The Unofficial History of Electric Vehicles

The underdog, the comeback kid, the revival. Like many of our favorite “coming of age” movies, the Electric Vehicle story is just starting to get interesting. Buckle up in a TORQ and get transported to another time and another place as we break down this revolutionary and slightly bias journey.

The Beginning

It’s uncertain who invented the VERY first electric car. By the 1820s scientists around the world had developed several minor scaled EVs. However, America didn’t catch on to the revolution until the late 1890s, after the success of two advances, an electrical tricycle by A. L. Ryker and a six-passenger wagon by William Morrison.

The EV industry was booming in the early 1900s. Of the 4,192 cars produced in the United States 28 percent were powered by electricity, and electric autos represent about one-third of all cars found on the roads of New York City, Boston, and Chicago.

The Fall

We don’t like to dwell on the negative, so let’s make this quick. Thanks to Henry Ford, the development of internal combustion engine vehicles, and the discovery of Texas crude oil, EVs had all but disappeared by 1935.

The Revival

Electric vehicles have been making their Robert Downey Jr comeback since 1960, when it became apparent that there was a need for alternative-fueled vehicles to reduce emissions and the dependency of foreign oil. From environmentalist to legislators, worldwide regulatory actions kick started the electric vehicle development efforts in the 90s and have been progressing since.  EVs have become affordable for the average consumer.

Epic believes the technology exists today to have an electric vehicle grace every garage in America. Forget the electric car of yesteryear. The days of grocery getters, poor performance and skinny tires have been replaced.