RE:RE:RE:WE ARE SO STUPID....mnztr wrote: No one knows what will happen in 2030. I doubt gas will be banned.But EVs are the future. Gasoline engines are really based on an ancient concept.
How does one judge an ancient concept?
First Crude Electric Vehicle Is Developed
Around 1832, Robert Anderson develops the first crude electric vehicle, but it isn't until the 1870s or later that electric cars become practical. The four-stroke engine still prevalent today was developed by Nikolaus Otto, in 1862, and the diesel engine was developed by Rudolf Diesel in 1893.
A little later, Karl Benz developed his revolutionary 'world's first production vehicle' in 1886; and The Ford Model T became the first 'mass-produced' automobile in the early 1900s.
Despite the power and utility which internal combustion engines provided, especially compared to steam and horse-powered alternatives, they weren't without their problems.
They were less than easy to drive, often needing significant effort to change gears and start the engine in the first place. These vehicles were also very loud and the exhaust fumes were less than pleasant.
But there was a third (well fourth if you include animals) option - electric cars. These lacked many of the issues of other alternatives. They were quiet, relatively easy to operate, and had no noxious emissions of any kind.
Early electric cars found a lucrative market, particularly for use in driving around cities. Some of their main consumers included women who found they were perfect for shorts trips around the city.
One of the first practical electrical cars was created by British inventor Thomas Parker in around 1884. Another famous example of early electric cars was The Flocken Elektrowagen, which was produced in Germany in 1888.
Sadly poor roads outside of urban centers made it difficult for early electric (and steam/gasoline) cars to venture far beyond the city limits. As electrification rolled out in the 1910s, charging these early electric cars became considerably easier and greatly boosted their public appeal.
Car manufacturers at the time began to take notice and started experimenting with electrical and early hybrid cars. One notable example was Porsche's founder, Ferdinand Porsche, who developed his famous P1 in 1898 (this was also his first-ever car).
Thomas Edison also threw his weight behind early electric cars, believing in their superiority over other alternatives, and he worked to develop better-performing batteries. Henry Ford (who happened to be a close friend of Edison) partnered with him in around 1914 to explore options for low-cost electrical cars.
Ironically, or perhaps intentionally, Ford's development of the Model T, specifically his mass production process, would sound the death knell for the early electric cars. A Model T in 1912 cost around $650 apiece - an electric alternative cost almost three times that, at around $1,750. Are the criteria somewhat the same today? i.e. The cost of an electric car versus the cost of a gas powered car? But I guess people are more affluent these days with easier access to cash or debt that it will not influence the end result as it did in the early 1900's.