Timeline: The 100-Year History Of Electric Car
http://www.npr.org/2011/11/21/142365346/timeline-the-100-year-history-of-the-electric-car
Summary
Electric cars have faced same problems since they were produced as electric cabs in 1896. Around 1899, over 60 cabs run in New York City. Their driving way was so simple, but the market of the electric cars for consumers did not succeed because consumers needed to obtain knowledge of electricity. In 1900, the number of electric cars is about 4,000. The advantages of the electric cars were that they could start running more quickly than steam-powered vehicles and were cleaner than the internal combustion engine. On the other hand, their disadvantages were that cold air made their battery lose quickly and they could run only 35 miles (56km) per charge. In 1908, Henry Ford produced the Model T for $850 even though one of the major electric car was sold for around $2,000. Only a few consumers purchased the electric cars because of their cleanness. Thanks to Thomas Edison, the driving range was from 65 to 100 miles around 1910. However, the shortage of the electric charge stations was the big issue. Around 1920, the new oil field was drilled in Texas, and many farmers wanted to purchase the cars which can run with cheap oil. By the late of 1920s, the electric car market was almost gone. Around 1970, the fuel shortage and environmental concerns stimulated the importance of electricity again. In 1996, GM introduced the EV1 which can run about 80 miles per charge. EV1 cars were only available for lease. In 2006, over $100,000 electric cars were unveiled by Tesla Motors, and then the company introduced the car which can run 160 miles per charge. The price was around $58,000. In 2010, Nissan introduced the all-electric car, Leaf. The car's driving range was 100 miles per charge, and the price was $35,000. After about 1 century, electric cars developed themselves dramatically. But they still face the same problems, the short driving range and the high cost.
My opinion
I did not know that electric cars have exist since 1890. I have thought they can exist because of the recent technology. As another surprising for me, electric cars have faced the same problems since 1890. I expect that an electric car has more than 200 miles driving range per charge and the cost changes cheaper and cheaper about 10 years later.
Vocabularies
1)combustion
Part of speech
noun
Definition
on fire
Synonym
explosion
My sentence
The combustion of fuel is born mass carbon dioxide.
It's sad that people have relief on oil for cars instead of electricity just because it is "easier," even though it's bad for the environment. I hope more people will do research to find new solutions so more people will drive electric cars instead of gas guzzling cars. Thank you for sharing this article!
ReplyDeleteRegarding EV1, there is a documentary, titled "Who Killed The Electronic Car." The documentary shows how energy industry, the government, and even car makers including GM removed the car from the road.
ReplyDelete