The World's First Electric Car Was Built in 1837 - Apparently.
In 1837, Scottish inventor Robert Anderson built the first electric car. Anderson, a chemist and inventor, created a crude electric carriage with a non-rechargeable primary cell battery. The battery was made from a jar containing potassium and zinc plates, and it powered a motor that drove the wheels. Anderson's invention predated the more well-known electric cars of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and it marked the beginning of a long line of experimentation with electric vehicles.