History of the electric vehicle

This article is about history of all-electric vehicles. For the history of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles that use plug-in rechargeable batteries, see history of plug-in hybrids.

Modern mass market all-electric passenger cars. Clockwise from upper left: Jaguar I-Pace, Tesla Model 3, Nissan Leaf, and BMW i3.

Electric vehicles became possible in 1827 when Hungarian priest Ányos Jedlik built the first electric motor; the next year he used it to power a small model car powered by a non-rechargeable battery.

In 1838, Robert Davidson built an electric locomotive that attained a speed of four miles per hour (6 km/h). A British patent was granted in 1840 for the use of rails as conductors of electric current, and similar US patents were issued to Lilley and Colten in 1847.

Usable electric cars appeared during the 1890s. An electric car held the vehicular land speed record until around 1900. In the early 20th century, the high cost, low top speed, and short range of battery electric vehicles left them unable to compete with internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles for consumer use. Electric vehicles were used for forklift trucks, freight equipment platform trucks, and ambulances.

The first mass-produced electric cars appeared in America in the early 1900s. In 1902, the Studebaker Automobile Company e the automotive business with electric cars. In 1900, 28 percent of the cars on the road in the US were electric. EVs were so popular that even President Woodrow Wilson and his secret service agents toured Washington, D.C., in their Milburn Electrics. electric trucks were an established niche into the 1920s.

In the 20th century, electric rail became common. Tow tractors and urban delivery vehicles, such as the iconic British milk float emerged. For most of the 20th century, the UK was the world's largest user of electric road vehicles. Electric trains transported coal from underground mines, since the motors did not use valuable oxygen. Switzerland's lack of fossil fuel resources forced the electrification of its rail network.

At the beginning of the 21st century, interest in electric and alternative fuel vehicles increased due to concern over their emissions and advancing battery technology.

Cumulative sales of light-duty plug-in electric cars reached 10 million units by the end of 2020.

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