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The surprisingly long history of electric cars - Daniel Sperling and Gil Tal

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15,687 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

By the end of the 19th century, nearly 40% of American cars were electric. But these vehicles had a few major problems — early car batteries were expensive and inefficient, and the vehicles were twice the price of a gas-powered car. And so for the next several decades, gas-powered cars dominated the market. Can electric cars reclaim their place on the road? Daniel Sperling and Gil Tal investigate.

What was a major flaw of early electric vehicles?

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TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Gil Tal, Daniel Sperling
  • Director Lobster Studio
  • Narrator Jack Cutmore-Scott
  • Storyboard Artist Miguel Ángel Camprubí
  • Animator Ralitsa Aleksieva , Teodor Hristov
  • Art Director Miguel Ángel Camprubí
  • Composer Fabrizio Martini
  • Sound Designer Fabrizio Martini
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler
  • Content Associate Abdallah Ewis
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Fact-Checker Jennifer Nam

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