As early as 1873, in the late 19th century, Englishman Robert Davidson created the world's first practical electric vehicle. This was over a decade before the gasoline-engined automobiles invented by Germans Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz.
Davidson's electric vehicle was a cargo truck, 4800mm long and 1800mm wide, powered by a primary battery composed of an iron, zinc, and mercury alloy reacting with sulfuric acid. Subsequently, starting in 1880, rechargeable secondary batteries were used. The transition from primary to secondary batteries marked a significant technological breakthrough for electric vehicles at the time, significantly increasing demand. By the second half of the 19th century, electric vehicles had become a staple of transportation, marking a significant chapter in the history of transportation. By 1890, electric buses were plying the streets of France and London. At the time, internal combustion engine technology was quite backward, resulting in short range, frequent breakdowns, and difficult repairs. Electric vehicles, however, offered advantages such as ease of maintenance.
In Europe and the United States, electric vehicles reached their peak in the late 19th century. In 1899, Frenchman Caument Guinet set a record of 106 km/h in a rear-wheel-drive electric car powered by 44kW dual electric motors.
In 1900, among the cars manufactured in the United States, 15,755 were electric, 1,684 were steam-powered, and only 936 were gasoline-powered. Entering the 20th century, with the continuous advancement of internal combustion engine technology, Ford Motor Company introduced the Model T in 1908. The mass production of gasoline-powered cars on assembly lines led to the widespread popularity of gasoline-powered cars. Consequently, steam-powered cars and electric cars, due to their technical and economic performance shortcomings, were ruthlessly eliminated by time, while the latter declined.