Electric cars are not new. In 1900, 38% of the cars made in the U.S. were electric, ahead of petrol at 22%. Here is the short history, from The Electric Shed's Halloween special.
The short version
- 1900: of 4,192 U.S. cars made, 1,681 were steam, 1,575 electric and 936 petrol. They were quiet, clean, and had no hand crank.
- About 1903: petrol took the lead.
- 1912: Cadillac added an electric starter to a petrol car, and the hand crank, which could break a wrist, went. Roads got longer, and petrol got cheap.
- 1990s: GM leased the EV1, then recalled it, and most were crushed.
- Today: electric cars are the sequel. Ours is a GWM Ora 5, charged from a socket at home, much as a 1900s Detroit Electric was.
The 38% is a share of cars made in 1900, not of cars on the road. For what it costs to charge a modern one, see what did that EV charge cost, and for how long the batteries last, how long do EV batteries last.
The full Halloween special, which also covers the cost of light and what a house uses at 3 am, is on The Electric Shed: Ghosts of home energy past.
Sources
- Cabinet magazine, editorial, issue 21 (1900 U.S. vehicle counts: 1,575 electric, 1,681 steam, 936 petrol); McKinsey Quarterly, The 125th anniversary of the little engine that couldn't (shares; petrol ahead from about 1903).
- Cadillac's 1912 electric starter and the GM EV1: general history, to be confirmed before publishing.
Photo: Cress-Dale Photo Co., public domain, Wikimedia Commons. Diagrams: The Electric Shed.