A Long, Rocky Road To Tesla: These Are The Electric Cars That Made It Possible

Dario Cantatore/Getty ImagesElon MuskElon Musk is a real-life Tony Stark, and his Tesla Motors has been in the spotlight a lot lately. We think it's deserved.

The average American pumps $2,000 worth of gas into his or her car every year, so the promise of Tesla's vehicles gets attention from drivers feeling the pinch. These are all-electric vehicles that behave like sportscars. They're comfortable, speedy, and stylish. Tesla cars shun gas completely and need nothing more than an electrical outlet.

The Tesla Model S can be configured to travel about 300 miles per charge. Roadside Tesla Superchargers will give a dead battery a half-charge (for 150 miles of range) in just 30 minutes.

But this car is far from the first reimagining of transportation. The road to Tesla is littered with abandoned ideas and dead batteries.

Perhaps most notable was the EV-1, an electric car that debuted in 1996 and got 70-100 miles per charge only to be discontinued by General Motors, citing lack of consumer interest. The documentary "Who Killed The Electric Car?" spends significant time looking into the murky circumstances that led the EV-1 to the chopping block, but more on that later.

Let's take a look at innovation with electric-based transportation starting all the way back at the turn of the 20th century.