This article is part of a short series on the history of EVs. You can find Part 1 here. The Tesla Roadster Both the compliance cars and the serious cars since 2010 have one big thing in common: they were forced into existence by pressure from the Tesla Roadster. Like … [continued]
It sometimes happens that a symbolic event marking the end of one era neatly coincides with an event that ushers in the next, although no one notices the concurrence at the time. In late 2003, a brief renaissance of electric vehicles came to an ignominious end, as GM rounded up and smashed its EV1 electric cars. Just a few weeks later, three Silicon Valley entrepreneurs sat down for a fateful lunch.
The past 12 years of Tesla’s growth and development has been a sight to see, and it’s been a terrific story to cover closely since 2012. This past week was the 10 year anniversary of Tesla buying its Fremont factory from Toyota and GM. Tesla cofounder and CEO Elon Musk recently reflected on the company’s growth since then and memories of that period, which feels like a lifetime ago.
Considering how much major automakers are struggling to develop their own commercially viable EVs and catch up with Tesla, it’s ironic that several of these brands did produce EVs back in the 1990s, but cancelled those models, leaving the field wide open for the California upstart.
Pop quiz: What American automaker brought a pure electric car to market in the 1990s? Even a fresh-faced neophyte to the world of EVs probably knows the answer. But wait. Here’s another one: What automaker attempted to make a pure electric car in the 1960s, and again in the 1970s? Fewer may know the answer to that one. Final question: What automaker triggered a series of events in 1990 that led to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) passing a mandate requiring all major automakers to have no-emissions cars be a percentage of their sales by 1998?
Once upon a time — a long, long time ago — an amazing little unknown Californian company filled with electrical geniuses and two men heading the team, President Tom Gage and Founder Alan Cocconi, revolutionized the automotive world.
Along the way on the rebirth of the modern electric vehicle (EV), we’ve witnessed some “far out” and pretty wild projects. We also saw some of the world’s smartest folks pull together top engineers and brilliant ideas. Some of these companies and projects have threatened conventional carmakers inebriated with bottom line profits to the detriment of innovation. Sadly, some of the companies have fallen by the wayside, while other idle, waiting for the right moment to hopefully capitalize on the business sense of their leadership.
