A short history of electric cars
Electric cars are older than petrol ones — here is why they vanished and came back.
- Explain a short history of electric cars in plain language
- Recognise the key vocabulary
- Apply the idea to a real vehicle
Overview
The first practical electric carriages predate the internal combustion car. Cheap oil and the electric starter motor pushed EVs aside for almost a century; batteries brought them back.
In depth
First crude electric carriage
Robert Anderson builds a battery-powered carriage with non-rechargeable cells.
Rechargeable EVs appear
Lead-acid batteries make recharging practical; electric taxis run in Paris and London.
Peak early adoption
About a third of cars on US roads are electric — quiet, clean and easy to start.
The electric starter
Cheap petrol plus the self-starter removes the EV's biggest advantage.
Hybrids arrive
Mass-market hybrids reintroduce electric drive and regenerative braking.
The lithium-ion era
Energy-dense cells make 300 km-plus ranges affordable.
Mainstream
Rapid-charging networks, falling cell costs and legislation make EVs the default new car in several markets.
Key takeaways
- EVs predate petrol cars and once outsold them.
- Cheap oil and the starter motor — not a technical flaw — sidelined them.
- Lithium-ion energy density is what made the modern EV possible.
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