But while this new age of lithium-ion travel heralds a radical shift in transport fuels, electric vehicles themselves are nothing new. From the late 1850s, advancements in the field of battery technology made the electric vehicle a more viable invention. In 1898, the first officially recognised land speed record was set by a French race car driver in a Jeantaud electric car. The event also featured EV conversions and electric bikes on display, and the opportunity to test drive electric cars. It seems that what was once a relative backwater in terms of electric vehicle uptake could be on track to become the electric vehicle capital of New Zealand.

Source: Otago Daily Times September 11, 2017 01:52 UTC