One might be surprised that the EV dates all the way back to the 1800s. In fact, in its heyday, there were 4,192 cars made in the U.S. and 28-percent of them were electric! Here are some defining moments from New York City's first fleet of electric taxis to setting the very first land speed record.

Better Place, the electric-car services company, has installed a battery-switching station for electric taxis in Tokyo, part of a test to demonstrate the viability of swapping out rather than rapid charging. Three crossover taxis have been converted to run on an electric powertrain using batteries from A123 Systems, Better Place

There are currently more than 60,000 taxis cruising around Japan, a number that accounts for 20 percent of the country's CO2 emissions. To promote environmental health, the Japanese government has joined with Better Place, a US firm specializing in electric vehicle development, to come up with a solution: electric taxis powered by replaceable batte

Volkswagen added a new member to its model line, including conceptual city car called Up!. It is called Milano Taxi and was shown at a trade show in Hanover. It’s a prototype which in future could be based on a new generation of taxis driven by electric motor and zero levels of bad emissions.

Tel Aviv is a great place to bicycle. It is flat, the weather is great most of the year and most roads are bicycle friendly. But people here do not get around by bicycle. They prefer cars, mopeds, taxis or buses, anything motorized. There is even a trend for electric scooters as a commuter vehicle. City hall decided to promote bicycling. R We GREEN

One might be surprised that the EV dates all the way back to the 1800s. In fact, in its heyday, there were 4,192 cars made in the U.S. and 28-percent of them were electric! Here are some defining moments from New York City’s first fleet of electric taxis to setting the very first land speed record.