Hybrid Technologies is at the forefront of the all-electric vehicle market. Its models surpass those of its competitors on several levels. The question is, if electric cars are so great, then why do we not see more of them out on the road? The answer to that requires the telling of a story that begins nearly 175 years ago.
In 1834, nearly a century before automobiles would replace horses as the world’s preferred method of transportation, Thomas Davenport invented the first electric car. It ran on un-rechargeable batteries, as the first rechargeable cell would not be invented for another 25 years.
By 1900, electric vehicles were being regularly produced; contributors included Thomas Edison, William Morrison, BGS Company, and the Andrew Riker Company. At this point in time, the land-speed record (66 mph) was held by an electric car. History shows that electric vehicles had an equal 33-percent market share, alongside steam and gasoline cars. So what happened?
The answer would come in another thirty years, in 1930. Henry Ford’s Model Ts, and perhaps more significantly, the assembly line off of which they rolled, all but destroyed companies that were producing electric cars less efficiently. It should come as no shock that things quieted down for another three decades or so, until the sixties when – you guessed it – Ford began to see the benefit of research into battery technology. 1976 brought an oil crisis, and Ford continued its work on the sodium-sulfur battery. Smaller companies dedicated to electric-powered transportation started to spring up everywhere.
By the 1990s, the major car manufacturers, under significant congressional and public pressure, began to release the first electric models designed for the mainstream. People are finally realizing that the electric vehicle is an eventuality that cannot be avoided.
The sad fact is, here we are nearly twenty years later, and electric vehicles are still being prevented from flourishing. Failed campaigns by the major producers lead to the termination of electric lines across the board. Finally in 2006, the world’s two largest automakers, Toyota and GM, ceased joint hydrogen cell research efforts, citing an inability to share intellectual property rights. So ended the electric vehicle’s best chance at hitting the mainstream.
As luck would have it, the story does not end there. In fact, with smaller companies like Hybrid working to improve upon existing technologies all the time, we are only just witnessing the beginning. Issues with production costs and general practicality are being resolved at a rapid pace, so rest assured, the electric car may be down but it is not out. With Hybrid Technologies in business, we can count on the future bringing the popularity of electric automobiles to an all-time high.
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