Until the modern day revival of electric vehicles like the Teslas, Nissan’s Leaf or the Chevy Volt, the best selling electric car ever was the Detroit Electric, produced by the Anderson Carriage company from 1907 to 1939. They sold thousands of them (1914 was the high water mark with ~4,500 produced). Among the people who drove Detroit Electrics were electricity pioneers Thomas Edison and Charles Steinmetz and the wives of automotive industrialists Henry Ford and Henry Joy (he ran Packard). Interestingly, John D. Rockefeller, who made his enormous fortune from petroleum products like gasoline, owned a pair of Detroit Electric Model 46 Roadsters. Now, not only has the electric car industry been revived, but also the Detroit Electric company, which says it will start producing battery electric sports cars in a Michigan facility by the end of this summer. Following Tesla’s example, their first car will be based on a Lotus, in this case an Exige coupe, and the company promises two other “high performance” models in 2014. (Read More…)
Recent Comments
amca - Buick is popular in China because when they were starting to invite foreign manufacturers in, people could still remember the Buicks that were freely imported...
Secret Hi5 - He was doomed regardless of seatbelt use because of the conflagration.
amca - Having seen the Tesla system in one of its (in many states illegal) shopping center stores, I think what makes it better than the Ford or Cadillac systems is that...
CoreyDL - I’m not sure the Impala Limit…err XTS will take off anywhere, really.
CoreyDL - Buick is popular because one of their leaders in the 50s drove a Buick, and loved it. This is the only reason Buick is popular in China today. And it is...
Land Ark - You make me become introspective, Doug. Reading your first couple paragraphs makes me feel like you were born a decade late because you are describing me. It...
CoreyDL - Cadillac, born from jets. Oh wait…
bachewy - I remember being told years back that motor mounts in then, new cars were designed to let the engine break...
DenverMike - @Sunridge – Also, ‘only’ launching Hecho EN Mexico, GM crew cabs, initially, GM would be divulging...
philadlj - Counterpoint: Ford Doesn’t Need MyFordTouch. SYNC works just fine without it. I also pay my car loans with paper checks, envelopes, and stamps....