Early exploration (1830–1870) Model of an electric car designed by Jedrik Aneusz in 1828 The history of electric vehicles predates that of the more common internal combustion engines of today. Hungarian inventor and engineer Jedrik Aneusz, the "father of the DC motor", first tested an electromagnetic rotary drive device in his laboratory in 1828. American Thomas Davenport built the first electric car powered by a DC motor in 1834. In 1837, Thomas received the first patent in the American automobile industry. [4] Between 1832 and 1838, Scotsman Robert Anderson invented an electric carriage, which was a vehicle powered by a main battery that could not be recharged. In 1838, Scotsman Robert Davison invented an electric train. The trams that still operate today were patented in the United Kingdom in 1840.
Electric car in 1895 With the development of battery technology, electric vehicles were widely used in Europe and the United States during the second half of the 19th century. In 1859, French physicist and inventor Gaston Plante invented the rechargeable lead-acid battery.In 1896, the Hartford Electric Light Company introduced an electric truck with replaceable batteries. Buyers purchased the truck but not the battery, and then paid for charging and maintenance per mile.
The development of pure electric vehicles reached its peak from the late 19th century to 1920. In the early consumer vehicle market, electric vehicles had several advantages over internal combustion engine vehicles: no odor, no vibration, no noise, no need to shift gears, and low price. This led to a vehicle market divided into three parts: steam engines, electric engines, and internal combustion engines.
With the development of oil and internal combustion engine technology in Texas, electric vehicles gradually lost their advantages after 1920. The vehicle market was gradually replaced by vehicles powered by internal combustion engines. Only a few cities maintain a few streetcars and trolleys and a very limited number of battery-powered vehicles (using lead-acid batteries, which are used in golf courses, forklifts, and other sectors). The development of electric vehicles has been stagnant for more than half a century. As oil resources continue to flow into the market, people almost forget about the existence of electric vehicles. On the contrary, the technologies used in electric vehicles: electric drive, battery materials, power batteries, battery management, etc. cannot be developed or used.
Solar energy charging station With the decline in oil resources, geopolitical instability in oil-producing countries, and increasing public attention to environmental issues such as air pollution in the late 20th century, people have refocused on electric vehicles. Before 1990, the promotion of electric vehicles was mainly private. For example, the World Association of Electric Vehicles, a private academic organization founded in 1969, organizes professional academic conferences and exhibitions on electric vehicles (Electric Vehicle Symposium and Exhibition, EVS) in various countries and regions around the world every one and a half years. Since the 1990s, with the development of battery energy storage units and concerns about fossil energy reserves and rising oil prices, major automobile manufacturers have begun to make efforts in the field of new energy vehicles.
At the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 1990, the president of General Motors introduced the Impact concept car, a pure electric car, to the world. In 1992, Ford launched the Ecostar with sodium sulfide batteries, in 1996 Toyota launched the RAV4LEV with nickel-metal hydride batteries, in 1996 Renault launched the Clio, in 1997 the Toyota Prius hybrid sedan rolled off the assembly line, and Nissan also launched the world's first electric car with a lithium-ion battery, the Prairie Joy EV, in the same year. In 1999, Honda launched and sold the Honda Insight hybrid car.
In addition to the efforts of traditional car manufacturers, there are also efforts by newly established car manufacturers. For example, Tesla, which was recently founded in the United States in 2003, and BYD Auto, which was recently founded in mainland China. Both mainly produce pure electric vehicles. Among them, the Roadster sports car released by Tesla in 2006 can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles in just 3.9 seconds and can travel 400 kilometers (250 miles) per charge. And BYD launched the world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid vehicle, the BYD F3DM, which is mainly based on lithium iron phosphate batteries on December 15, 2008. It was not until May 2010 that it launched its truly pure electric vehicle, the BYD e6.
Since the 2020s, some countries and regions have drawn up preliminary plans to ban the sale of fuel-powered vehicles in the next decade or so (most of the planned ban dates are between 2030 and 2040) and are moving towards the development of electric vehicles. On 14 February 2023, the European Parliament of the European Union passed a bill to ban the sale of vehicles powered by fossil fuels from 2035.