Automotive Insider

Where is the Auto Industry on the Electric Car?

The electric car is not a new idea, or even a new invention. From the car’s inception in the early 1800’s, the idea of using electricity to power an automobile was obvious. Electricity was becoming more and more popular throughout the world, and everyone wanted to make use of this cheap, silent source of power.

Electric cars initially flourished in Europe, where improved battery technology was pioneered in France by Gaston Plante and Camille Faure. Switzerland, with their lack of natural fossil fuels, flocked to electrify their transportation to avoid dependence on foreign imports. By 1884, Thomas Parker, famous for electrifying the London Underground, claimed to have created the perfect electric auto. The 100km/hr speed barrier was first broken by an electric vehicle in 1899.

Americans did not pay much interest to electric vehicles until 1895. The first vehicles resembled electric tricycles. New York City was the first municipality to boast an electric fleet of taxis. The first gasoline-electric hybrid was produced in 1917 by the Woods Motor Vehicle Company of Chicago, but it was unsuccessful due to service difficulties, and being underpowered.

Gasoline-powered cars suffered from many of the same maladies that cars do today: noise, vibration, and smell were all major downsides to driving a gasoline powered-vehicle, especially before shocks, ergonomic seating, and enclosed interiors. Electric cars did not require cranking to start, and were often marketed to women. By 1912, many homes in the United States were wired for electricity, which enabled the cars to become more popular.

By 1920, the popularity of electric cars had begun to wane. Massive improvements in gasoline technology made gas cars much more popular. Also, the discovery of large oil reserves in the Southern United States and California cheapened gasoline, making them more cost-effective than electricity. Mass production also helped cheapen gasoline cars, making them less than a third the price of electric ones. The main point of distinction for electric cars until the 1970’s was the moon buggy, which was deployed in the Apollo 15 mission.

Gasoline remained the obvious car choice until the energy crisis of the 1970’s. Even afterward, car companies were loathe to introduce electric cars, and often did not promote them. Because technological research had lagged during gasoline’s dominance, the early 1990’s electric car was limited in range, didn’t go very fast, and was still two to three times as expensive as a gasoline powered car.

The second energy crisis, that of the late 2000’s, caused automakers to abandon the gas-guzzling SUV’s that had dominated the marketplace and move to more efficient cars. Several models are slated to debut in 2010, in all models from minivans to sub-compacts. Fast recharge times, range, price, and speed efficiency are the main focus of electric car development in modern times.

Acceptance for electric cars in the United States is also growing. At one time stigmatized, they are rapidly gaining popularity. Europe and Asia have long enjoyed the advantages of the electric vehicle, but the United States is a fundamentally different market – the country is bigger and more sprawling, and the technology has to take those differences into account.