What happened to electric cars like the one a neighbor drove back around 1960?
While watching "who killed the electric car?" i was jolted into remembering that when i was a child, a neighbor had an electric car! it was small and different looking, but worked great. he was a big guy, but could fit at least 4 childs in w him, and it went as fast as other vehicles, and i know he took us at least 20 miles round-trip, no problem.
Answer
The technology at the time used heavy lead-acid batteries. a tankful of gasoline plus the tank itself, in an intermediate car, weighs perhaps 90 kg (200 pounds), and would fuel the car for perhaps 600 km (350 miles). lead-acid batteries of the same weight might give a range of 30 km (20 miles). electric cars extended the range by carrying as much as a tonne of batteries, adding weight also to the car to support the batteries.you can still buy some electric cars or car kits such as the "voltswagen". mines use electric vehicles, some powered by edison cells (iron-nickel alkaline) which have low energy density but a looong lifetime.
