The sudden rush of electric vehicle (or “EV”) developments – from new models being introduced, to breakthroughs in battery technology, to sleek new EV chargers – makes what seems like futuristic technology suddenly within reach of everyday drivers.
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- Lorries being refuelled at St Pancras goods depot, London, 11 July 1917.
But the truth is that
… today’s EV headlines could be ripped from a newspaper in 1917.
It’s hard to believe, but 38 percent of vehicles in the U.S. were electric in that year; 40 percent were steam powered and only 22 percent used gasoline.
There was even a fleet of electric taxis in New York City.
But between the limited range of EVs and a lack of infrastructure to support recharging, the market was crying for a new and cheaper source of auto power, and that came in the form of the internal combustion, gasoline-powered engine.
Chris Hunter, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the Schenectady Museum & Suits-Bueche Planetarium […] says that GE made its electric vehicle chargers from 1904 into the 1920s – and that they were used in both public and private garages.
In the 1920s, GE replaced the large chargers with smaller Tungar chargers, Chris explains, that had an argon filled rectifier tube with a tungsten filament.
“The growing use of the electric automobile, with its many advantages of simplicity, ease of operation and noiselessness, has resulted in a demand for some means of conveniently charging the batteries.”
While that quote sounds like part of a pitch for GE’s new WattStation EV charger, in fact, it’s taken directly from GE’s Bulletin No. 4772, published 100 years ago in September, 1910.