I can't help but often being disappointed when hearing the endless discussions and debates on electric cars and their current stage of development.

Most know that sooner or later there will be no fossil fuels left, but many prefer to suppress that fact. Instead current high prices of electric automobiles, low ranges between charges, long charging times, non-comprehensive availability of plug-in stations etc. are subject to criticism. Manufacturers ask for government grants for R&D as well as government rebates for future customer purchases.

Does anybody remember Dr. Karl Benz?

In 1886 he built the first car - the Benz Motorwagen - with a combustion engine. The car had 0,8 hp and reached a top speed of 18 km/h. When he initially applied for a patent, the public laughed at the "carriage without horses". The price of the Benz Motorwagen was 3.000,- Marks, equivalent to about 30.000,- EURO in today's purchasing power.

Benz was not deterred by the criticism, didn't wait for horses to disappear and developed the Benz Motorwagen further without government grants. Not only that, his wife's dowry was used for the financing!

In 1888 Bertha Benz, Karl's wife, took the Benz Motorwagen for a 106 km test drive on 'public roads' from Mannheim to Pforzheim. By the way, she chose not to inform her husband.

Bertha Benz was not deterred by the facts that there were no roads made for cars, no gas stations and no auto shops. Accompanied by her sons, she 'just did it'. Her sons had to push the car over steep hills, because of the low performance. They had to stop at pharmacies, because that was the only place where petroleum ether, which the car ran on, was sold in bottles. If something went wrong on the trip, they had to fix it themselves.

We all know how the story continues.