A little over a hundred years ago, Thomas Edison set out on a 1000-mile road trip in an electric car and the guys at Top Gear recently decided to see how far we’ve come since then by recreating the historic road trip in a modern EV. Not just any EV, though, but the supercar-baiting Kia EV6. And, yes, you read that correctly – more than 100 years ago.
See, back in 1898, the Edison Electric Company developed a revolutionary alkaline storage battery (called “an energy accumulator”, back then) and found a way to put it in just about everything from submarines to trains to mines. It also found its way into electric cars – specifically, the Bailey Electric Phaeton. An electric car that offered more than 100 miles of driving. In 1910 (!?)
We know what you’re thinking: 100 miles isn’t that bad today! Heck, that’s about what a Mini or Mazda MX-30 EV gets – and, you’re almost right. A modern EV is much, much faster than the 1909 Bailey. Modern EVs are also considerably more comfortable and infinitely safer than those old horseless carriage deals, while charging much more quickly, to boot.
Where Edison’s original 1000-mile journey took days, though, the faster, safer, 300+ mile per charge EV6 was able to make the EV road trip in about a day. What’s more, it sounds like it was fun! “Unlike Edison’s phaeton,” says Top Gear’s Tom Ford, “the EV6 is actually really good fun to drive, despite being twice the weight. Heavy, yes. Different, absolutely. But riding the roller coaster of a road that connects this part of the Cairngorms is more fun than you can imagine.”
The trip wasn’t without its pitfalls, however – as anyone depending on luck and hotel concierges will testify to (it helps to have a reliable, network-agnostic trip planning app, like Chargeway, rather than trust to fate – but Top Gear is more about fun and adventure than responsibility and practicality). We won’t spoilt it further, but it’s definitely worth checking out. Click the source link to read the original EV road trip article on Top Gear’s website, then let us know what you thought of it!
Source | Images: Top Gear, Kia.
A little over a hundred years ago, Thomas Edison set out on a 1000-mile road trip in an electric car and the guys at Top Gear recently decided to see how far we’ve come since then by recreating the historic road trip in a modern EV. Not just any EV, though, but the supercar-baiting Kia EV6. And, yes, you read that correctly – more than 100 years ago.
See, back in 1898, the Edison Electric Company developed a revolutionary alkaline storage battery (called “an energy accumulator”, back then) and found a way to put it in just about everything from submarines to trains to mines. It also found its way into electric cars – specifically, the Bailey Electric Phaeton. An electric car that offered more than 100 miles of driving. In 1910 (!?)
We know what you’re thinking: 100 miles isn’t that bad today! Heck, that’s about what a Mini or Mazda MX-30 EV gets – and, you’re almost right. A modern EV is much, much faster than the 1909 Bailey. Modern EVs are also considerably more comfortable and infinitely safer than those old horseless carriage deals, while charging much more quickly, to boot.
Where Edison’s original 1000-mile journey took days, though, the faster, safer, 300+ mile per charge EV6 was able to make the EV road trip in about a day. What’s more, it sounds like it was fun! “Unlike Edison’s phaeton,” says Top Gear’s Tom Ford, “the EV6 is actually really good fun to drive, despite being twice the weight. Heavy, yes. Different, absolutely. But riding the roller coaster of a road that connects this part of the Cairngorms is more fun than you can imagine.”
The trip wasn’t without its pitfalls, however – as anyone depending on luck and hotel concierges will testify to (it helps to have a reliable, network-agnostic trip planning app, like Chargeway, rather than trust to fate – but Top Gear is more about fun and adventure than responsibility and practicality). We won’t spoilt it further, but it’s definitely worth checking out. Click the source link to read the original EV road trip article on Top Gear’s website, then let us know what you thought of it!
Source | Images: Top Gear, Kia.
