Hungarian inventor Ányos Jedlik built a small model car powered by an electric motor in 1828. By the late 1800s, people throughout the US and Europe were driving electric cars.
But the electric car of the early 1900s was no match for Henry Ford's Model T. The new gas combustion vehicles were so much cheaper - thanks in large part to Ford's invention of the assembly line - that electric cars quickly fell out of favor.
By 1914, 99% of American cars were gas-powered, according to Tim Urban at Wait But Why.
The electric car is finally making a comeback, though, as Tesla and automotive giants like General Motors roll out the most affordable, reliable models ever seen. By 2030, Argonne National Laboratory expects electric cars will make up over half of the market.
See how electric cars have changed over time in this GIF that Gearheads made, from Ányos Jedlik's model in 1828 to Tesla's Model 3 today:
