The world's first electric car - a brief history of the vehicle

The world's first electric car is, despite appearances to the contrary, not such a recent invention. The electrics that kick-started the development of emission-free motoring were developed almost 200 years ago. Learn about the history of the electric car, the development of its production and technological advances.

The first electric car - when was it developed?

Most people live in the belief that the history of the electric car is very short. Nothing could be further from the truth! The first electric car was developed as early as the 1830s, and the industrial revolution that began some 70 years earlier had a considerable impact on its debut. The first prototypes of the electric car came from the Scotsman Robert Anderson and the American Thomas Davenport.

The cars of both inventors were developed at similar times. Anderson worked on his electric vehicle between 1832 and 1839, while Davenport constructed his electric from 1834 to 1836.So who invented the electric car? In theory, the first electric vehicle should be attributed to an American inventor. In practice, however, both men can be called the pioneers of electric motoring.

Although the first electric cars were developed in the early 19th century, their functionality was severely limited. The first electric cars capable of running smoothly on the streets began to be built in the second half of the 19th century. It was then that inventions such as the lead-acid battery and the commutator saw the light of day. These components facilitated the construction and operation of the first DC electric cars.

What did the first electric car look like?

In terms of appearance, the first electric cars did not differ significantly from the vehicles of the time. The so-called electromobiles often resembled carriages, which were powered by horse power. The latter were strong competitors for electric cars. Indeed, the first electric cars did not achieve dizzying results in terms of speed.

Over time, experiments with electric car design began. In 1899, a car with a bullet-shaped body was developed. The streamlined design made it possible to increase speed, but was still not an optimal solution. Further work towards electric motoring developed after the Second World War. This process followed (and still follows) mainly the miniaturisation of components.

What were the characteristics of the first electric car?

The first electric cars were characterised by being inefficient. In the debut models, power was provided by a Volta galvanic cell, which played the role of a precursor to the modern battery. This energy source provided a top speed of only a dozen kilometres per hour.

The range of the first electric cars also left much to be desired. The parameter was around 50 km. The relatively low efficiency influenced the way 19th-century electrics were used. The first electric cars often acted as taxis to get around city streets in Europe or America.

What has the evolution of electric cars looked like?

The world's first electric car had severely limited capabilities. However, the low efficiency, low top speed or short range only motivated inventors from all over the world to work on better and better vehicle prototypes. The dynamic development of electric motoring at the beginning of the 20th century, however, was halted by the boom in combustion cars. The limitations of electric power technology at the time, the introduction of electric starters to ignite internal combustion engines or the development of the radiator to increase the range of cars meant that electrics lost popularity.

A landmark event in the history of electric cars was the development of the transistor. This invention in 1947 marked the start of the miniaturisation of instrumentation. The use of the transistor made it possible to produce a vehicle that could reach speeds of around 100 km/h and offer an hour's operation on 1 charge. The aforementioned improvements were groundbreaking, but they also had their drawbacks. Electric vehicles equipped with the transistor proved to be expensive, making it impossible for factory owners to mass produce such cars.

Another breakthrough in electric car production took place in the 1980s. US government agencies, in order to reduce emissions, required manufacturers to produce a certain number of electrics. This led to the mass production of cars such as the General Motors EV1, Honda EV Plus and Toyota RAV4 EV. However, the aforementioned models were produced in a run of a few hundred cars, as complaints from manufacturers quickly led to the suspension of the regulation.

The real revival of electric automotive thinking came at the turn of the 20th century. In 1997, the well-known Toyota Prius model was built - the first electric car with a hybrid drive to go into mass production. The following years brought inventions from under the Tesla banner. The sporty Roadster model was developed in 2008 and, next to the Nissan Leaf (2009) or the Renault Zoe (2012), is one of the most recognisable electric cars. Today, most of the major car companies such as Mercedes and Volkswagen are striving to reduce exhaust pollution and are constantly contributing their share to the development of electromobility.

Finally, it is also worth mentioning Polish technical thought, which may be less impressive, but is still worthy of attention. Our country was not far behind, as the first Polish electric car was built as early as 1971. The indigenous car was called Melex and was manufactured at the WSK plant in Mielec.