Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more and more popular around the world, heck we all drive them! BUT did you know electric vehicles date back to the 19th century? Oh yes, EVs have been around for a while!

This blog looks at the history of EVs and how they have evolved over time.

The first EV was built in the 1830s by Scottish inventor Robert Anderson (those Scots have built some rather exceptional machines haven't they!). It was a fairly crude carriage powered by non-rechargeable batteries. In the late 1800s, electric vehicles were starting to become more common, particularly in cities, due to their quiet and clean operation (sound familiar?). However, they were expensive to produce and had a limited range (still sounds a bit too familiar!). Gasoline-powered vehicles were also becoming popular at this time, and by the early 1900s, they had surpassed EVs in popularity due to the development of the internal combustion engine.

Come the mid-20th century, EVs experienced a resurgence due to concerns over air pollution and oil shortages. In the 1960s and 70s, several automakers, including General Motors and Ford, produced EVs for short-range use. However, these vehicles were never mass-produced, and the oil crisis of the 1970s ended up boosting the popularity of smaller, more fuel-efficient gasoline-powered cars. Hardly surprising!

In the late 1990s, EVs began to make a comeback once again. The California Air Resources Board mandated that a certain percentage of vehicles sold in the state had to be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). This led to the development of EVs by major automakers such as General Motors, Ford, and Toyota. The first mass-produced EV, the GM EV1, was introduced in 1996. However, these vehicles were not commercially successful due to high costs and limited range.

Fast forward to today and EVs are now becoming more affordable and have longer ranges than ever before. Tesla has perhaps been the single biggest driver of this over the past decade which has since driven (yes yes pun intended) the likes of Nissan, BMW, and Chevrolet to also introduce EVs. A key difference now as opposed to the 60s / 70s / 90s however is that Governments around the world are investing in charging stations and supporting the private market in charging station rollouts, albeit we know more must be done.

So there you have it folks, if you thought EVs were a new idea..... they most certainly aren't! However, they are finally an idea that has gained enough traction to change the type of car we'll all be driving in the future and we're excited for what's in store!