How much did the first mobile phone weigh? Take our electrifying quiz

Try this quiz for some illuminating questions. Photograph: ballyscanlon/Getty Images

1. The 1980s were marked by big hair, big earrings and even bigger mobile phones. How much did the first mobile weigh?

   1. More than 500g

   2. More than 1kg

   3. More than 2kg

2. 

   Mary Anderson patented the first windscreen wiper in 1903, but why did her invention take a while to catch on?

   1. They were originally fitted inside the windscreen

   2. People believed they would be distracting

   3. They were launched in a hot, dry summer

3. How fast can the BMW 330e plug-in hybrid go from 0 to 62mph?

   1. 7 seconds

   2. 5.9 seconds

   3. 6.9 seconds

4. 

   E-bikes have taken the legwork out of cycling, but when were they first invented?

   1. 1890s

   2. 1990s

   3. 2010s

5. The first African-American woman to gain a PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Dr Shirley Ann Jackson specialises in …

   1. Theoretical physics

   2. Computational physics

   3. Metaphysics

6. 

   The first manufactured electric washing machine went on sale in 1907 – what was it called?

   1. Thor

   2. Persephone

   3. Charybdis

7. 

   All the vehicles in the BMW plug-in hybrid electric range feature eDrive, but what does it do?

   1. Sense your approach

   2. Sense your journey type

   3. Sense your mood

8. 

   Godalming in Surrey was an early adopter of the electric street light, but how was its electricity generated?

   1. Hamster wheel

   2. Dog wheel

   3. Water wheel

Solutions

1:B - Inspired by the handheld communication devices on Star Trek, the first phone weighed in at a staggering 1.1kg. And staggering is exactly what you would be doing, with one of these against your shoulder pad., 2:B - Incredibly, Anderson’s invention of a handle-operated rubber blade was initially rejected, with many believing they would cause accidents. Even when wipers became a legal requirement for all cars, she received little recognition – or, indeed, cash., 3:B - Blending a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a powerful electric motor and an advanced 12kWh high-voltage lithium-ion battery, the BMW 330e can really move. It also has a range of up to 37 miles in purely electric mode – without any local emissions., 4:A - Electric bikes may feel new but they were in fact first thought of in the 19th century. American inventor Ogden Bolton Jr was granted a patent in 1895 for a bike with no gears and a 10-volt battery., 5:A - Yep, Jackson made her name in the theoretical branch of physics. If your real answer was “I thought there was only one type of physics” then you never really had a hope. Among a host of accolades that led Time magazine to call her “perhaps the ultimate role model for women in science”, the honourable Jackson has been linked to several telecommunication advances. , 6:A - While mythical whirlpool Charybdis might be a more obvious choice for such an appliance, the answer is Thor, the god of war – and war-shing machines. , 7:B - BMW eDrive detects whether you’re in a city or on a motorway and intelligently switches between hybrid propulsion, electricity or petrol for maximum efficiency. Incidentally, the BMW 3 Series plug-in hybrid also features Intelligent Personal Assistant, which will adjust the interior environment to suit your mood., 8:C - This market town had so much electricity in the 1880s that it became the first to supply it to the public. The secret? The owner of a local tanning leather factory offered the use of his water wheel, which unfortunately left the lighting at the mercy of the flow of the local river. Nowadays, street lights are again at the forefront of energy innovation as they could become a crucial part of our EV charging infrastructure – BMW pioneered the technology when it fitted four street lamps in Munich with a charging system.

Scores

1. 7 and above.

   Bright spark! You really know your electrical inventions! Reckon your friends can hold a candle to you? There’s only one way to find out: send them this quiz.

2. 5 and above.

   High voltage - not bad at all! You truly have an electric intellect.

3. 0 and above.

   Lights on but no one home - the only thing you’ll be inventing is excuses for your performance in this quiz. Better luck next time!

4. 3 and above.

   A flicker of hope - you were a little in the dark on some questions, but you shone on others. Good try.

Technology drives the world, and is the beating heart of every BMW. Discover how BMW is pioneering plug-in hybrid vehicles at bmw.co.uk