• The first electric car was developed in Iowa in the early 1900s.
• Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs): Combine internal combustion engines with electric motors, using regenerative braking for charging.
• Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs): Have both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine, offering limited all-electric range.
• Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs): Run solely on electricity and require a plug.
• Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs): Use hydrogen fuel cells to generate electricity, emitting only water vapor as a byproduct.
Pros and Cons:
• Pros: Efficiency, quiet operation, instant torque, and environmental benefits.
• Cons: Initial cost, limited charging infrastructure, and potential battery degradation over time.
Electric cars are getting increasingly popular due to their affordability and simplicity, almost 100 years after their introduction. In 1890, Des Moines scientist William Morrison built the first effective electric car, and by 1900, 30% of road vehicles were electric.
In the early 1900s, electric automobiles were popular, and Ferdinand Porsche, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford worked to enhance them. However, the 1920s discovery of Texas crude oil and mass production of Ford’s 1908 Model T gasoline-powered cars, which were affordable and readily available, disrupted the growing popularity of electric cars.
Rising oil prices and gasoline shortages in the late 1960s and early 1970s sparked interest in reducing the US’s dependence on foreign oil and finding domestic fuel. In 1976, Congress authorized the Energy Department to fund electric and hybrid vehicle research. NASA and GM promoted electric cars.
The 1992 Energy Policy Act and Clean Air Act Amendment reignited electric car interest in the 1990s. Popular cars were converted to electric vehicles with gasoline-like speeds and performance. GM’s EV1 had a cult following but was never commercially viable due to hefty production costs. And despite public disinterest, Energy Department-supported scientists and engineers improved electric car batteries.
The first mass-produced hybrid electric vehicle, the 1997 Toyota Prius, revitalized the electric vehicle sector. The Prius was the best-selling hybrid worldwide due to rising gasoline prices and carbon emissions. Tesla Motors started in 2006 with the Chevy Volt and Nissan LEAF in 2010.
The Energy Department built 18,000 residential, commercial, and public chargers with $115 million under the Recovery Act. The Department’s Car Technologies Office funded battery technology that increased plug-in electric car range and cut battery costs by 50% over four years.
From the Smart ED to the Ford C-Max Energi and BMW i3 premium SUV, 23 plug-in electric and 36 hybrid automobiles come in various sizes. More than 234,000 plug-in electric vehicles and 3.3 million hybrids are on the road in the U.S. as gas prices rise and electric prices decrease.
Electric vehicles may make the future more sustainable, but their future is uncertain. All U.S. light-duty vehicles becoming hybrids or plug-in electrics may cut transportation sector carbon pollution by 20% and foreign oil dependence by 30-60%. By 2022, Obama’s 2012 EV Everywhere Grand Challenge aims to make plug-in electric cars cheaper than gasoline-powered ones.
