Electrifying history of the e-cars

Electric cars are nothing new. They actually have a rich history. Read on:

In 1899 and 1900, electric vehicles outsold all other types of cars. In fact, 28% of all 4,192 cars produced in the US in 1900 were electric.

They had key advantages over gasoline- and steam-powered cars in 1900s. For one, they didn’t have the smell, noise, or vibration. The were also easier to drive.

By 1920s, Henry Ford’s mass production of combustion engines made gaspowered cars significantly cheaper than electric cars.

Meet Elcar which had a top speed of 45 mph, a range of 60 miles.

Miniature commuter cars became popular during 1970s. One was ‘CitiCars’ whose top speed of 44 mph, a normal cruise speed of 38 mph, and a range of 50 to 60 miles.

In the 60s &70s interest in electric cars began to grow again due to pollution concerns. Firms started looking at e-cars again.

Firms began investing more in the tech. BMW debuted its first electric car in the 1972 Olympics.

After years in development, India’s first e-car ‘Reva’ came out in 2001, though the target market was UK. Revamped Reva had India on mind.

Tesla has big plans to produce its first massmarket car, called the Model 3, by 2017. The Model 3 will feature a range of more than 200 miles and price of about $35,000.