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

EPISODE · Jun 3, 2026 · 8 MIN

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

from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed

Can electric cars reclaim their place on the road? Discover how developments in battery technology are making these cars more efficient and powerful.--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.Lesson by Daniel Sperling and Gil Tal, directed by Lobster Studio.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-car-that-changed-the-world-twice-daniel-sperling-and-gil-talDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-car-that-changed-the-world-twice-daniel-sperling-and-gil-tal#digdeeperAnimator's website: https://www.lobsterstudio.tv----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Liz, Rajath Durgada Manjunath, Dan Nguyen, Chin Beng Tan, Tom Boman, Karen Warner, Isorn Sookwanish, Iryna Panasiuk, Diane Gallin, Aaron Torres, Vasundhar, Eric Braun, Denka Wee, Sonja Worzewski, Amy, Michael Clement, Ghaith Tarawneh, Nathan Milford, Tomas Beckett, Alice Ice, Eric Berman, Kurt Paolo Sevillano, Ron Kakar, Jennifer Heald, Megulo Abebe, TAO7CADENCE, Olympia Buckingham, isolwi, Vedasheersh, Michael Chang, Waqar Sheikh, Irene Y., Kate Sem, VPpurplebelt, Ujjwal Dasu, Angel Alberici, Minh Quan Dinh, Sylvain, JasonD, Terran Gimpel, Talia Sari, Katie McDowell, Allen, Sarat Chandra Vegunta, Mahina Knuckles, Charmaine Hanson, Thawsitt, Jezabel, Abdullah Abdulaziz and Adriano Fontes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can electric cars reclaim their place on the road? Discover how developments in battery technology are making these cars more efficient and powerful.--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.Lesson by Daniel Sperling and Gil Tal, directed by Lobster Studio.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-car-that-changed-the-world-twice-daniel-sperling-and-gil-talDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-car-that-changed-the-world-twice-daniel-sperling-and-gil-tal#digdeeperAnimator's website: https://www.lobsterstudio.tv----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Liz, Rajath Durgada Manjunath, Dan Nguyen, Chin Beng Tan, Tom Boman, Karen Warner, Isorn Sookwanish, Iryna Panasiuk, Diane Gallin, Aaron Torres, Vasundhar, Eric Braun, Denka Wee, Sonja Worzewski, Amy, Michael Clement, Ghaith Tarawneh, Nathan Milford, Tomas Beckett, Alice Ice, Eric Berman, Kurt Paolo Sevillano, Ron Kakar, Jennifer Heald, Megulo Abebe, TAO7CADENCE, Olympia Buckingham, isolwi, Vedasheersh, Michael Chang, Waqar Sheikh, Irene Y., Kate Sem, VPpurplebelt, Ujjwal Dasu, Angel Alberici, Minh Quan Dinh, Sylvain, JasonD, Terran Gimpel, Talia Sari, Katie McDowell, Allen, Sarat Chandra Vegunta, Mahina Knuckles, Charmaine Hanson, Thawsitt, Jezabel, Abdullah Abdulaziz and Adriano Fontes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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This episode was published on June 3, 2026.

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Can electric cars reclaim their place on the road? Discover how developments in battery technology are making these cars more efficient and powerful.--By the end of the 19th century, nearly 40% of American cars were electric. But these vehicles had...

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