Inventing the Miracle Battery: Thomas Edison and the Electric Vehicle
Author(s)
Mom, Gijs
Abstract
In the history of the invention and development of the alkaline battery for use in electric motorcars before 1914, the contribution of Swedish inventor Waldemar Jungner and German battery manufacturers has been neglected in studies centered on Thomas Edison. Edison’s battery was not a success in terms of his aim of becoming the “electrical Henry Ford,” nor was it responsible for the brief revival in the popularity of electric cars. However, the Edison battery forced the mainstream technology of the lead battery, used in gasoline-powered cars, into a more robust design, thus furthering technological progress.
