The Beginning
While it may seem that electric vehicles are a more recent
invention, the first appearance of EVs was seen in the 1830s.
Scottish inventor Robert Anderson is often credited with coming up
with the concept of a crude electric carriage sometime between
1832 and 1839.
This eliminated the need for a horse as the primary force moving
along the carriage, and it became the basis of the modern-day
vehicle, not just for EVs.
The next century brought on board many other inventors and
engineers who built upon Anderson's concept and took it further.
For example, in 1881, French inventor Gustave Trouvé improved
upon an existing Siemens electric motor and fitted it to a tricycle,
inventing the world's first human-carrying electric vehicle.
He
ended up adapting this to make it suitable for boating, and tested
his prototype on the River Seine, successfully reaching speeds of 3.6
to 9 kilometers per hour (dependent on the direction).
historical background
1830s
Robert Anderson invents
concept of electric carriage
1881
Trouvé invents
world's first humancarrying EV, a tricycle
1888
The Flocken Elektrowagen
becomes the first ever
electric car
1908
Ford's Model T comes to
market, eliminating EVs as a
viable competitor
1908
Morrison invents
the first electric car in
the US
1997
Toyota Prius sales surge,
and the vehicle becomes an
icon for hybrid cars
2008
Tesla releases first
vehicle model to rave
reviews
3
In terms of automotive vehicles, Andreas Flocken is credited with
inventing the first electric car with his Flocken Elektrowagen in
1888 in Coburg, Germany. This vehicle was able to reach speeds of
15 kilometers per hour and even sported electric headlights.
William Morrison, an Iowan chemist, was the first in the United
States to find success with an electric car, inventing a vehicle in
1890 that moved at 22 kilometers per hour (around 14 miles per
hour). His invention sparked interest in the technology in the USA,
and many manufacturers began to produce versions of electric cars
starting in the late 19th century.
