With the introduction of hybrid vehicles, which use both electric motors and gas engines to power them, and fully electric cars, which are expected to debut in 2010 or 2011, most people will be surprised once they read the following automotive trivia.
Between 1832 and 1839 (the exact year was not very exact), Robert Anderson of Scotland invented the first crude electric car. The small electric car was designed by Professor Stratingh of Groningen, Holland, and built by his assistant Christopher Becker in 1835. Practical and more successful electric road vehicles were invented by both American Thomas Davenport and Scotsmen Robert Davidson around 1842. Both inventors were the first to use non-rechargeable electric cells.
It was not until 1895 that Americans began to devote attention to electric vehicles, after A.L. Ryker introduced the first electric tricycles to the US, many innovations followed, and interest in motor vehicles increased greatly in the late 1890s and early 1900s. In 1897, electric vehicles found their first commercial application as a fleet of electrical New York City taxis, built by the Electric Carriage and Wagon Company of Philadelphia, was established.
Electric cars were produced in the US by Anthony Electric, Baker, Columbia, Anderson, Edison, Studebaker, Riker, and others during the early 20th century. In 1917, the first gasoline-electric hybrid car was released by the Woods Motor Vehicle Company of Chicago. The hybrid was a commercial failure, proving to be too slow for its price, and too difficult to service.
Despite their relatively slow speed, electric vehicles had a number of advantages over their early-1900s cars. They did not have the vibration, smell, and noise associated with gasoline cars. Changing gears on gasoline cars was the most difficult part of driving, and electric vehicles did not require gear changes. Electric cars found popularity among customers who used them as city cars, where their limited range proved to be even less of a disadvantage.
The cars were also preferred because they did not require a manual crank to start, as did gasoline cars which featured a hand crank to start the engine. Electric cars were often marketed as suitable vehicles for women drivers due to this ease of operation.
Acceptance of electric cars was initially hampered by a lack of power infrastructure, but by 1912, many homes were wired for electricity, enabling a surge in the popularity of the cars. At the turn of the century, 40 percent of American automobiles were powered by steam, 38 percent by electricity, and 22 percent by gasoline. 33,842 electric cars were registered in the United States, and America became the country where electric cars had gained the most acceptance. Sales of electric cars peaked in 1912.
By the 1920′s electric cars started to drop out of favor. Largely due to the tremendous supplies of gasoline and the low cost of gasoline. Engine development by that time had turned gasoline engines into more desirable forms of transportation, eliminating many of the reasons electric cars were more desirable until the 20′s. More distances could be covered, and fuel was easy to find. Electric cars fell out of favor for gasoline powered engines until experimental electric cars were developed for use by the US postal system in the 70′s. You know the rest of the story about current hybrid cars and future electric cars. Enjoy. GotEngines.com @ 1-888-344-8044.
