The History of Victorian Electric Cars (1830s)
Discover the origins of electric vehicles, from Robert Anderson's 1832 electric carriage to the challenges of Victorian battery technology.
The Mystery of the First Electric Car
A Victorian Invention Adventure (1830s)
Presented by: Rosalie, Megan, Izzy, and Frieda
Welcome to the 1830s!
Queen Victoria was just a teenager!
Streets were full of horses (and horse poop!)
Meet Robert Anderson
From Scotland 🏴
Robert wanted to make a carriage that moved WITHOUT a horse pulling it. Magic? No... SCIENCE!
The Electric Carriage (Created ~1832-1839)
It looked like a normal carriage, but instead of horses, it had crude batteries inside!
How did it move?
Galvanic Cells!
These were crude oil batteries. They created electricity through chemistry.
The BIG Problem
1. The batteries were NOT rechargeable. (No plugs!)
2. Once they died, the car stopped forever.
The Need for Speed?
Robert Anderson's car was amazing... but very slow!
Meanwhile... The Electric Train
In 1837, another scotsman named Robert Davidson built 'Galvani'. It was an electric locomotive!
Why didn't we keep them?
1. Batteries were heavy and expensive.
2. Gas cars (which came later) could go further.
But now... ELECTRIC IS BACK!
Thanks to better rechargeable batteries, Robert Anderson's dream is finally coming true.
Thanks for watching!
Created by Rosalie, Megan, Izzy, and Frieda
- electric-cars
- history-of-ev
- victorian-inventions
- robert-anderson
- battery-history
- steam-punk
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