Sep 21

Sep 21 Formula E's Brief History of EVs: A Short But Sweet Video

[Sept. 21, 2020]

Did you know that the first Porsche was electric? Looking for more electric vehicle history packaged in brief form? For that, there’s ABB Formula E’s recent video: “Everything You Wanted To Know About The History Of Electric Cars.”

“The electric revolution has well and truly begun, but vehicles powered by electricity aren’t as new as you might think,” the video kicks off, adding, “So where did it all begin and how have we got to where we are now?”

The video then heads to 1828 with the invention of the dynamo and electric motor, along with the creation of a small electric car. From there, the video explains, it took a mere four years before an electric carriage was constructed.

The video is just over five minutes in length and is well worth your viewing time, if only to gain more knowledge about Porsche’s first car being electric. Oh, and also the fact that in the early 1900s, 38 percent of cars in the United States were powered by electricity.

While not elaborated on in the video (after all, it is described as brief), Porsche notes that Ferdinand Porsche’s oldest car that still exists today is indeed the 1898 Egger-Lohner C.2 Phaeton referenced in the Formula E video. Porsche also states that specific electric car was powered by a 2.2-3.7 kW motor (roughly 3-5 hp), offering a maximum speed slightly north of 15 mph.

Another interesting Porsche electrification tidbit left from the Formula E video is that in 1900, Porsche built the Semper Vivus Lohner-Porsche, which Porsche claims to be the first hybrid vehicle. Here, a combustion engine assisting the electric motor essentially doubled the Egger-Lohner C.2 Phaeton’s output and raised its top speed to a breathtaking 22 mph.