This video explores the history of early electric cars, tracing their development from the 19th century to the early 20th century. It covers the pioneers of electric vehicle technology and the challenges they faced. The video also highlights the recent resurgence of interest in electric cars.
Several inventors experimented with electric cars long before Henry Ford and the Model T. In 1838, Scottish inventor Robert Anderson made a full-size electric, horseless carriage. Around the same time, different inventors were working on electric trains. However, steam locomotive railway workers destroyed the first prototype because they saw it as a threat to their future job security. An English inventor named Thomas Parker built the first production electric car in 1884. By 1900, Samuel's Electric Carriage Company provided fleets of electric taxicabs to the northeastern U.S. But it suffered from investor disputes and expanded too quickly. By 1907, it was out of business. Gasoline cars had their own issues in the early 1900s. There were no paved roads, so the cars always got stuck. They also had to be hand-cranked, and they were smelly and loud. By comparison, early electric cars had no hand-cranked starters, didn't smell or pollute the air, and were extremely quiet. At that time, 40% of cars were powered by steam, 38% were powered by electricity, and only 22% were gasoline-powered. Everything changed with Henry Ford's assembly line. It allowed him to build a car in just 33 minutes. Faster production made for more affordable cars. The Model T was only $650, while an electric car sold for three times as much. Just a few years later, the Model T's price dropped even more. By 1935, most electric car companies had either converted to gasoline-powered vehicles or had gone out of business. Electric cars became a novelty or were used for specialty transportation, like golf carts. But nearly a century later, all of that is changing. And this time, electric vehicles are here to stay. Thanks for watching. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get recommendations for other useful content on green cars and how they can work best for you.