History of Electric car in Timeline

An electric car (EV) is a vehicle propelled by an electric motor, primarily using electrical energy. While the term often refers to battery electric vehicles (BEVs) that solely rely on onboard battery packs, it can also encompass plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), range-extended electric vehicles (REEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). These alternative EVs convert electric power from other fuel sources using either a generator or a fuel cell. Electric cars represent a shift towards sustainable transportation and reduced reliance on fossil fuels.

1912: Introduction of the electric starter motor

In 1912, the electric starter motor was introduced, replacing laborious hand-cranking methods for starting internal combustion engines (ICE).

2004: Tesla Motors begins development of the Tesla Roadster

In 2004, Tesla Motors began development of the Tesla Roadster.

October 2007: Public launch of Better Place

On October 29, 2007, Better Place, a venture-backed company, was publicly launched to develop and sell battery charging and swapping services for electric cars.

January 2008: Better Place and Renault-Nissan agreement for Electric Recharge Grid Operator model in Israel

In January 2008, Better Place announced an agreement with Renault-Nissan to build the world's first Electric Recharge Grid Operator (ERGO) model for Israel, with Better Place building the grid and Renault-Nissan providing the electric vehicles.

2008: Tesla Roadster uses PTC junction cooling

In 2008, the Tesla Roadster utilized PTC junction cooling for its cabin heating system.

2008: First deliveries of the Tesla Roadster

In 2008, the Tesla Roadster, the first highway-legal all-electric car to use lithium-ion battery cells and travel over 320 km per charge, was first delivered to customers.

2008: Renaissance in electric vehicle manufacturing

Starting in 2008, a renaissance in electric vehicle manufacturing occurred due to advances in batteries and the desire to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and improve urban air quality.

2009: Better Place announces deployment of electric vehicle networks in Israel, Denmark and Hawaii

In 2009, Better Place announced deployment of electric vehicle networks in Israel, Denmark and Hawaii.

2009: Korea tests experimental shuttle service

In 2009, Korea tested an experimental shuttle service.

2009: Launch of Mitsubishi i-MiEV

In 2009, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV was launched in Japan, becoming the first highway-legal series production electric car and the first all-electric car to sell more than 10,000 units.

2009: Mitsubishi Motors' involvement in electric vehicle sales

The Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance includes electric vehicles manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors since 2009.

2010: Launch of Nissan Leaf

In 2010, the Nissan Leaf was launched and later surpassed the Mitsubishi i-MiEV as the best-selling all-electric car at that time.

2010: Electric car battery price at €605 per kWh

In 2010, the price of an electric car battery was €605 per kWh.

2010: Toyota Prius models include automatic outside air flow feature

Two models of the 2010 Toyota Prius include the feature to automatically allow outside air to flow through the car when parked, to augment cabin cooling.

2012: All-electric cars outsold plug-in hybrids

Since 2012, all-electric cars have outsold plug-in hybrids.

2012: Tesla Global Cumulative Sales since 2012

Tesla's global cumulative sales since 2012 totaled 2.3 million units.

May 2013: Better Place files for bankruptcy

In May 2013, Better Place filed for bankruptcy in Israel due to mismanagement, wasteful spending, high infrastructure costs, and low market penetration.

2013: Study period start for pedestrian fatality rates in the UK

Between 2013 and 2017 in the United Kingdom, electric cars killed pedestrians at twice the rate of petrol or diesel vehicles.

2013: Korea implements induction-based public electric road

In 2013 Korea was the first to implement an induction-based public electric road with a commercial bus line.

2013: Sweden assesses electric road technologies since 2013

Sweden has been performing assessments of various electric road technologies since 2013 under the Swedish Transport Administration electric road program.

2015: Model S was the world's top selling plug-in electric car

In 2015, the Tesla Model S was the world's top selling plug-in electric car.

2015: Wireless electric roads financially unfeasible

United Kingdom municipal projects in 2015 found wireless electric roads financially unfeasible.

2016: Model S was the world's top selling plug-in electric car

In 2016, the Tesla Model S was the world's top selling plug-in electric car.

2017: Study period end for pedestrian fatality rates in the UK

Between 2013 and 2017 in the United Kingdom, electric cars killed pedestrians at twice the rate of petrol or diesel vehicles.

2017: Electric car battery price at €170 per kWh

In 2017, the price of an electric car battery decreased to €170 per kWh.

2018: Electric cars have similar driving controls to conventional automatics

As of 2018, most electric cars have similar driving controls to that of a car with a conventional automatic transmission.

2018: BYD Plug-in Electric Car Production

From 2018 to 2023, BYD produced nearly 3.18 million purely plug-in electric car.

2018: Model 3 became the world's best selling plug-in electric car

In 2018, the Tesla Model 3 became the world's best selling plug-in electric car.

July 2019: Tesla Model S named "ultimate car of the year" by Motor Trend

In July 2019, Motor Trend magazine awarded the fully-electric Tesla Model S the title "ultimate car of the year".

December 2019: Tesla became the world's leading electric vehicle manufacturer

In December 2019, Tesla became the world's leading electric vehicle manufacturer.

2019: China had the largest all-electric car fleet in use

At the end of 2019, China had the largest all-electric car fleet in use, with 2.58 million, accounting for more than half (53.9%) of the world's electric car stock.

2019: Electric car battery price at €100 per kWh

In 2019, the price of an electric car battery decreased to €100 per kWh.

March 2020: Tesla produced its 1 millionth electric car

In March 2020, Tesla produced its 1 millionth electric car, becoming the first auto manufacturer to achieve this milestone.

March 2020: Tesla Model 3 becomes world's all-time best-selling electric car

In March 2020, the Tesla Model 3 surpassed the Nissan Leaf to become the world's all-time best-selling electric car, with more than 500,000 units delivered.

March 2020: Raw materials cost for an average EV at $3,381

In March 2020, the cost for raw materials on an average EV was $3,381.

December 2020: China leads in electric vehicle stock

As of December 2020, China had the largest stock of electric vehicles in the world, with cumulative sales of 5.5 million units, including heavy-duty commercial vehicles.

December 2020: Groupe Renault exceeded 397,000 electric vehicles sold worldwide

As of December 2020, Groupe Renault had sold more than 397,000 electric vehicles worldwide, including its Twizy heavy quadricycle.

2020: Study on balancing lithium supply and demand

According to a 2020 study, balancing lithium supply and demand for the rest of the century will require good recycling systems, vehicle-to-grid integration, and lower lithium intensity of transportation.

2020: Electric vehicle battery cost

As of 2020, the electric vehicle battery is more than a quarter of the total cost of the car.

2020: Tesla Model 3 becomes world's best-selling electric car

In early 2020, the Tesla Model 3 became the world's all-time best-selling electric car.

June 2021: Tesla Model 3 surpasses 1 million global sales

In June 2021, the Tesla Model 3 became the first electric car to pass 1 million global sales.

June 2021: Model 3 became the first electric car to pass 1 million sales

In June 2021, the Tesla Model 3 became the first electric car to pass 1 million sales.

December 2021: Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance reached over 1 million electric vehicle sales

As of December 2021, the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance listed as one of major all-electric vehicle manufacturers, with global all-electric vehicle sales totaling over 1 million light-duty electric vehicles.

2021: Electric Vehicle charging stations and capacity

As of 2021 some cars are 400-volt and some 800-volt, and the battery to 80% can be refilled in 15 to 20 minutes.

2021: Fastest public charging stations

As of 2021 the fastest public charging stations supplying direct current are 350 kW.

2021: Typical home chargers

As of 2021 typical home chargers are 7 kW, but not all include smart charging.

2021: Wireless charging for cars less common in 2021

As of 2021, Wireless charging, either for stationary cars or as an electric road, is less common, but is used in some cities for taxis.

2021: Electric vehicle sales reach six percent of all US light-duty automotive sales

In the third quarter of 2021, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation reported that sales of electric vehicles had reached six percent of all US light-duty automotive sales, the highest volume of EV sales ever recorded at 187,000 vehicles.

2021: Global electric car count reached 16.5 million

In the year of 2021, the total number of electric cars on the world's roads went to about 16.5 million.

2021: Wireless electric roads financially unfeasible

United Kingdom municipal projects in 2021 found wireless electric roads financially unfeasible.

May 2022: Raw materials cost for an average EV rises to $8,255

In May 2022, the cost for raw materials on an average EV rose to $8,255.

June 2022: Reported increase in cost for raw materials on an average EV

In a June 2022 report by AlixPartners, the cost for raw materials on an average EV rose from $3,381 in March 2020 to $8,255 in May 2022.

2022: European car buyer preferences in 2022 survey

A 2022 survey found that only 28% of car buyers in Europe preferred electric cars, making them the least preferred type of vehicle, while 39% preferred hybrid vehicles and 33% preferred petrol or diesel vehicles.

2022: Plug-in electric car sales at 14%

In 2022, plug-in electric cars represented 14% of new car sales worldwide.

2022: Model Y was the top selling plug-in car

In 2022, the Tesla Model Y was the top selling plug-in car.

2022: Electric car sales reached 2 million in the first quarter

In the first quarter of 2022, the sales of electric cars went up to 2 million.

July 2023: Nissan leads global sales with 1 million cars and vans sold

By July 2023, Nissan leads global sales within the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance, with 1 million cars and vans sold.

July 2023: SAIC Motor reached 1,838,000 units sold

As of July 2023, SAIC Motor had reached 1,838,000 units sold.

July 2023: Global sales totaled over 650,000 units

As of July 2023, global sales totaled over 650,000 units since inception.

December 2023: GAC Aion cumulative sales reached 962,385 units

As of December 2023, GAC Aion (part of GAC Group) had reached 962,385 cumulative sales.

2023: Electric road pilot projects in France

In 2023, France started several electric road pilot projects for inductive and rail systems, and found similar drawbacks for overhead lines as Germany did. Ground-level power supply systems are considered the most likely candidates.

2023: Germany's wireless electric road system (wERS) findings

In 2023, Germany discovered that Electreon's wireless electric road system (wERS) collects 64.3% of the transmitted energy, has installation difficulties, and blocks access to other infrastructure.

2023: Sweden pursues cost-reduction measures for electric roads

In 2023, after receiving electric road construction offers in excess of the project's budget, Sweden pursued cost-reduction measures for either wireless or rail electric roads.

2023: Tesla Model Y became the world's best selling car

In 2023, the Tesla Model Y became the world's best selling car.

2023: Plug-in electric car sales reach 14 million

In 2023, worldwide sales of plug-in electric cars reached 14 million, representing 18% of new car sales, an increase from 14% in 2022.

2023: BYD surpassed Tesla as the top-selling electric vehicle manufacturer

In the fourth quarter of 2023, BYD surpassed Tesla as the top-selling electric vehicle manufacturer by selling 526,409 battery electric cars, while Tesla delivered 484,507 vehicles. BYD produced nearly 3.18 million purely plug-in electric car from 2018 to 2023, with 1,574,822 of those were produced in 2023 alone.

2023: Expected Production of Oman's Mays i E1

Oman's Mays Motors developed the Mays i E1, which is expected to begin production in 2023.

2024: Consumer Reports analysis: Tesla least expensive to maintain

A 2024 Consumer Reports analysis of 29 car brands found Tesla was the least expensive to maintain over a 10-year period.

2024: Electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa

As of 2024, there are approximately 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa without access to electricity, representing 83% of the world's unelectrified population.

2024: EVs expected to account for over one-fifth of global car sales

In 2024, Electric Vehicles are expected to account for over one-fifth of global car sales.

2024: Sweden recommends against funding a national electric road network

In 2024, the project's final report was published, which recommended against funding a national electric road network in Sweden as it would not be cost-effective, unless the technology was adopted by its trading partners.

2024: Research indicates higher pedestrian fatality rate with electric cars in the UK

Research published in the British Medical Journal in 2024 indicates that between 2013 and 2017 in the United Kingdom, electric cars killed pedestrians at twice the rate of petrol or diesel vehicles.