1. The first patent for an electric motor went to Hungarian inventor Ányos Jedlik in 1828. Jedlik created a model for a vehicle that would run on his electric motor, but it was never mass produced.
2. In 1900, 38 percent of the vehicles in the U.S. were powered by electricity, while only 22% were powered by gasoline (the rest were powered by steam).
3. The first gas-electric hybrid was produced in 1917. It was a commercial failure because it was expensive and difficult to service.
4. Electric vehicles were delivered a 3-part knockout before World War I for 3 reasons:
   • The discovery of oil reserves in Texas and Oklahoma, which brought the price of gas down.
   • The invention of the electric starter (no more hand-cranking gasoline engines).
   • The mass production of gas-powered cars by Henry Ford, which made them 1/4 the price of electric vehicles.
5. The first vehicle to be driven on the moon, the Lunar Rover aka the "moon buggy", was an electric car.

The earliest cars were electric, so there is a model. Considering the popularity and renewed interest in electric-powered vehicles, why has it been so difficult to produce a commercially-successful vehicle? For more info, check out the popular documentary, Who Killed the Electric Car?