We think of electric cars as a modern phenomenon, but people have been trying to invent them as far back as the 1830s. In 1891 American inventor William Morrison built the world’s first workable electric car. By the turn of the century, 28% of all cars produced in the US were electric.

Believing it would be the future, Henry Ford threw all his efforts into the electric car. Ford was helped by Thomas Edison, who produced a model in 1912, but electric's days were numbered. People wanted more power and the ability to drive longer distances. With petrol becoming more freely available, electric cars simply couldn't compete.

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