Toyota of Puyallup

The Origins of Electric Mobility

The Great Horse Manure Crisis of 1894 was the main topic of the first international urban planning conference held in New York city in 1898. In the early 1900’s the internal combustion engine was touted as the solution. Today, we are looking at electrification as the new pollution solution.

Most people alive today think battery electric (BEV) and hybrid electric (HEV) vehicles are relatively new. Depending on which side of the Atlantic you live on, the first electric vehicle was built in 1835 by Thomas Davenport, a Vermont blacksmith who invented the DC electric motor, or Robert Anderson, a Scottish inventor who is believed to have built one around the same time. Because the rechargeable battery wasn’t invented until 1859, neither was successful.

The first known gasoline-electric hybrid was the Armstrong Phaeton built in 1896, now in the Louwman Museum. The first car Ferdinand Porsche built was a full electric car in 1898. Recognizing the limitations of full electric he then produced a gasoline-electric hybrid in 1901.

The benefit to electric was ease of use. No firing up the boiler on your steam car or danger from hand-cranking your gasoline engine. For these reasons, 38 percent of all cars sold in 1900 were electric and after the Thomas Edison Company invented the nickel-iron alkaline battery, electric vehicles became more practical. Many of these had regenerative braking that would recharge the batteries during deceleration, and some had an electric range of nearly 200 miles on a single charge. The world land speed record was held by electric cars until 1903.

The Limits of Early Electrification

HEV’s had two major problems. First, they were heavy, cumbersome, and usually slow. Second, they used DC brush type motors that required a lot of maintenance and didn’t last.

 As with today, range anxiety was a major concern and electric vehicles were confined to cities with electricity. Because gasoline could be distributed to remote locations, along with the invention of the electric starter by Charles Kettering in 1912, the internal combustion engine resulted in the death knell for electrified power trains.

The Revival of Electric Transportation

Fortunately, there have always been people that understood the benefits of electrified power trains. In 1925 General Electric partnered with the American Locomotive Company and produced the first diesel-electric locomotive. They recognized the power, fuel economy and cost-effective benefits of this platform.

There were a number of attempts by start-ups to reintroduce electric cars and trucks, but none were able to be really successful. Most of the major manufacturers maintained a level of research on electrified powertrains but were resistant to production.

Increasingly stringent fuel economy and emissions requirements finally tipped the balance. There is no getting around it, the internal combustion engine is an inefficient use of energy. Oh, by the way, it also emits poisonous gasses!

“ We need to work diligently to develop more efficient, socially responsible and cost-effective ways to produce automobiles, and continue developing a reliable charging infrastructure for people who are resistant to giving up the flexibility that the gasoline vehicle provides. ”

When Toyota released the first-generation Prius in 1997, they were the first major manufacturer to release a mass-produced hybrid vehicle. Even though Honda was the first to the U.S with the Insight in 2000, due to being a 2-seater it had limited success. The second-generation Prius, a family sedan released in 2003, started the electrified revolution. Toyota has been very thoughtful in their steps toward electrification, recognizing that it takes time to build public acceptance and requires a charging infrastructure to be practical.

The Next Chapter in Electrification

In my opinion, Tesla is the biggest contributor of BEV acceptance. Their continued push for increased electric range, willingness to share technology and their charging infrastructure has reduced the historical stumbling blocks and resistance to electrification. These factors have forced other manufacturers to be more intentional about their electrification development.

I believe we are still many years, possibly decades away, from full adoption. Also, we need to learn from our ancestors who believed the internal combustion engine was the solution to the world’s pollution problems. Fixing one problem may produce another.

Balancing Progress with Responsibility

The electrification of our vehicles has a huge environmental and social impact on our planet. The mining, drilling and processing of the materials to produce electric vehicles is impacting our physical world. The questionable practices of how we acquire the materials for our batteries must be factored in as well. There may also be health concerns from EMI and radio/microwaves to be considered. We have to ask ourselves if the benefits outweigh the potential costs.

We need to work diligently to develop more efficient, socially responsible and cost-effective ways to produce automobiles, and continue developing a reliable charging infrastructure for people who are resistant to giving up the flexibility that gasoline vehicle provide.

It has taken 190 years to get this far, but because human beings are driven to innovate and create, we will find solutions, while remembering to count the costs.