Electric Vehicle Timeline

The history of the EV dates back to the 1800s. Experiments with electricity to power mechanical devices accelerated during this time.  In 1890, William Morrison demonstrated the first practical electric automobile in Des Moines, Iowa. Basically, an electric horseless carriage, Morrison’s electric vehicle could carry up to twelve passengers on three bench seats. The race between EVs and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles began. In 1900 about 1 in 3 cars in the United States was electric. EVs were promoted as quiet, easy to drive, and that they didn’t emit smelly pollutants. Before the electric self-starter (invented by Charles Kettering) was introduced in Cadillac vehicles in 1912, a driver would use a hand crank to start an ICE vehicle. The hand crank could kick back and injure or kill the person cranking the engine. This was the same year that about 30,000 electric cars were sold in the United States. The electric self starter made ICE vehicles much easier to start for all drivers. Studebaker announced in 1912 – “The production of electric automobiles at South Bend has ended. . . It has been conducted for nine years without much success, and ultimately the superiority of the gasoline car (is) apparent.” Henry Ford’s Model T moving assembly line in 1914 significantly moved automotive production to focus on ICE vehicles.