Do we really know about the history of electric vehicles? If not, let us understand where and when these vehicles came into the picture. They say, “Electric vehicles are the future” as they are more fuel efficient, and eco-friendly than conventional vehicles. Today, Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Hyundai, Mahindra, Chevrolet, BMW, and Renault are manufacturing ground-breaking electric vehicles. But do we know about the history of electric vehicles? If not, let us understand where and when these vehicles came into the picture.

The History Of EVs

In 1828, Anyos Jedlik invented an electric motor, and, using his motor, he created the small electric car. Between 1832 and 1839, Scottish inventor Robert Anderson also developed a crude electric carriage. 1996, the first electric vehicle was a three-wheeler, invented by Scooter’s India Pvt Ltd, and it was named VIKRAM SAFA. Approximately 400 vehicles were made and sold.

In 2000, BHEL developed an eighteen-seater electric bus, which became too. Then approx. 200 electric vans were made and run in Delhi. But it did not do that well in the market as it required a high cost for the battery and its low life. But till the 1920s electric vehicles were abandoned. Most car buyers in the 1910s and 1920s chose gasoline cars, which were far from perfect but had a much longer range between fill-ups.

In most people’s minds, gasoline—not the car battery—was bottled lightning. Filling stations could be located anywhere, and before long, gasoline cars symbolized portable energy and expanded personal mobility.

TESLA Revolution

Now talking about Tesla, an American multinational automotive and clean energy company that designs and manufactures electric vehicles, battery energy storage from home to grid-scale, solar panels and solar roof tiles, and related products and services.

Contrary to popular belief, Tesla was not an overnight success. The company was founded in 2003 by two Silicon Valley engineers Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, who wanted to prove that “electric vehicles can be better, quicker, and more fun to drive than gasoline cars.” But what harm has the advent of electric vehicles brought to the oil and fossil fuel industry?

Oil-backed groups have challenged electric companies’ plans in 10 states, according to utility commission filings reviewed by POLITICO, waging regulatory and lobbying campaigns against the proposals.

The showdown is taking place as utilities, eager to increase the demand for power, push for approval to build charging networks in locations such as shopping centers and rest stops in more than half the nation.

“Fossil fuel interests control 90 percent of the transportation fuel market in the U.S. and are really feeling threatened,” said Gina Coplon-Newfield, director of the electric vehicle initiative at the Sierra Club. Western automakers built their fortunes on the internal combustion engine. Now China has ambitions to define the electric vehicle age.

China has set a goal of having 40 percent of the vehicles sold in the country be EVs by 2030, which means a lot more vehicles will need to be charged. By 2025, the government aims to have in place charging infrastructure to meet the needs of more than 20 million cars. Right now, of China’s 810,000 public charging points, more than 70 percent are in heavily populated coastal areas, such as Guangdong and Shanghai. Developing countries have tremendous potential to transition from petroleum-run two-wheeler vehicles to electric scooters and China-led supply chains can help them achieve that vision in the near future. Countries like India, Indonesia, and Brazil possess some energy infrastructure to support two-wheeler electric vehicles but they don’t have enough resources to make a full-scale transition to electric-run transportation.

India Inc Tryst With EVs

In 1996, the first electric vehicle was a three-wheeler, invented by Scooter’s India Pvt Ltd, and it was named VIKRAM SAFA. Approximately 400 vehicles were made and sold. In 2000, BHEL developed an eighteen-seater electric bus, which became popular too. In 2007, Hero cycles, in partnership with UK-based ULTRA Motor, launched a series of bikes. These electric bikes became popular among other companies named Electrotherm India, TVS Motor, Hero electric, etc. Reva is India’s first electric car. At just 3.7 lakh rupees, it is also the cheapest Electric car in the country.

The company launched the Reva I model in 2008. The Indian government has introduced certain schemes to encourage electric vehicle purchases. One such scheme is the FAME India Scheme. Through this scheme, the government is going to provide subsidies for the purchase of new electric vehicles which will promote electric mobility. The Fame India scheme has been launched with the objective to address the issue of environmental pollution and fuel depletion. Under this scheme, the government has also increased the subsidy incentives from Rs 10000 per kWh to Rs 15000 per kWh.

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