Clancy Tucker's Blog: 12 August 2020 - A COLLECTION OF THE FIRST ELECTRIC CARS

A COLLECTION OF
THE FIRST ELECTRIC CARS

G'day folks,

Well, these will be a thing of the future, but they are not a new idea.

When we think of electric cars we almost instantly picture fancy futuristic, battery-powered vehicles that we can drive with abandon. While electric cars continue rising in popularity today, they were introduced more than 100 years ago. However, the first electric vehicles were a far cry from the trendy ones we are used to seeing on the roads today.

The history of the invention of the electric car can’t exactly be traced back to one inventor or country. In fact, it was a series of breakthroughs in the 1800s that helped drive the first electric vehicle on the road. These cars were popular then for exactly the same reason they are popular now – they helped people save money at the pump. From the making of the first battery to the electric motor, many noted inventors and engineers contributed towards designing the early electric car.

French inventor Gustave Trouvé is widely regarded as the man who developed the first electric vehicle in history. His electric tricycle had a rechargeable battery and was first tested along the Rue Valois in Paris central in 1881. Then, in 1890-91, William Morrison of Des Moines, Iowa, gave the United States its first electric car. The vehicle had the capacity for carrying six passengers and could reach a speed of 23 kilometers per hour (14 mph).

Since then, several other inventors improved upon the electric car designs. In the late 1890s and early 1900s, electric battery-powered cars became quite popular among the common folk, and sales of these wagons particularly peaked in the early 1910s. Now, it is likely that your interest in these early electric cars must have increased.

Here is a look, then, at some fascinating pictures of classy vintage electric cars in history.