When Was the First Electric Car Made?

Electric vehicles predate gasoline cars by decades. Robert Anderson of Scotland built a crude electric carriage around 1832-1839 using non-rechargeable batteries. Thomas Parker built the first practical electric car in London in 1884. By the 1890s, electric cars were mainstream: they were quieter, easier to start, and did not require the hand-cranking of gasoline engines. In 1899, the Belgian "La Jamais Contente" became the first vehicle to exceed 100 km/h, and it was electric. By 1900, about 38% of US cars were electric. However, Henry Ford Model T (1908) was far cheaper, the electric starter (1912) eliminated hand-cranking, and expanding road networks favoured gasoline longer range. Electric cars virtually disappeared by the 1930s. The modern EV revival began with the GM EV1 (1996), accelerated by the Tesla Roadster (2008), and reached mass market with the Tesla Model 3 (2017). By 2023, EVs represented about 18% of global new car sales.