A ground vehicle propelled by a motor that is powered by electrical energy from rechargeable batteries or other source onboard the vehicle, or from an external source in, on, or above the roadway. Examples are the golf cart, industrial truck and tractor, automobile, delivery van and other on-highway truck, and trolley bus. In common usage, electric vehicle refers to an automotive vehicle in which the propulsion system converts electrical energy stored chemically in a battery into mechanical energy to move the vehicle. This is classed as a battery-only-powered electric vehicle. The other major class is the hybrid-electric vehicle, which has more than one power source. See also: Automobile; Bus; Truck
History
Construction of the first electric vehicle is credited to the French inventor and electrical engineer M. Gustave Trouvé, who demonstrated a motorized tricycle powered by lead-acid batteries in 1881. In the United States, Andrew L. Riker is credited with building the first electric vehicle (also a tricycle) in 1890, and by 1891 William Morrison had built the first electric four-wheeler. In France in 1899, a four-wheel electric vehicle driven by Camille Jenatzy became the first car to break 60 mi/h (96 km/h). By then, production of batterypowered vehicles for use as personal transportation, commercial trucks, and buses had already begun. Electric vehicles, with their instant starting, quiet running, and ease of operation, peaked in their challenge to steam- and gasoline-powered cars in 1912. The limited performance, range, and speed of electric vehicles, plus the need for frequent battery charging, restricted their usefulness and dampened their popularity. By the 1920s, the piston-type internal combustion engine had prevailed as the dominant automotive powerplant. Most production and development work on electric vehicles ended during the 1930s. See also: Automotive engine; Engine; Internal combustion engine In the 1960s, interest revived in electric vehicles as a result of concern with diminishing petroleum reserves, rising cost of crude oil production, and air pollution from the automotive engine that burned gasoline which was refined from crude oil. Over the years, a few electric vehicles had been constructed, usually by converting small light cars and trucks into electric vehicles by removing the engine and fuel tank and installing an electric motor, controls, and batteries. However, during that time no major automotive manufacturer brought out an electric vehicle. See also: Air pollution; Gasoline; Petroleum. The Clean Air Act of 1963 and its amendments established limits on emissions from new vehicles sold in the United States. In 1990, the California Air Resources Board decided to further reduce air pollution by mandating (but later rescinding) that 2% of each automaker's sales must have zero emissions in the 1998 model year. This demand for a zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) could be met only by the electric vehicle, which typically was powered by lead-acid batteries. Used in an electric vehicle, lead-acid batteries have two major weaknesses: relatively high weight for the amount of energy stored, and reduced capacity in cold weather. To help develop a better battery for electric vehicles, the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium was formed in 1991. The purpose of this partnership among United States automakers and the electric utility industry was to develop advanced batteries capable of providing future generations of electric vehicles with significantly increased range and performance.......
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