- Posted by Sanderson Lincoln
- On January 18, 2016
The amount of people driving an electric or hybrid vehicles today seems like a major turning point in mainstream culture. However, the electric vehicle has been around for more than a hundred years in some form or another, and in some instances was more popular than the gasoline engine that is so heavily relied upon today.
Early Electric Vehicles
By some accounts, the earliest known electric vehicle was built around 1870. It used a small electric engine and very large 28 cell batteries to store power. Steam engines were also developed during this time period, and also earned support among the masses. Surprisingly internal combustion engines remained fairly unpopular due to the difficulty involved in starting the cars which left many people unable to operate them.
The First Hybrids
Right around 1900 the first hybrid automobiles began to make their appearance. A Belgian company called Pieper introduced a small personal vehicle that depended on both an electric motor and a gasoline engine working together to provide power. During normal cruising, the gas motor would act as a generator to charge the batteries, but during heavy acceleration and uphill climbs, the electric motor would provide additional power alongside the gas engine to get the job done.
The Growth of Gas Engines
Despite early competitive success by electric and hybrid automobile manufacturers, Henry Ford took a huge lead in the market by the 1920s. His mass production business model along with improvements to the starting and reliability of gas-powered cars made the Model T a natural choice for many buyers as they became more cost friendly. This led to almost 45 years of uninhibited growth for gas powered vehicles with near silence from the electric and hybrid corner.
By 1965, awareness of environmental health and a questionable oil market caused Congress to start pushing for new developments in electric vehicle technology. By the mid-70s oil prices had skyrocketed and engineers were fighting to improve batteries, electric motors and other components to make hybrids a viable option once again. Throughout the next five years, General Motors invested heavily in hybrid technology expecting to have a whole fleet of electric vehicles on the road in the 1980s, but that did not happen.
Reintroducing Electric Cars
In the 1990s, auto manufacturers had significant incentives from the government and consumers to start producing more efficient vehicles that used alternative fuels. There were many early renditions of electric vehicles designed by major names like Audi and Toyota, but the real turning point came in 1997 when Toyota released the Prius to their Japanese market. Honda, Ford and other automakers released several other options in the coming years with limited success.
The New Millennium
In 1999, Honda made a splash with the 2-door Insight and claimed first place in the race to bring hybrid technology back to the US. In 2000, Toyota brought the 4-door Prius to the United States, earning record breaking sales and setting the bar for other companies who wanted to compete in the hybrid/electric market.
In the last 15 years, every major auto manufacturer has jumped on board with hybrid design and engineering. Even luxury brands like Lincoln have introduced the MKZ hybrid to show that fuel efficiency and opulence can go hand in hand.
For more information about the MKZ and other Lincoln models, visit Sanderson Lincoln today.