8 Facts You Might Not Know About Electric Cars

1. The World's First Electric Car Was Built In 1884

We often think of electric cars as being very new, even futuristic, but the first electric car in the world was actually designed and built in the 1800s by Thomas Parker, an innovator from London who was in charge of electrifying the city's overhead tram network. In 1884, he showed off his very new electric car, which ran on high-capacity rechargeable batteries. Parker was ahead of his time because he wanted to do rid of cars in London that used a lot of gas and hurt the environment.

2. Electric Cars Were The Most Popular Automobiles Of The 19th Century

It's hard to believe that electric automobiles were the most popular cars in the 1800s. The main reason for this is that electric automobiles were more comfortable and easier to drive than gas-powered cars. The internal combustion engine (ICE) made gasoline cars popular, but it wasn't powerful enough to move a car until the 19th and early 20th centuries. Sales of electric cars started to fall in the late 20th century, though. This was because a better version of the ICE came out, which started a trend that continues today: people prefer gasoline-powered cars.