Berlin, Feb 2 (IANS): For car lovers who think electric cars are a recent phenomenon owing to rising fuel costs and air pollution, news that the first-ever Porsche was actually an electric car must come as a big surprise.

Porsche has revealed that the first car made by its founder Ferdinand Porsche in 1898 was indeed electric.

The car, named P1, was recently unearthed in an Austrian warehouse where it had been stored since 1902.

The car is on display at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, Germany, said a report in news.com.

The P1 - or Porsche number one - is powered by a rear-mounted electric drive unit that produces three horsepower, harnessed to a 12-speed controller.

The P1 was unveiled in Vienna on June 26, 1898, and could reach speeds of up to 34 km per hour and travel up to 79 km on a single charge.

The P1 would now become a permanent part of the Porsche display at its museum.

Ferdinand Porsche went on to found the car company that would make his name legendary, but not before designing the 1900 Semper Vivus - widely considered to be the world's first hybrid-electric vehicle.