Blog: Electric Vehicles

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are a highly politicized topic at the moment. We are all witnessing how their history seems to be rhyming right now.

1910 Baker Electric W Runabout - Dresden Transport Museum [Source: G Stieler]

"History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme."
[Mark Twain]

California wants EVs to dominate by 2035. At that point, building EVs and batteries will be fundamental technologies for all the big manufacturing countries in the world. And California, as supposedly the fourth largest economy,[1] does not want to be left out. Currently, however, Washington, DC still hangs on to the past.

By 2035--and certainly afterwards--fossil fuels will be too valuable and too expensive to compete with renewable energy. Which means consumers might pay dearly for the shortsighted political decisions of today. The U.S. of A. might be the one Western country missing out on all the advantages EVs can bring to cities and residents.

The biggest irony might be that the call to bring manufacturing back to America could be undermining a great manufacturing story that is happening right here in Silicon Valley. But first, let's go back and look at the long history of EVs.

Did Silicon Valley invent the Electric Car?

Unbeknownst to many these days, Silicon Valley did not invent electric vehicles, nor did GM or Nissan. This technology is actually much, much older than that.

Some 120 years ago, the majority of motor vehicles were external combustion engines (steam-powered cars) fueled by coal, charcoal, wood, gasoline, or even kerosene. Internal combustion engines were still in the minority, and people regarded them as obnoxious, too noisy, and unsafe when using the hand crank system. Easier, safer, quicker and more convenient, electric cars, unfortunately, were also more expensive.

It also took several days to recharge, but then again, it was much easier to swap out the empty battery pack with a full one. Compared to ECEs and ICEs, EVs were the superior technology. Thomas Alva Edison thought so.

So did the wife of Henry Ford. But then they completely disappeared. What happened?

The Jurassic Period

1828: Everything starts with Anyos Jedlik (Hungary) building the World's first electric motor.
1832: Inventors like Robert Anderson and Robert Davidson (Scotland) were credited with being the first to electrify carriages and trains.
1834: Emily Davenport, Thomas Davenport, and Orange Smalley (Vermont) constructed one of the first American DC electric motors.

The plan was to electrify streetcars.
1859: Another breakthrough technology was accomplished when French scientist Gaston Plant? introduced the rechargeable lead-acid battery.
1881: With further advancements in battery technology, Gustave Trouv? (France) could show an electric tricycle at the International Electricity Exhibition.
1882: Thomas Parker (UK) improved on the lead-acid battery. His company, Electric Construction Corporation, had a virtual monopoly on the British electric car market in the 1890s.
1888: Andreas Flocken (Germany) is generally credited with building the World's first real electric car. The Flocken Elektrowagen had a 0.7 kW motor and could reach 15 km/h using a 100 kg battery.
1891: William Morrison of Des Moines, Iowa, builds the first successful electric vehicle (EV) in the U.S.
1894: Andrew L.

Riker, who owned an electric motor company in Brooklyn, built his first EV by putting two bicycles together and adding electric power.
1896: The first automobile race on a track in the US was won by a Riker.
1898: Andrew L. Riker founded the Riker Electric Vehicle Company, which later merged with the Electric Vehicle Company and mainly produced EV trucks.
1898: Ferdinand Porsche (Austria/Germany) first produced an electric vehicle, followed up with the world's first hybrid vehicle (1900 Porsche Semper Vivus).
1899: Belgian Camille Jenatzy and his rocket-shaped electric car, La Jamais Contente, was the first vehicle to break the 100 km/h (62 mph) speed barrier.
1899-1915: Walter C. Baker starts and runs the Baker Electric Company.

It became one of the premier producers of quality EVs. They produced several models, some of which advertised a range of over 200 miles.
1900: At that time, 40% of cars were steam-driven. Electric vehicles (often taxis or trucks) account for about one-third of all vehicles on the road.

Gasoline combustion engines were loud, annoying, and regarded as dangerous. They were in the minority. Whereas EVs were regarded as reliable, luxurious and rather safe.
1901: Thomas A.

Edison regards electric vehicles as superior and decides to aim for better batteries.
1902: Baker's "Electric Torpedo" was unofficially the first car to break the 100 mph (160 km/h) land speed record. This might also have been the first car to feature seatbelts.
1906: Baker - the largest EV company in the world - builds 800 cars. Jay Leno likes to show off his Baker.

It had a range of 60-80 miles, and it's basically maintenance-free. Females loved the quiet ride.
1906: Wilhelm Maybach (Daimler, Germany) introduces an electric race car called Mercedes Mixte. It was however mainly used as a taxi.
1911: The electric self-starter invented by Charles Kettering (Delco) - on behalf of Henry M.

Leland - makes gasoline-powered cars more convenient to use.
1912: Henry M. Leland orders 12,000 self-starters for his 1912 Cadillac models.
1912-17: GM produces an electric truck.
1914: Within the German Reich, there were almost 1,700 electric vehicles.

I bet there are a bunch of interesting stories behind each and every one of these points in time of the first 100 years of electric motors and electric vehicles. But eventually, we want to reach this century.

However, it's worth noting that EVs were also driven by notable figures such as Thomas Alva Edison, Clara Ford, Helen Taft, Edith Bolling Wilson, and even King Chulalongkorn of Siam.

EVs almost succeeded

EVs were quite successful some 120 years ago. They were favored for city driving due to their quiet and clean operation compared to noisy and fuming gasoline cars. NYC had plenty of charging stations thanks to Thomas A.

Edison. At times, there were 15,000 of these driving around New York City. Unfortunately, charging could take days, but battery packs were easier to swap.

They were more expensive, more luxurious and the choice of the progressive upper class. And according to marketing of the time, no hand crank, no oil, no steam, no noise, no fumes, no odeur made them even "suitable" for upper class women.

Source: National Museum of American History.

So why did EVs disappear for almost 100 years?

The electric self-starter replaced the annoying and dangerous hand-crank, which removed the greatest inconvenience gasoline cars had. Electric vehicles (EVs) eventually lost out to Internal Combustion Engines (ICEs) due to factors such as cost, performance, convenience, and infrastructure.

Or just like today the shorter range, lack of chargers and long charging times were considered too inconvenient by many. Within the bigger picture, DC was subsidizing the oil industry through tax incentives. This, in turn, benefited gasoline cars more than others.

Combined with Henry Ford's decision to deliver his Model T with an internal combustion engine, and turning that into the cheapest technology of the time, gave the gasoline car an edge. In 1912, an electric car cost approximately USD 1,750, while a petrol car cost USD 650. And while the government pushed the infrastructure for cheap ICEs, they never considered the long-term cost and effect of burning fossil fuels.

Is the External Combustion Engine making a comeback? [Source: G. Stieler]

Conclusion

Fossil fuel subsidies and political decisions stopped progress in battery and drivetrain technology.

This is now recognized as a major mistake of that time. This time around, Washington, DC, Houston and Detroit want to double down and repeat the same mistakes again. Last time around, America's automobile industry benefited from politicians favoring oil.

However, this time around, America's car manufacturers will likely lose out, as Asia and Europe will continue to improve these technologies. America's automobile industry might be in danger of becoming irrelevant. How quickly TESLA lost its technological edge by focusing on the Cybertruck instead of a Tesla Model 2 or their new Roadster was hard to watch.

It all depends on how DC and Detroit will treat Hybrids. But GM's and Ford's addiction to large trucks and SUVs isn't helping in international markets. Losing out on the advantage of small cars running on cheap, renewable energy will hurt American consumers when oil prices rise.

And now, Washington, D.C., wants to start incentivizing coal mining again.

So, maybe, just maybe, the External Combustion Engine (ECE), as seen in steam cars and steam locomotives, is making a comeback soon.

More Information

References

^ fourth largest economy, (www.gov.ca.gov)