7 Groundbreaking Electric Vehicles Built Before the 1900s
One might be surprised that the EV dates all the way back to the 1800s. In fact, in its heyday, there were 4,192 cars made in the U.S. and 28-percent of them were electric! Here are some defining moments from New York City’s first fleet of electric taxis to setting the very first land speed record.
Carriage Built in 1830s Uses Non-Rechargeable Batteries
Robert Anderson built a crude electric carriage in the 1830s using non-rechargeable batteries. It eventually became the rechargeable Detroit Electric (1907 - 1939) which in one test run achieved a 211.3 mile range and a top speed of 20 MPH. It was mainly marketed to women who didn’t want to bother with hand cranking an engine.
No real surprises here…
We have the same concepts once again…
Very nice article, we start again the electrical race!!!
What we are seeing here are ideas that came out way before their time, particularly regarding electric cars. Back in the late 19th/early 20th centuries there was no significant electric grid across the country and thus no way electric cars could be an every day practical vehicle outside of certain limited urban areas. Even within urban areas there was no recharging infrastructure whatsoever. Another factor was their cost. As an example, a 1918 Detroit Electric cost around $3,000 as opposed to $400 for a 1918 Model T Ford. By the time the U.S. electrical infrastructure as well as technological advancements in electronics had matured the internal combustion engine had taken over as the powerplant of choice. The current “perfect storm” of high energy prices, advanced technology, more electricity distribution infrastructure have combined to make the electric car a truly practical alternative today. As should be expected, the electric car (in both hybrid and pure electric forms) is becoming more commonplace. We can expect this pattern to continue the process that began such a long time ago with such distinguished pioneers. I salute those early pioneers and eagerly anticipate the future development of electric transportation alternatives.
Great post and a nice flashback to the past.
It is good to see how much things have changed, this time, it seems for the better.
We need to have a special sections on collectible EVs.
The Electricnick.com team with the Electric Car Examiner