1832 Robert Anderson invents a non-rechargeable electric carriage.

1835 Thomas Davenport builds the first practical electric vehicle and receiving a patent for the first electric motor in 1837.

1859 French physicist Gaston Plant invents the rechargeable lead-acid battery.

1885 Karl Benz builds an automobile powered by an Otto gasoline engine.

1891 William Morrison of Des Moines, Iowa builds the first successful electric automobile in the United States.

1890s Electric vehicles outnumber other vehicles 10-1.1900 One-third of all cars found on the roads of New York City, Boston, and Chicago are electric.1911 Baker Electric1902 Woods Electric Phaeton

1902 Studebaker produced its first salable automobile, an electric.

1904 Baker Electric Stanhope

Horsepower 1.75Top Speed 14 mph3 Speed TransmissionRange 40 milesWeight 975 lbsShaft drive$1600

1908 Henry Ford introduces the gasoline-powered Model T.

1913 Thomas Edison-model electric car,

The Demise of the EV

1910 First mass production of gasoline engines while EVs were still hand-made.

1913 First electric starter on a gasoline engine.

Limited RangeLimited PowerCost of ProductionLimited Battery Life

The History of the Electric Car, Part I*The first electric vehicle was invented in 1832 by Robert Anderson. The vehicle didnt go very fast or very far, and it wasnt rechargable, but it did move under its own power.

*In 1835 Thomas Davenport builds the first practical electric vehicle and receives a patent for his electric motor design in 1837.

*In 1859 Gaston Plante invents the rechargeable lead-acid battery and further improves the practicality of the electric vehicle.

*In 1885 Karl Benz of Mercedes Benz, invents the firs internal combustion engine vehicle, the automobile. 55 years after the invention of the electric vehicle.

*In 1891 William Morrison builds the first successful electric vehicle in the United States.

**During the late 1800s and early 1900s electric cars are more popular and sell in greater numbers than gasoline powered cars.A number of the large automotive manufactures in the United States offer electric cars.*The Baker electric is one of the more popular electric vehicles of its time. Although the specifications are not impressive by todays standards, in the early 1900s this was car was impressive.*The Model T was the beginning of the end for the first generation of electric vehicles. The Model T was built on an assembly line, and sold for $600, at a time when electric vehicles were hand made and sold for $1600. *By 1913 even Thomas Edison conceded that the electric cars days we over.*The first generation of electric cars went out of production because of Limited Range, Limited Power, High Production Costs, and Limited Battery Life.The gasoline powered car simply became more practical and more economical than an electric car.*