Editors' Picks -- 8 days ago
Words: Digby Warde-Aldam
The history of the automobile could have been so different. In 1884, a British inventor called Thomas Parker patented the world’s first electric car using specially-designed rechargeable batteries. Despite looking like a giant baby carriage, its design was startlingly modern and, at this point in the history of the motor car, there was little reason to choose a petrol vehicle over designs like Parker’s.
In 1898, Camile Jenatzy managed to get a performance of 66 mph in his customised electric, setting a land speed record for motor transport that went unbroken until 1900. By the turn of the century electrics were actually outselling gasoline cars.
So what happened here? Why did they never take off quite like their gas-guzzling cousins? The simple answer is that improvements to the internal combustion engine made gasoline cars more reliable, capable of longer journeys and, crucially, much, much cheaper. It also helped that Henry Ford was a committed petrol head, and once his pioneering theories of mass production were put into practice, it looked like the petrol pump had trumped the battery for good.
But something strange has happened. This April, BMW reported that it had increased production of its i3 electric city car by 43%; demand had raced ahead of supply, and the company’s Leipzig factory envisages a turnout of 20,000 units this year if current trends persist. Meanwhile, Uwe Ernstberger, head of Mercedes Benz’s large cars section, recently declared that an all-electric version of the brand’s flagship S-Class sedan was a certainty for the future.
But consumers for the most part, are too busy and financially strained to rise to the bait without a big incentive, and it’s so far been a long, slow drive towards convincing them. Since the early 2000s, hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius have helped to encourage confidence in alternative power sources, providing not only a good reason to feel smug, but also the added boon of being significantly cheaper to run in times of fluctuating oil prices.
It goes without saying that progress has come on in leaps and bounds over the last decade. None of this could have happened without manufacturers and design teams making serious attempts to address the problems once so closely associated with electric cars. Massive improvements have been made in relation to reliability, range and the once-chronic shortage of charging points.
No manufacturer has pioneered this further than Californian company Tesla…
This article was originally printed in our Autumn Issue. To read more, subscribe to The Gentleman’s Journal here.
Become a Gentleman’s Journal Member?
Like the Gentleman’s Journal? Why not join the Clubhouse, a special kind of private club where members receive offers and experiences from hand-picked, premium brands. You will also receive invites to exclusive events, the quarterly print magazine delivered directly to your door and your own membership card.
