History of the electric vehicle Colten in the United States in 1847. Rechargeable batteries that provided a viable means for storing electricity on board a vehicle did not come into being until 1859, with the invention of the lead–acid battery by French physicist Gaston Planté. Camille Alphonse Faure, another French scientist, significantly improved the design of the battery in 1881; his improvements greatly increased the capacity of such batteries and led directly to their manufacture on an industrial scale. An early electric-powered two-wheel cycle was put on display at the 1867 World Exposition in Paris by the Austrian inventor Franz Kravogl, but it was regarded
University of Pavia that immediately preceded the Unification (1859–66). During the following centuries, through periods of both adversity and prosperity, the fame of the University of Pavia grew over the last years due to the large number of applicants. Throughout its history, the university has benefited from the presence of many learned men and distinguished scientists who wrote celebrated works and made important discoveries: mathematician Girolamo Cardano (born in Pavia, 1501–76), physicist Alessandro Volta (Pavia chair of natural philosophy 1769-1804), poet Ugo Foscolo (chair of Italian eloquence 1809-10). Three Nobel Prize winners also taught in Pavia: physician Camillo Golgi (at Pavia from 1861),