When QI met EV

In the early 20th century, electric cars were marketed particularly at women, as a genteel alternative to hand-cranked petrol cars, and the batteries had to be recharged overnight. That wasn’t the only difference. The proto-EVs made by Detroit Electric were operated from the back seat, and had a rear-facing front seat so the driver could face their passengers… and could very nearly see the road in front of them. Also they were steered with a tiller, which was less strenuous than a wheel – but also less precise. Thankfully things have come on a bit since then.

…Unfortunately, they were almost all milk floats. For most of the 20th century, the majority of the world’s battery vehicles were cheap and cheerful milk vans. Electric motors were not only better for the environment, they were much quieter – which came in handy during early-morning delivery rounds. But there is one heavenly body where EVs have always reigned supreme – the moon, where NASA’s Lunar Roving Vehicles are the only way to get around. Four moon buggies were built for the Apollo missions, costing nearly $10million each and with a mighty one horsepower. The other element that’s improved since then is the range – most milk floats could do about 10 miles, the moon buggies could run about 57 miles, but the new Skoda Elroq can do anywhere from 230 to 360 miles.

The eDumper, a mining truck, weighs 110 tons – its battery alone weighs more than two Skoda Enyaqs – and as well as carrying 60 tons of dirt, it uses the kinetic energy released when it brakes to recharge the battery. The heavier the load, the stronger this ‘regenerative braking’ – and as it brakes its way downhill with a full load, its battery hardly drains at all. Skodas do just the same, meaning the more you brake, the fuller your battery gets. Other EV records include the first car ever to hit 100kph (the elegant French car Jamais Contente in 1899) and more recently the fastest car on the planet to go backwards, at a cool 171mph.

Charging guru Toddington Harper was named after the M1 Toddington services. He’s not even the only one in his family named after a service station: his elder brother Heston was named after Heston services, because when his parents were driving back from the hospital with a newborn baby but no name, they went through Heston Services and had a brainwave. Today there are over 70,000 public charge points, and the figure rises every day, giving new parents more and more options for baby names.

In 1896, founders Václav Klement and Václav Laurin set up shop manufacturing bicycles. Today, the Enyaq and the new Elroq can transport you hundreds of miles with zippy, quiet acceleration and without any noisy, smelly exhaust emissions. Not only that, as the UK electricity grid gets greener and greener, the power charging your battery will only get cleaner. For a century, cars have been a trade-off between easy transport and planet-harming petrol – but the efficiency of these machines makes them greener than ever before, and as batteries improve they’re only heading in one direction.

That’s it from us. We hope you’ve enjoyed these facts, and happy Christmas when it comes. And if there isn’t an enormous Škoda-shaped parcel under the tree, you can still test-drive one yourself and see what you think!

Yours,

No Such Thing As A Fish