Author(s): James Taylor

Planes Trains Automobiles

An essential introduction to the surprisingly long history of the electric car, from the early pioneers, through to the first commercially viable marques such as Tesla.After a century in the shadow of the internal combustion engine, the electric motor is making a seismic comeback. Battery-propelled vehicles in fact predate petrol and diesel engines; indeed, in the Edwardian era, electric vehicles could well have become the dominant form of transport. While limitations to their range and speed meant that fossil-fuelled cars rapidly left them behind, since the 1970s there have been several efforts to revive electric cars, and with recent carbon emissions commitments, offerings such as the Tesla Model 3 and Nissan Leaf have been well received. This fully illustrated introduction explains these developments, charting the most notable electric cars, from the eccentric Amitron and Zagato Zele to the now-mainstream models that are set to dominate the market, such as the BMW i3 and Renault Zoe.