Technology has brought us all sorts of new inventions over the last few centuries. One development that has captured the attention of our current world was first created in 1828. A Hungarian man named Anyos Jedlik inserted an electric motor he built into a small model car, which became the first prototype for the modern electric vehicle. Over the next several decades, the evolution of electric cars included improvements made to this small prototype. In 1834 two scientists from the Netherlands, Professor Sibrandus Stratingh and Christopher Becker, created a small battery-powered electric car built on the idea of Jedlik’s prototype.
Evolution of Electric Cars to Modern Day
The first version of a drivable electric car, close to the modern version we know today, appeared in the 1850s. In fact, electric cars outsold gasoline-powered vehicles until the early 1900s and accounted for one-third of all vehicles on the road in the US. Even Ford famously partnered with Thomas Edison to explore electric car technology. All this excitement faded around 1925 when gas-powered cars started to dominate the marketplace. The discovery of crude oil nationally made gas prices incredibly cheap, at a time when environmental concerns were a thing of the distant future.
The Return of the Electric Car in Modern Day
Electric cars once again returned to the forefront when California released a zero-emissions vehicle policy in 1990 to reduce their overall long-term emissions. Unfortunately, most automakers weren’t convinced they could compete with gas-powered cars, so there wasn’t enough push to release newer models. Fast forward to the year 2000, when suddenly everyone became more aware of the environmental concerns of vehicle pollution, and all major companies were working hard to cash in on customers looking to reduce their carbon footprint. In 2009, fuel efficiency standards were pushed into law, and with government money, major automakers like Ford, Tesla and Nissan begin developing more fuel-efficient vehicles, including electric car hybrids.
Today’s Electric Cars
The evolution of electric cars has brought us some pretty amazing options today. Tesla’s Model S debuted in 2012, which became the first electric car to top the list of new car sales and became the top-selling electric car in the world in both 2015 and 2016. Tesla continues to break records with each new model release. The history of electric cars is now an important marker in the universal shift toward our awareness of our environmental impact, all while improving our experience and the convenience of transportation.
If you own an electric car and would like to set up a home charging station or have any questions about doing so, Mr. Electric can help! Call your local Mr. Electric or request an appointment online.
