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When was the electric car invented in the US?
I heard the electric car was first invented in Europe in the 1800s, but that it came to the States a while after that. When was the electric car invented in the US?
Bellina Gaskey · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Great question! The first successful electric car in theUS was invented in about 1890. The electric car made its American debut in Des Moines, Iowa. It was invented by William Morrison, a chemist.
The first electric car in America had a top speed of 14 miles per hour and was basically an electrified wagon.
This helped spark interest in the electric car, helping them reach the height of their popularity in the early 1900s, before the Internal Combustion engine (ICE) ruined everything.
Electric vehicle prototypes, test vehicles, and models had been built since 1832. We were electrified by the idea of wagons and coaches that could be operated off electricity rather than pulled by horses, or diesel.
For a long time during the peak of antique electric vehicle use, Diesel engines were unpopular because they were awkward to start. They had to be hand-cranked to life, a process that was hot, sweaty, and exhausting.
Not the kind of thing those affluent enough o buy electric vehicles wanted to be doing.
In the middle of this, William Morrison invented the first American electric car in Iowa.
But before long, the ICE vehicle had a breakthrough in design that meant hand ranking was a thing of the past. Now, these engines could be mass-produced and solved the range problems electric vehicles had.
In 2006, amid rising climate crisis concerns, a Silicon Valley startup called
Tesla
Motors announced it would build a luxury electric car capable of driving more than 200 miles on a single charge. By 2008, the Tesla Roadster was the first highway-rated electric vehicle. Whether you drive gas or electric, get yourself the most affordable insurance.
Jerry
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