A Brief History of Electric Cars

The History of the Electric Powered Vehicle

You might think that electric cars are a modern invention, relatively new to the car market? In fact the concept of the electric car goes back further in time than you might expect:

The Creation

The exact date of the first electric car produced is lost to history but they are generally thought to date back as far as 1832. In fact, the first practical electric car is believed to have been designed and constructed in 1884; here in the UK by Thomas Parker, a British inventor. The US vehicle market took notice of his innovative design and it started a trend of electric vehicles which took the US by storm. By 1890, one-third of all the vehicles within the US were electric powered, which included electric taxis in New York City.

The Production

early electric carsIn 1887, a young chemist named William Morris created his own electric vehicle company, Morrison Electrical, borne out of his growing passion for electricity. After a few attempts, Morrison finally brought out an electric vehicle that included 24 battery cells which were situated under the front seat. These batteries took ten hours to charge which gave a range of about 100 miles before recharging. The four-horsepower vehicle had a top speed of 12 miles per hour and had enough space for six passengers onboard. The “Morrison Electrical” vehicles later evolved to carry a total of twelve passengers and reach a top speed of twenty miles per hour. In 1891, Morrison signed a contract with the American Battery Company which was owned and operated by Harold Sturgis to promote and manufacture the Morrison Battery.

Catering for the middle class

The majority of the upper class within the US and the UK owned an electric powered vehicle during this time but they were out of the reach of the poorer middle classes. In 1908, Ford introduced gas-fuelled vehicles that were much cheaper compared to electric vehicles. This suddenly made vehicles affordable and accessible for the less affluent classes. From this point onwards gas-powered vehicles grew with manufacturers taking inspiration from Ford. Affordable gas-powered cars soon made electric vehicles a thing of the past.

Intergalactic Appearances

a history of electric cars

Despite being largely overtaken by gas-powered models electrical powered vehicles still made the occasional appearance on the roads  – and even on the moon. The electric powered four-wheeled Lunar Roving Vehicle was sent into space and used on the moon during an expedition. However, there were later complaints from the astronauts that the rover was slow and inefficient compared to their petrol-powered alternative.

The Realisation

During the twenty-first century, scientists and economists began to realise that global warming is taking its toll against earth and that action was required. Pleas were made to car manufacturers to consider using alternative methods and fuels. In the early 2000s, Toyota made its grand entrance into the media by producing the Toyota Prius, a hybrid vehicle, which offered the option of switching fuels between petrol/diesel and electric. Over time, Toyota developed the hybrid making it sleeker and well-known worldwide.

Modern Day Electric Cars

a history of electric carsThe modern Tesla and the 1887 Morrison Electric car have a lot of differences but one thing in common, they are both are electric powered.

In 2018, one in twelve cars sold within the UK were either electric or hybrid according to The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Electric vehicles have almost been around for 200 years which means that there’s been a lot of model evolution and additions since those years. The famous Tesla car air filtering system and even the basic air conditioning system are both new additions.  The biggest contestant in today’s electric car industry is Tesla. Tesla has brought out varied models such as the Model X, Model S, and the Roadster. The Tesla Model S was voted the world’s best selling plug-in-car for the second year in a row in 2017 but as of December 2018, the Nissan Leaf has taken top ranking.

In 2017, the UK government made an agreement to ban the sales of all new petrol and diesel cars by the year 2040, following in France’s footsteps. All car models for sale pre-2040, need to meet an air quality test by passing a new real driving emissions (RDE) test. The future looks bright for electric cars.

For details of how to install electric chargers at home if any of this talk about electric cars has prompted you to make the switch to electric get in touch!

 

Ask an Electrician: the History of the National Grid

The second in our ‘Ask an electrician‘ series, written by the experienced electrician team at Opulous, looks at the history of something we all take for granted – the National Grid.

The National Grid is something every electrician needs to know about! It’s the high voltage transmission networks that covers Great Britain connecting power stations and major substations to your home and workplace. You may know it from the pylons and power plants situated across the country.

The history of the National Grid

The first evolution of the ‘grid’ was founded in Newcastle in 1901 by Charles Merz powered by his Neptune Power Bank Station. Whilst this only covered Newcastle, by 1912 it was the largest integrated power system in Europe. In 1926 the introduction of the Electricity (Supply) Act recommended that a ‘national gridiron’ system should be created to solve the problem of Britain’s poor electricity supply. This first National Grid linked 122 power stations using over 4000 miles of overhead cables. During the blitz this national system proved to be invaluable when power stations in South Wales could provide emergency power to London when Battersea and Fulham power stations where damaged through airstrikes.

The UK Grid is connected to adjacent European electrical grids that are used to feed demand and supply across our neighbouring countries such as France, the Netherlands and Irelands. The Grid is constantly being upgraded and maintained to prevent power cuts and faults. Due to the supergrid infrastructure it is estimated that a power cut due to lack of generate power occurs in 9 out of 100 winters. In the last 20 years there has only been one power cut due to a higher demand than available supply.

How is electricity delivered to your house?

  1. The national grid provides the electricity generation and transmission across the supergrid.
  2. Your local distributor or DNO is responsible for delivering electricity safely to your home via towers, cables and meters.
  3. Your supplier such as the Big Six or Social Energy sell you electricity by monitoring your usage and setting a tariff.

In case of a power cut you should contact your DNO or phone 105 for an up-to-date status of any supply problems in your area.

What energy sources supply the National Grid?

UK Electricity National Grid Demand and Output per Production TypeWebsites like Gridwatch produce a live report of which energy sources are feeding in to the National Grid. Currently the UK’s primary source of electricity production is CCGT. Combined Cycle Gas Turbines use Natural Gas to power a turbine which turns a generator, a second system uses the heat to produce steam which is also used to turn a turbine and power a generator. Whilst this generation method is particularly efficient, is relies on a natural gas of which the UK can only produce around 44% of its demand. The majority of the additional 54% comes via pipelines from Europe and with 36% of Europe’s gas coming from Russia. As the amount of gas that can be extracted from the North Sea declining and relationships with Russia becoming ever more tenuous, it is more important that ever that we continue as a country to invest and implement more renewable energy solutions on a commercial and domestic scale. In 2017 the UK was the only EU country to reduce power usage. Overall electricity demand has fallen by 9% in the past seven years.

The future of the National Grid

A recent report by the Committee on Climate Change is looking to ban gas hobs and boilers so the way newbuilds are designed will in turn shape the Grid’s future. With changes in consumer behaviour such as future uptake on high efficient heating methods like heat pumps and the further adoption of electric vehicles, our demand on electricity will only grow. How the National Grid develops its renewable resources and how the architects of tomorrow begin to design our houses will have an impact of price and how we use electricity day-to-day.

To speak to an experienced electrician about any aspect of your home’s electricity supply please get in touch, we’re a friendly bunch!