We Had Electric Cars in 1900... Then This Happened.

In this Our Changing Climate climate change video essay, I look at how the electric car was popular in the 1900s and then everything changed. Specifically, I look at how electric cars have been around multiple times and have failed not because of engineering failures but because of cultural and societal issues. Electric cars like Tesla and GM's new electric cars might be the turning point in the road for the electric car, but if we look back at history, the electric car has always faced an uphill battle. Norway's electric car program has been instrumental in showing the world that in order to create an electric car infrastructure, we need to emphasize electric car subsidies, electric car charging stations, and much more. It is possible to transition quickly away from electric cars, we just have to put the effort in to get us there.

Check out other Climate YouTubers:

Timestamps:
Intro - 0:00
The Electric Race - 1:09
The EV1... Oh Wait Never Mind! - 4:43
The Electric Car Revolution - 7:19
Are Electric Cars Actually The Best Solution? - 9:37
Sponsored Message - 11:37
Outro - 13:45

Video supplied by Getty Images
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#ElectricCar #Tesla #ClimateChange

[OurChangingClimate]

🚲 What's your favorite way to get around? (Mine's biking)
👍 Commenting and liking this video helps it get more views. So, if you want... comment, like, and share the video around!!

[neiljohnson]

The problem with electric cars in the early to mid 20th century was availability of electricity. My grandparents did not get electricity in their home until 1959. They lived only 25 miles from a small city.

[Tomdata]

I am English, and travelled to the US a lot in my last job... Even in California...
1) When asking the hotel staff, where to walk, they told me, but it was a very long way ... how long - "at least a mile" FFS
2) I got stopped by the police when on a walk - when they asked me what I was doing walking down the street, when I spoke in UK-English - they said "oh you English, that is OK" and left.
USA - has a car problem even in California.
3) When staying in a hotel in another city I could see the office about 200 yards (meters) away - but when I asked how to get their I was told walking was not possible - there was no way I could cross the roads to the office for that 200 yards there were no pavements (sidewalks). Every day I had to get a taxi to drive me to the office.
USA - has a big car problem.

[venomtailOG]

My only problem with electric vehicles is that so far all electric car companies refuse to cooperate with right to repair. They want to turn into an Apple like product. If that happens, will be a lose/lose both for us and the environment

[NorceCodine]

Germany tried twenty years ago to replace cars with trains, they had a price range and subscription rate of tickets for virtually every segment of society, and German trains are state of the art and were always on time. It worked for about 5-6 years, people were really enthusiastic about using trains every day. When the economy started to really boom in about 2005, people spent 80K Euros on Porsche and BMW, and trains were suddenly seen as something for the working class, despite that they were the fastest travel on land.

[J_to_the_F]

German politicians in 2010: "by 2020 every new car will be electric" The same politicians now: "5% of all new cars are electric! We have done well!!!"

[davidsande]

When talking about charging system we also need a standard system rather than
having multiple different systems.

[off_mah_lawn]

3:14 Completely wrong fact: “Henry Ford exploited his workers.”

Henry Ford actually paid his workers exceptionally well for the day, at a starting wage of $5 per day, over $20 an hour today. His motto was that he wanted every one of his workers to afford the cars they made.

Please do a *little* research before spouting BS

[billdurham]

What killed the early electrics was gas car no longer required the driver to be a mechanic. And as far as climate change goes, the normal weather pattern is 3 parts ice age, 1 part temperate. And most electric cars wont even turn on below -10 F. You have to have ordered the optional battery heater and plug that in overnight too.

[polderdebanjan]

Along with the fact that Norway subsidizes its electric cars, it would be good to also mention that almost 50% of its exports are direct fossil fuel based products like crude oil and gasoline.

[SalemikTUBE]

A mate of mine went to the US a few years ago and discovered the top way to get the attention of the police. WALKING! He said any time he set out on foot to have a look around he was stopped and interrogated by armed police. He ended up having to carry his passport with him.
No pavements either in the burbs. Cars all the way.

[rare_wubbox]

As a Norwegian i will correct you on the topic of bev car prices in Norway; gas cars are way cheaper than bevs👍🇳🇴

[DrCruel]

Henry Ford wasn't "exploiting" his workers in 1912. At the time they were some of the best paid and most enthusiastic employees in the world. Labor problems would start at Ford over a decade later, as Ford cars faced increasing competition.

[keithbaker]

" you will own nothing and be happy" ahh the " perfection" of renting and not owning..

[saims.]

When people have a convenient option, they will take it.

[randuthayne]

Thanks for bringing race into a video about the first electric cars

[jakerood]

I love how everyone is quick to say electric cars are better for the environment but they never want to talk about how detrimental it is for the environment for them to make the energy for these cars

[jackmcslay]

Norway: average income of about 48000Kr per month (equals to about U$67.000/yr), a population of about 5.5 million, gini index of 24.8
USA: average yearly earnings of about U$51.000, a population of about 320 million, gini index of 48.5
Don't make these 'worked in country X' when the country in question has completely different socioeconomic conditions. A subsidy on EVs on a country with high inequality is taking from the poor and giving to the rich.

[jameshollister]

One of the things that usually seems to get left out of this conversation is transportation in rural areas, especially the rural US, where there is not the population density to support our common ideas for what it takes for safe drinking water and highways, let alone public transportation or EV charging stations. . .

[leonardgibney]

Nowhere does it mention the cost of batteries or the huge added weight. Or fire risks of thermal runaway.