Electric Cars That Broke New Ground

By Anthony K

Before there was Tesla, here are creators that dared to have a dream of leading humanity into the new age of fully electric vehicles. Let’s look at their creations and how they acted as a stepping stone for the way to the electric cars of today’s world.

Electric P1 by Porsche

Image courtesy of Hval AS

Ferdinand Porsche and his contribution to the auto industry has no bounds. In 1989, at 22 years of age, he created the first electric hybrid. The hybrid engine produced 3hp and allowed speeds of up to 21mph. Ferdinand marked all components of his first design as P1 to signify that it was his first design. Recently, the car was found abandoned in a shed by the famous race car company and now sits at a museum in Stuttgart, Germany. The vehicle design is for sure a sight to behold.

Henney Kilowatt

The brainchild of 2 companies, Emerson Radio and Henney Motor Company, was one of the first successful cars. The team managed to sell almost fifty of these retrofitted cars but closed down in 1961, two years after setting up shop.

The Citi – Car

One of the arguably funny-looking cars, the cheese wedge car, was supposed to represent a future that would help city residents to go green. The vehicle was designed to fit two passengers and get connected to the national grid. The price tag on this electric car was $3,500 and got up to whooping speeds of up to 35 mph.

NASA’s electric Lunar Roving Vehicle

Image courtesy of Florida Now


Probably one of the most overlooked creations that gave us, most important lessons. The Lunar vehicle sparked the public’s interest in EVs and battery research.

It isn’t elementary to predict the future of electric cars. Still, based on what we have seen happen at the turn of the last century, we saw the electric cars battle gas-powered vehicles and have easily replaced a third of the Market share in the United States. We look forward to seeing more innovations that will take us to an all-electric-powered future.