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LivingGhost371 t1_iyeoh32 wrote

Reply to comment by whothefuqisdan in Electric car made in 1922 by whothefuqisdan

This having a 30 mile range and probably taking hours to recharge, vs a Model T with 150 miles and minutes to refuel probably had a lot to do with it to.

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TheThiefMaster t1_iyfcp7o wrote

Refuelling the early gas cars was a huge pain - you had to go buy a can of gas at the shop! And hope they had one!

There were apparently often street power points to charge electric cars outside major shops in the cities to compensate for the hilariously small range the first electrics had (30 miles is probably an over estimate!)

In other words, both kinds of car were "a bit shit" to start with. It's widely accepted that ironically it was the electric starter that won it for the combustion engine, but I imagine the development of filling stations helped too, Vs no real progress in battery technology for a century on the electric side.

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whothefuqisdan OP t1_iyetiik wrote

That is a fantastic point and also heavily influenced it I’m sure.

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wanderer1999 t1_iyfe15w wrote

That is the key point. Energy density is the name of the game. The reality is that battery tech at the time is still far behind what a can of gasoline can get you. Battery tech is still behind gas in energy density these days.

I sure hope that will change with more research and develpment tho. We can't rely on oil forever.

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