles.
However, the late 1960s and early 1970s brought about a dramatic shift. Soaring oil prices and recurring gasoline shortages, culminating in the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo, ignited renewed interest in reducing US dependence on foreign oil and exploring domestic fuel sources. The US Congress responded by passing the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1976. This legislation authorized the Department of Energy to support research and development efforts in both electric and hybrid vehicles, signaling a government commitment to exploring these alternatives.
During this period of renewed interest, numerous automakers, both large and small, began investigating alternative fuel vehicle options, including electric cars. 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 that the United States Postal Service tested in a 1975 pilot 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, demonstrating the potential of electric propulsion in extreme environments.
Despite these advancements, the electric vehicles developed in the 1970s still faced significant limitations compared to their gasoline counterparts. Their performance was restricted, typically topping out at speeds around 45 miles per hour, and their driving range was limited to approximately 40 miles before requiring a recharge. These constraints hindered their widespread adoption for mainstream transportation needs.
Environmental Imperative: Electric Vehicles Drive Towards the Future
The narrative of electric vehicles took another significant turn in the 1990s. In the two decades following the gas crises of the 1970s, public interest in electric cars had largely waned again. However, 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 implemented by the California Air Resources Board, spurred a resurgence of interest in electric vehicles in the United States. These regulations created a policy environment that incentivized cleaner vehicle technologies.
During this era, automakers began to adapt some of their existing popular vehicle models into electric versions. This approach led to electric vehicles with improved performance, achieving speeds and capabilities much closer to gasoline-powered cars, with many models offering a range of around 60 miles.
One of the most iconic electric cars of this period was GM’s EV1, a vehicle prominently featured in the 2006 documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? Unlike many contemporary electric vehicles that were adaptations of gasoline models, the EV1 was designed and developed from the ground up as a purpose-built electric car. Boasting a range of 80 miles and an impressive acceleration from 0 to 50 miles per hour in just seven seconds, the EV1 quickly garnered a dedicated cult following. However, due to high production costs and shifting market priorities, the EV1 was deemed commercially unviable by GM and was discontinued in 2001, becoming a symbol of the challenges and setbacks in the electric vehicle journey.
The booming economy, expanding middle class, and low gasoline prices of the late 1990s shifted consumer focus away from fuel efficiency. Despite limited public attention on electric vehicles at this time, behind the scenes, scientists and engineers, with support from the Department of Energy, continued to work diligently on improving electric vehicle technology, particularly battery technology, laying the groundwork for future advancements.
A Modern Renaissance: Electric Cars Reclaim the Road
While the fits and starts 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 start of the 21st century. The renewed interest we witness today can be attributed to a combination of factors, with two key events often cited as turning points.
Many point to the introduction of the Toyota Prius as the first pivotal moment. Launched in Japan in 1997 and globally in 2000, the Prius became the world’s first mass-produced hybrid electric vehicle. Its global release in 2000 was met with immediate success, gaining popularity among celebrities and significantly raising the public profile of hybrid technology. Toyota leveraged nickel metal hydride battery technology, research into which was supported by the Department of Energy, to bring the Prius to fruition. Since then, rising gasoline prices and growing concerns about carbon emissions have propelled the Prius to become the best-selling hybrid vehicle worldwide for over a decade.
(A noteworthy historical detail: Prior to the Prius’s US debut, Honda introduced the Insight hybrid in 1999, making it the first hybrid sold in the US market since the early 1900s, marking a quiet return of hybrid technology to American roads).
The second transformative event was the 2006 announcement by Tesla Motors, a small Silicon Valley startup, of its intention to produce 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 Tesla repaid in full nine years ahead of schedule—to establish a manufacturing facility in California. In the relatively short time since, Tesla has garnered 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 Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan LEAF were launched in the US market. The Volt, the first commercially available plug-in hybrid, incorporates a gasoline engine to supplement its electric drive once the battery is depleted. This design allows drivers to utilize electric power for most daily commutes while retaining the extended range capability of gasoline for longer journeys. The Nissan LEAF, in contrast, is an all-electric vehicle (also known as a battery-electric vehicle or simply EV), relying solely on an electric motor for propulsion.
Over the following years, other automakers joined the electric vehicle market in the US. However, consumers still faced a challenge reminiscent of the early electric car era: charging infrastructure. Through the Recovery Act, the Department of Energy invested over $115 million to facilitate the development of a nationwide charging infrastructure, supporting the installation of more than 18,000 residential, commercial, and public chargers across the country. Automakers and private businesses also contributed by establishing their own charging stations in strategic locations, bringing the current total of public electric vehicle charging locations to over 8,000, with more than 20,000 individual charging outlets.
Concurrently, advancements in battery technology, supported by the Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office, began to enhance the range of plug-in electric vehicles. Building upon battery technology used in early hybrids, Department of Energy research also played a crucial role in developing the lithium-ion battery technology utilized in the Volt. More recently, the Department’s investments in battery research and development have contributed to a 50% reduction in electric vehicle battery costs in just four years, while simultaneously improving battery performance in terms of power, energy density, and durability. This cost reduction has made electric vehicles more affordable and accessible to consumers.
Today, consumers enjoy an unprecedented array of electric vehicle options. Currently, there are 23 plug-in electric models and 36 hybrid models available in various vehicle classes, ranging from the compact two-passenger Smart ED to the mid-sized Ford C-Max Energi and the BMW i3 luxury SUV. As gasoline prices continue to fluctuate and electric vehicle prices become increasingly competitive, electric vehicles are experiencing a surge in popularity, with over 234,000 plug-in electric vehicles and 3.3 million hybrids currently on US roads.
The Electric Future: A Sustainable Path Forward
Predicting the precise trajectory of electric vehicles is inherently uncertain, but their potential to contribute to a more sustainable future is undeniable. If the US light-duty vehicle fleet were transitioned to hybrids or plug-in electric vehicles using current technologies, dependence on foreign oil could be reduced by 30-60%, while carbon emissions from the transportation sector could be lowered by as much as 20%.
To accelerate progress towards these emissions reductions, President Obama launched the EV Everywhere Grand Challenge in 2012. This Department of Energy initiative unites leading American scientists, engineers, and businesses to make 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 focused on overcoming the fundamental scientific and technical barriers hindering large-scale battery improvements.
Furthermore, the Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) is fostering the development of transformative technologies that could fundamentally reshape the electric vehicle paradigm. ARPA-E’s investments range from new battery chemistries capable of extending driving range on a single charge to cost-effective alternatives to critical materials used in electric motors, potentially revolutionizing electric vehicle design and performance.
Ultimately, the future path of electric vehicles will unfold over time. However, their journey from early 19th-century experiments to modern-day prominence underscores their enduring appeal and transformative potential. As we look ahead, electric cars are poised to play an increasingly vital role in shaping a cleaner, more sustainable transportation future.
