Electric Vehicles (EVs) are gaining more and more attention in recent years due to global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the rapid improvement of battery performance. Although the term “electric vehicle” may sound like a new form of mobility, its history is unexpectedly long. The Prange Collection has a book about EVs.
EVs were invented by European engineers in the 1830s, and they were first sold to the public before ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles in the 1880s. In 1900, EVs accounted for about 40% of the total number of cars in the United States, and they were competitive with ICE vehicles until the early 20th century. However, the performance of ICE vehicles improved dramatically. As a result, EVs which had shorter range and higher price points, declined.
In the midst of this decline, there was one country that made a concerted effort to develop and promote EVs. That country was postwar Japan. Japan’s oil industry was devastated by the war, and the Allied Occupation Forces (GHQ) severely restricted the restoration and operation of related facilities as part of Japan’s demilitarization. As a result, the supply of petroleum products to the civilian sector was extremely limited, and EVs were seen as an alternative to ICE vehicles. In addition, demand for electricity dropped with the destruction of factories, creating a surplus, and this also contributed to the adoption of EVs.
As of March 31, 1948, EVs accounted for about 0.8% of Japan’s total automobile fleet (0.8% of the total automobile fleet of 201,023, with 1,602 EVs)*. This is not a large number, but it is a relatively high ownership ratio compared to 0.17% as of March 31, 2022 (0.17% of the total automobile fleet of 82,853,203, with 14,490 EVs)**.
* Katsuzaburo Nishimura, Electric Vehicles, Tomon shoin, 1949, p.12.
** Automobile Inspection & Registration Information Association Japan
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (now the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) set a goal of 20,000 EVs on the road by 1950 and provided subsidies to manufacturers to promote their adoption. In 1949, the production of EVs peaked at 1,617 units (Figure 1). Electric buses were operated in cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Sapporo, and there were reportedly more than 230 electric buses in operation as of 1948. Innovative ideas were implemented, such as battery exchange systems to make up for the shorter range (Figure 2).
Figure 1 The number of EV production
| Year/Type | Small and Medium cars | Large cars | Total | |
| Trucks | Passenger cars | |||
| 1945 | 5 | 39 | 2 | 46 |
| 1946 | 110 | 235 | 106 | 451 |
| 1947 | 420 | 333 | 195 | 948 |
| 1948 | 342 | 805 | 255 | 1402 |
| 1949 | 189 | 1222 | 206 | 1617 |
| 1950 | 67 | 802 | 50 | 919 |
| 1951 | 32 | 86 | 6 | 124 |
| 1952 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 30 |
Source: Kazuo Ishikawa, “Forgotten EV Era in Japan” Commercial review of Senshu University, No.111, 2020.7, p.16.
Figure 2 Battery swapping system of buses
Source: Katsuzaburo Nishimura, Electric Vehicles, Tomon shoin, 1949, p.82.
Figure 3 EV models produced in the Occupation era of Japan
Source: Katsuzaburo Nishimura, Electric Vehicles, Tomon shoin, 1949, p.82.
However, this “EV boom” came to an abrupt end. The outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950 caused the price of lead, which is a strategic material, to skyrocket, driving up the cost of batteries. In addition, as the supply of gasoline stabilized and prices fell, the competitiveness of EVs declined further. By 1952, the production of EVs had fallen to only 30 units (Figure 1), and almost all manufacturers had withdrawn from EV production. The book in the Prange Collection may be a valuable witness to the reality of EVs and people’s expectations toward EVs at that time.
Kazuo Asai is a Visiting Researcher in the Prange Collection, and a Representative of the National Diet Library of Japan
Gordon W. Prange Collection 