Thinking About Electric Cars as Civic Artifacts

Electric cars have become increasingly popular in recent years but they’ve been around much longer than you think. That’s why I wanted to take a look at the creation and evolution of the electric car as a civic artifact.

Who made the electric car? How did it rise into society?

• The very first electric car was made by Robert Anderson in 1832, but practical ones weren’t made until the 1870’s
• Society was going through a lot of rapid change with innovation in transportation, and experiments with electric cars proved to be successful
• Even after the first gasoline car was made, people were still looking for alternative and better forms of transportation. This led to the rise of electric cars.

Why was the electric car considered necessary?

• The electric car truly made a name for itself in urban environments in the early 1900’s due to it’s minimal pollution and noise. It was incredibly popular.
• This same benefits seen by society more than a century ago still stand today as the main reasons to purchase electric cars

How did the electric car change over time?

• Higher demands early on allowed for greater research and development. Newer models were made in the 20th century with quieter and more efficient components.
• The first hybrids were also made to incorporate electricity with gas engines
• Even Thomas Edison looked into creating new batteries for electric cars
• There was a major decline in electric cars in the mid 20th century due to the rise of the Model T and its affordability.
• It’s rise again today has been strongly associated with higher level technology and luxury

What does the electric car mean to different people and what does it say about societal commonplaces?

• It stands as one of the keys to a sustainable future for many groups that care about our impact on the environment
• On the higher ends of cost, the electric car is a status symbol of luxury and class such as with electric sports cars for example
• There is a strong overall belief that electric cars are one of the most efficient and environmentally safe form of transportation
• They hold massive benefits, but are often also largely viewed as impractical due to lack of charging stations, range, and other factors
• They are perceived to be generally too expensive for the general population

How does the electric car relate to being “civic” and also framing ?

• The electric car itself represents being civic in a way, as many are often convinced that they are helping the environment, future generations, and even their local community by utilizing a strong alternative to gas cars that pollute.
• The electric car rhetorically compels people to buy it because it presents a logical solution to sustainability issues, it emotionally satisfies the need to help the earth, and its recent development in being more reliable and useful establishes its credibility.
• It’s existence as an option in transportation methods also forces people to think about how they can be better citizens if they switch to an electric car.