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The surprisingly long history of electric cars - Daniel Sperling and Gil Tal

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TEDEd Animation

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By the end of the 19th century, nearly 40% of American cars were electric. But these vehicles had a few major problems — early car batteries were expensive and inefficient, and the vehicles were twice the price of a gas-powered car. And so for the next several decades, gas-powered cars dominated the market. Can electric cars reclaim their place on the road? Daniel Sperling and Gil Tal investigate.

What led to renewed interest in electric cars in the 1970s and 1980s?

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Gil Tal, Daniel Sperling
  • Director Lobster Studio
  • Narrator Jack Cutmore-Scott
  • Storyboard Artist Miguel Ángel Camprubí
  • Animator Ralitsa Aleksieva , Teodor Hristov
  • Art Director Miguel Ángel Camprubí
  • Composer Fabrizio Martini
  • Sound Designer Fabrizio Martini
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler
  • Content Associate Abdallah Ewis
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Fact-Checker Jennifer Nam

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