Electric cars - November 2015
On Wednesday 25th November 2015 32 members of the SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY group gathered in the comfort of Erica’s sitting room to listen to an entertaining presentation by Eddie Stopford, of Renault Cars (Perrys), on electric cars.
He opened with a brief history of the electric car, and we were surprised to learn that during the 1800’s, particularly the latter half, battery powered electric vehicles were preferred to those driven by gasoline. Henry Ford changed all that with introduction of the -any colour providing it is black, delivered next week- Model T in 1908. By 1935 electric vehicles had all but disappeared from Britain’s streets and there was little development of electric cars in the UK until the 1960’s when the need to reduce exhaust emissions and the rising imports of foreign crude became important.
Eddie then extolled the virtues of the modern electric car and we all trooped outside to examine minutely an electric Renault ‘ZOE’, a small family four seater he had driven to the meeting.
Then back in for coffee and home-made cake.
The questions from members throughout the talk came thick and fast and everyone enjoyed the morning.
Note. Thomas Parker, a Victorian engineer, who electrified the London underground and built overhead tramways, claimed to have invented the world’s first electric car in 1884.
Click here to view a history of electric cars.
Vernon.
He opened with a brief history of the electric car, and we were surprised to learn that during the 1800’s, particularly the latter half, battery powered electric vehicles were preferred to those driven by gasoline. Henry Ford changed all that with introduction of the -any colour providing it is black, delivered next week- Model T in 1908. By 1935 electric vehicles had all but disappeared from Britain’s streets and there was little development of electric cars in the UK until the 1960’s when the need to reduce exhaust emissions and the rising imports of foreign crude became important.
Eddie then extolled the virtues of the modern electric car and we all trooped outside to examine minutely an electric Renault ‘ZOE’, a small family four seater he had driven to the meeting.
Then back in for coffee and home-made cake.
The questions from members throughout the talk came thick and fast and everyone enjoyed the morning.
Note. Thomas Parker, a Victorian engineer, who electrified the London underground and built overhead tramways, claimed to have invented the world’s first electric car in 1884.
Click here to view a history of electric cars.
Vernon.