Items21The creator’s order
  1. 1La Jamais ContenteLa Jamais ContenteThe first road vehicle to go faster than 100 km/h was electric. In spring 1899, at Achères outside Paris, the Belgian driver Camille Jenatzy took this torpedo-shaped car to about 105.9 km/h, or nearly 66 mph. Its streamlined body was made of partinium, a light alloy of aluminum, tungsten and…0
  2. 2Baker Motor VehicleBaker Motor VehicleBaker Electric (Cleveland, from 1899) Cleveland's Baker company proved electric cars could be a respectable product rather than a curiosity. Thomas Edison bought one as his first car, and Baker Electrics were driven by two First Ladies, Helen Taft and later Edith Wilson. The appeal was what early…0
  3. 3Detroit ElectricDetroit ElectricDetroit Electric is the early electric that refused to die. The Anderson Electric Car Company built about 13,000 of them between 1907 and 1939, long after most rivals had vanished. The company advertised roughly 80 miles between charges, and one test ran 211.3 miles on a single charge. From 1911…0
  4. 4CiticarCiticarThe wedge-shaped CitiCar was America's answer to the 1970s fuel crisis, built by Sebring-Vanguard in Sebring, Florida, from 1974 to 1977. Counting the later Comuta-Car versions built by a successor company, 4,444 were produced, a record for electric cars from an American maker since 1945 that stood…0
  5. 5General Motors EV1General Motors EV1The EV1 is the most important failure in electric car history. Built from 1996 to 1999 in response to California's zero-emission rules and inspired by GM's 1990 Impact prototype, it was the first attempt by a major American automaker at a purpose-built, mass-produced electric car. Its drag…0
  6. 6Tesla Roadster (first generation)Tesla Roadster (first generation)The Roadster made the electric car desirable. Built on a Lotus Elise chassis from 2008 to 2012, it was the first highway-legal series-production electric car to use lithium-ion cells and the first production electric car with more than 200 miles of range per charge; the EPA rated it at 244…0
  7. 7Mitsubishi i-MiEVMitsubishi i-MiEVThe tiny i-MiEV is the forgotten pioneer of the modern era. Mitsubishi launched it to Japanese fleets in July 2009 and to the public in April 2010, making it the world's first modern highway-capable mass-production electric car and the first electric car to sell more than 10,000 units. It also…0
  8. 8Nissan LeafNissan LeafFirst generation (2010) The Leaf turned the electric car into an ordinary family hatchback you could buy at a Nissan dealer. Deliveries began in the US and Japan in December 2010, and Nissan unveiled it as the world's first mass-market electric and zero-emission car. It won both the 2011 World…0
  9. 9Chevrolet VoltChevrolet VoltFirst generation (2010) The Volt answered range anxiety with engineering rather than a bigger battery. It drove on electricity first, then a gasoline engine powered a generator to extend its range, so a buyer could commute electrically without fearing a long trip. Retail deliveries began in…0
  10. 10Tesla Model STesla Model SThe Model S is the car that made legacy automakers afraid. Production began at Fremont in June 2012, with the battery pack laid flat in the floor and early 85 kWh versions rated at 265 miles of range. Motor Trend's judges voted it 2013 Car of the Year unanimously, the first electric car to win the…0