A farkon 1873, a ƙarshen karni na 19, ɗan Ingila Robert Davidson ya ƙirƙiri abin hawa na farko na lantarki a duniya. Wannan ya kasance sama da shekaru goma kafin injinan motoci{3} da Jamusawa Gottlieb Daimler da Karl Benz suka kirkira.
Motar lantarki ta Davidson babbar motar daukar kaya ce, tsayin 4800mm da faɗin 1800mm, ana ƙarfafa ta da baturi na farko wanda ya ƙunshi ƙarfe, zinc, da mercury gami da ke amsawa da sulfuric acid. Daga baya, daga 1880, an yi amfani da batura na biyu masu caji. Canji daga firamare zuwa baturi na biyu ya nuna gagarumin ci gaban fasaha na motocin lantarki a lokacin, wanda ke ƙaruwa sosai. Ya zuwa rabin na biyu na karni na 19, motocin lantarki sun zama ginshikin sufuri, wanda ke nuna wani muhimmin babi a tarihin sufuri. A shekara ta 1890, motocin bas masu amfani da wutar lantarki suna bin titunan Faransa da London. A lokacin, fasahar injunan konewa ta cikin gida ta kasance baya baya sosai, wanda ya haifar da gajeren zango, raguwa akai-akai, da gyare-gyare mai wahala. Motocin lantarki, duk da haka, sun ba da fa'idodi kamar sauƙin kulawa.
A Turai da Amurka, motocin lantarki sun kai kololuwarsu a karshen karni na 19. A cikin 1899, Caument Guinet Bafaranshe ya kafa rikodin gudun kilomita 106 a cikin motar baya{4}} wheel - mai sarrafa wutar lantarki mai karfin 44kW.
A cikin 1900, a cikin motocin da aka kera a Amurka, 15,755 masu wutan lantarki ne, 1,684 suna amfani da tururi -, kuma 936 ne kawai ake amfani da man fetur{7}. Shiga cikin karni na 20, tare da ci gaba da ci gaban fasahar injunan konewa na ciki, Kamfanin Motoci na Ford ya gabatar da Model T a shekara ta 1908. Yawan samar da man fetur -Motoci masu ƙarfi a kan layukan haɗaɗɗiyar ya haifar da shaharar motocin da ake amfani da man fetur{12}}. Saboda haka, motocin da ke amfani da tururi da motocin lantarki, saboda gazawarsu na fasaha da na tattalin arziki, an kawar da su ba tare da ɓata lokaci ba, yayin da na ƙarshe ya ƙi.