Close-up look at London's 19th century electric cabs

We often think of the electric car as a very modern development, only now coming to prominence as a serious alternative to petrol and diesel cars, but in actuality over a century ago electricity vied with internal combustion and steam power to be the predominant motive power of the automobile. Of course 100 years ago electric technology was not quite as advanced as it is now and shortcomings such as slower speeds and shorter ranges probably went some way to giving the lead to petrol but for a time there were a surprising number of electrically-powered vehicles available at the beginning of the 20th Century, as this clip from the B.B.C. shows. Several companies, both in Europe and America (such as Rauch & Lang, below), manufactured electric cars right up until the late 1920s. It just goes to prove the old adage "nothing new under the sun" and it is fascinating to see that the same concerns and options existed so long ago and that, as the presenter says, we have come full circle and are once again looking at electric cars as the future of motoring.