ABSTRACT

HISTORYBIBLIOGRAPHY

• Brain, Marshall.  "How Electric Cars Work"  27 March 2002.  HowStuffWorks.com. <http://auto.howstuffworks.com/electric-car.htm>  03 April 2013.

• John. "Electronic Circuits and Diagram-Electronics Projects and Design." Circuits Today. N.p., 13 Jan. 2010. Web. 03 Apr. 2013. http://www.circuitstoday.com/working-of-electric-cars.

"Timeline: History of the Electric Car." PBS. PBS, 30 Oct. 2009. Web. 03 Apr. 2013. <http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/223/electric-car-timeline.html>.

IMPLICATIONS



Communication, Culture and TechnologyGeorgetown UniversityFundamentals of TechnologyProfessor Barba and Professor RibesSpring 2013

Follow us on Twitter @shiftincurrents or find us at http://shiftingcurrents.wordpress.com/

Stevie Chancellor

Layan Jawdat

Yiran Sun

Phoebe Wood

Political Implications

Costs for consumers

Environmental Benefits

2012 was a breakout year for electric cars in the American market. Several electric car models – the Nissan Leaf, the Ford Focus, and the Tesla Model S – were released to consumers, amid much press and excitement. Motor Trend awarded its coveted Car of the Year to the Tesla Model S, exclaiming, “At its core, the Tesla Model S is

simply a damned good car you happen to plug in to refuel.” Nonetheless, public discussion surrounding electric cars is surging

regarding adoption rates and the efficiency of the cars themselves. With all of this hype around the car, public

understanding of how electric cars work is fairly low. The car’s engine is frequently misunderstood and, because of negative

reviews surrounding many of the early versions of the car, consumers express concern about how long the battery will last. Amidst all this press coverage, we have chosen to examine and explore the inner working of the electric car and its promising future in the car industry in a project we have titled “Shifting

Currents.”

1890s-1900

FIRST WAVE

1891: William Morrison (of Des Moines, Iowa) builds

the first successful electric automobile in the United

States

1893: A handful of different makes and

models of electric cars are exhibited in

Chicago.

SECOND WAVE

1970s

Concerns about the soaring price of oil -- peaking with the Arab Oil

Embargo of 1973 -- and a growing environmental movement result in renewed interests in electric cars

from both consumers and producers.

Present day

There are several electric cars on the market for American consumers, but have yet to become widely adopted.