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I wonder if this is completely true. There were quite a few electric vehicles around 1900 while cars with diesel engines were rather uncommon at that point in t

by ginko 6y ago

I wonder if this is completely true. There were quite a few electric vehicles around 1900 while cars with diesel engines were rather uncommon at that point in time.

swlkr 6y ago
I’m not sure if you had to register your car in 1900 So there may have been more electric cars in 1900 but not more electric car registrations
- robin_reala 6y ago
  Vehicle registration has been required in the UK since 1904.
- IfOnlyYouKnew 6y ago
  So far, you are ahead in these Olympics of pedantry.
- pp19dd 6y ago
  France required identifying plates as early as 1783 for horse carriages in various form and then made it standardized as of August 14, 1893. Germany followed in 1896, to keep track of its growing vehicles. First state in USA, New York, required registrations as of April 25, 1901. And Britain required them as of January 1, 1904.
  - swlkr 6y ago
    I stand corrected
    - pp19dd 6y ago
      Not sure that you really should. Or that you were incorrect. The 'rounded year 1900' was the very onset of both vehicle conversion to horseless, and the onset of registration legislations, but not necessarily its enforcement. It's reasonable to think that compliance will always trail behind regulations. But in the grand scheme of things, we've never had more horseless cars in circulation than today, in 2020. The electric ratios of 1900 we're talking about are rounding errors by comparison to today. But what I find fascinating most of all that it's been a hundred years and we're having similar conversations, again. Hundred years ago there were massive arguments about traffic pollution in the cities. However, it revolved around horseshit in the streets. People welcomed the newfangled gas belching cars and hailed them as the clean wave of the future.
xorcist 6y ago
According to wikipedia, the first diesel car sold commercially was in 1933 (Citroën Rosalie). "In history" can probably be seen as relative to that. Most electric car companies were bankrupt before 1920, however I would be surprised if not some application survived, making your statement technically correct.
abrowne 6y ago
Hard to compare since the "27 markets in Europe" didn't all exist in 1900 either.

by ginko 6y ago

I wonder if this is completely true. There were quite a few electric vehicles around 1900 while cars with diesel engines were rather uncommon at that point in time.

swlkr 6y ago

I’m not sure if you had to register your car in 1900 So there may have been more electric cars in 1900 but not more electric car registrations

robin_reala 6y ago
Vehicle registration has been required in the UK since 1904.
IfOnlyYouKnew 6y ago
So far, you are ahead in these Olympics of pedantry.
pp19dd 6y ago
France required identifying plates as early as 1783 for horse carriages in various form and then made it standardized as of August 14, 1893. Germany followed in 1896, to keep track of its growing vehicles. First state in USA, New York, required registrations as of April 25, 1901. And Britain required them as of January 1, 1904.
- swlkr 6y ago
  I stand corrected
  - pp19dd 6y ago
    Not sure that you really should. Or that you were incorrect. The 'rounded year 1900' was the very onset of both vehicle conversion to horseless, and the onset of registration legislations, but not necessarily its enforcement. It's reasonable to think that compliance will always trail behind regulations. But in the grand scheme of things, we've never had more horseless cars in circulation than today, in 2020. The electric ratios of 1900 we're talking about are rounding errors by comparison to today. But what I find fascinating most of all that it's been a hundred years and we're having similar conversations, again. Hundred years ago there were massive arguments about traffic pollution in the cities. However, it revolved around horseshit in the streets. People welcomed the newfangled gas belching cars and hailed them as the clean wave of the future.

xorcist 6y ago

According to wikipedia, the first diesel car sold commercially was in 1933 (Citroën Rosalie). "In history" can probably be seen as relative to that. Most electric car companies were bankrupt before 1920, however I would be surprised if not some application survived, making your statement technically correct.

abrowne 6y ago

Hard to compare since the "27 markets in Europe" didn't all exist in 1900 either.