Here’s a fun fact. When automobiles were first introduced, they were hailed as a solution to pollution – the pollution left by horses all over the streets.
Here’s another one. Three types of propulsion were used for early automobiles, steam, electricity, and fossil fuels. Electricity was the most popular for the first couple decades, until gasoline became cheap and readily available. Electric cars never really went away, though – every time gas prices rose (for example, during the World Wars and the OPEC fuel crisis of the 1970s), interest in “alternative” vehicles surged.
When I was working on my teen book, Hybrid and Electric Vehicles, I had the most fun with the history chapter – probably because it was least taxing on my biologist brain. 🙂 This video, filmed by Thomas Edison, is one of my favourite research finds… this, and the picture of Disney’s Grandma Duck driving a Detroit Electric!
Do you drive a hybrid or electric vehicle? Would you consider switching to one? What would have to change for an “alternative” vehicle to be a real option for you?
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