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The First Electric Vehicle
In the early 1830's, an inventor by the name of Robert Anderson invented the first electric vehicle, though it did not yet have a rechargeable battery. Eventually, another man named Robert Davidson reworked the design, creating an electric locomotive that could pull 6 tons about 1.5 miles, though recharging batteries was still impossible at the time. The engine was later destroyed by angered workers.caranddriver.com
The First Large Scale EV
Thomas Edison is attributed with working on the first large-scale project of releasing EVs to the public. Unfortunately, the technology was not abundant at the time, causing the car to be around 3x the price of just the Model T. Due to the price, and the fact that gas was easy to get back then, the Model T by Henry Ford ended up beating out Edison's car marginally.energy.gov
The Galvanic Battery
The galvanic battery was used by Robert Anderson in his first electric car, and by Robert Davidson's later model that worked better. The way this battery worked was by having a zinc anode dipped in liquid for a negative reaction, and a copper anode dipped in liquid for a positive reaction. This equilibrium created a working, though not reversible battery.libretexts.org
The Lunar Rover
After the first successful missions to the moon, Nasa decided that they wanted to put a drivable vehicle on the rocky surface. So they turned to Boeing to create the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). They created four at about 9.5 million dollars each, and used "36-volt silver-zinc potassium hydroxide non-rechargeable batteries."caranddriver.com
The First Ever Successful EV: Tesla
Tesla created the very first widely sold electric car. Starting in 2008 they made the Roadster car, their very first electric vehicle, as a test. It was not widely sold but eventually gave them enough data to better the model with Lithium-Ion batteries, and in 2012, finally began convincing most to swap to Electric.caranddriver.com
The Lithium-Ion Battery
Likely the most important development in Electric Vehicles was the creation of the Lithium-Ion battery. The first few prototypes were fathered by M. Stanley Whittingham, and later improved on by John B. Goodenough, making the battery lighter, more stable, and more energy-dense. Even today, the Lithium-Ion battery is used in most electric cars and devices.ufinebattery.com