This change coincided with the development of electric cars, particularly popular in Canada’s urban centers. The invention of a functional electric vehicle by William Still and FB Fethersonhaugh in Toronto in 1893 led to the creation of a whole series of Canadian companies specializing in electric vehicles, and favored the growing interest of the public vis-à-vis the concept of electric mobility. Mobility electrification was parallel to the electrification of households and businesses; The adoption of trams, trains, and personal electric vehicles became a matter of fashion as well as economical common sense.
Although the very first electric cars were unable to compete with their contemporary petrol and steam equivalents in terms of speed and autonomy, they had considerable advantages in terms of safety, convenience and ease of use. In a company that faced the waste and pollution generated by the transport sector drawn by horses, electric vehicles were clean, at the cutting edge of technology, and had a futuristic side.
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