Customer Reviews

The Electric Vehicle: Technology and Expectations in the Automobile Age

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This is a book about the rise and decline of the electric car and the formation of the modern transportation network from the 19th century. It is an interesting topic, and this book tells the tale from a European perspective, where the ending is the same (EV's declined, the ICE tiumphed) but the path to the ending is a little different.

I really liked the meticulous data, graphs and detail showing the uses and comparing the EV to the ICE and the use of them compared to the size of the cities. What is interesting is that in Europe the EV as a mainstream vehicle lasted a lot longer in the form of fleet vehicles than in the US (In the US the EV stopped being sold in the Depression, in Europe it lasted until the 1950's).

All the data and graphs make for a rather dry read, and if there is a complaint, it is this. First and foremost I was looking for a good read, and I feel I have an academic textbook.

If you want a good read, there are other books out there that provide it. If you want a European perspective, and don't mind the textbook like read, this is a decent pick!