By BONNIE LEE STRUNK

Special to The Press

The woman, who said her husband just bought an electric car, sounded astonished. “You mean the Tesla is nothing new?” she asked.

Quite a few people are surprised to learn that, despite all the current hype, electric vehicles are not a modern technology.

In fact, they are part of our history.

The concept has been around since the 19th century.

Electric vehicles were considered revolutionary in the late 1800s and early 1900s, when they were outselling vehicles powered by gasoline.

Comparing current electric vehicles with the early models, one can see expected improvements in the new versions.

The technology has matured.

Lithium-ion batteries have replaced the more cumbersome lead acid or nickel iron batteries used in the early vehicles.

Speed and performance also are improved in today’s electric models.

And, of course, availability of electricity to charge the batteries is much more prevalent today.

Electricity was not widely available around 1900.

Most homes lacked electric service, and public chargers were usually found only in cities.

One feature has not changed much over the centuries.

Like today, electric vehicles in the 1800s and 1900s cost more than gasoline-powered models.

That meant the early electrics, which often were ornate and luxurious, were designed for elite, wealthy buyers.

One impressive electric model, a 1903 Studebaker, had leather fenders and a leather dashboard.

A Studebaker ad at the time claimed the battery would give a run of 40 miles on one charge.

The year 1901 became significant in the automotive history of electric vehicles.

That year an electric ambulance transported the 25th president of the U.S., William McKinley, from the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, N.Y., to a hospital, when he was shot twice by an assassin.

That would be his last ride. He died a few days later.

Also, a 1901 Riker Electric was said to be the first auto wrecked in Pittsburgh.

Apparently it was “gently nudged” by a trolley car.

A famous owner and fan of the early clean and dignified electric vehicles included Clara Ford, wife of Henry Ford.

Owning an electric, she did not have to perform the dirty and dangerous task of hand-cranking her husband’s manufactured vehicles.

Ford did not offer an electric starter in his vehicles until 1919.

In her electric automobile, Mrs. Ford also did not have to operate the windshield wiper manually or light the vehicle’s headlamps and kerosene lanterns.

She bought her first Detroit Electric car in 1908 and later owned others.

Electric vehicles, known for their silent performance, were especially popular with women and with men of means, such as physicians and businessmen.

Like Mrs. Ford, Thomas Edison and John D. Rockefeller also bought stylish Detroit Electrics, which featured curved glass, curtains, a vase for flowers and luxurious upholstery.

A pristine 1922 Detroit Electric is on display at America on Wheels transportation museum in Allentown.

The museum’s collection also includes three other early electric vehicles: an award-winning 1895 Electrobat IV, a 1976 Sebring Vanguard CitiCar, and a fiberglass kit car built by shop teacher Bob Peters, from Mechanix Illustrated plans.

Early electrics played a major role in bringing electric vehicles into the mainstream today.

More than a century ago, fossil-fueled vehicles pushed electric cars into oblivion.

In today’s very different world, it is doubtful history will repeat itself.