Electric Cars seem like new technology and futuristic tech, but really what people don’t know is the electric car is not an invention of modern and it has a long and interesting history.

In the late 1890’s, battery electric vehicles outsold gasoline cars ten to one. Battery electric vehicles dominated the roads and dealer showrooms. Some old successful automobile companies, like Oldsmobile, a brand of American automobiles that was founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897 and Studebaker, an American wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. actually started out as successful battery electric vehicles companies, only later did they transition to gasoline-powered vehicles. In fact, most of the first car dealerships were exclusively for electric vehicles.

It’s hard to pinpoint the invention of the electric car to one inventor or country. Instead it was a series of breakthroughs, like the battery and the electric motor in the 1800’s, that led to the first electric vehicle on the road. Before the 1900’s, people primarily used horses to get around but automobiles started getting popular so people reverted to electric cars. The reasons people liked electric cars back then were very similar to why we like them now. Electric cars didn’t have any of the issues associated with steam or gasoline.They were quiet, easy to drive and didn’t emit a smelly pollutant like the other cars of the time. They were perfect for short trips around the city and as more people gained access to electricity in the 1910’s, it became easier to charge electric cars. At that time all was going well for the electric cars, but then everything started going wrong…
    Henry Ford, an American industrialist and the founder of the Ford Motor Company, was an avid electric car supporter. He explored options for a low-cost electric car that was affordable by everyone, but ultimately he was known for making the assembly line technique of mass production for his car, the Model-T, a gasoline powered car. The Model-T ultimately destroyed the popularity of the electric car, because of the price: By 1912, the Model-T cost only $650, while an electric car sold for $1,750.

    Nowadays, electric cars have come back into popularity, with the limited gasoline in the world and global warming becoming a big issue. Hopefully everyone will start using electric cars, and their popularity will boom again.