History
Canceled Inventions That Were Ahead of Their Time
Did you know that the electric vehicle (EV) was once on the verge of overtaking gasoline-powered cars long before the modern-day push for sustainable transportation?
In the early 20th century, electric cars were incredibly popular, comprising about one-third of all vehicles on the road in the United States by 1900.
They were quiet, easy to operate, and didn’t require the manual cranking that gasoline cars did at the time.
However, with the discovery of vast oil reserves and the invention of the electric starter by Charles Kettering in 1912, gasoline-powered cars became more convenient and affordable, leading to the decline of the electric vehicle.
It wasn’t environmental concerns but rather early technological and infrastructure limitations that set back the electrification of transport for nearly a century, showing how innovations can sometimes be way ahead of their time.
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