Gallery: These Old-Timey Electric Cars Should Replace NYC's Horse Carriages
Getty Images01Buffalo electric automobile
Buffalo Electric’s 1914 Model 30 would be a classy way to enjoy Central Park, and it would keep tourists warm in winter. This illustration is from a 1913 magazine ad, clearly aimed at women.
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At the dawn of the auto age, EV makers didn't just have to compete with internal combustion, they also had to convince consumers an EV was better than a horse. American Electric promised people its $1,250 four-seater was cheaper than a horse (no need to buy oats!) and required less space. Running at a brisk 12 mph (a lot for 1899), the car could go about five hours between charges.
<a href=”http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rauch_%26_Lang_Carriage_Company_advertisement,_Theatre_magazine,_Jan_1911.jpg”>Wikimedia</a>03Rauch&Lang
Rauch & Lang started building carriages in 1884 and offered its first electric car in 1905. Within three years it was building 500 a year and still failing to meet demand. The company's fortunes changed in the teens, however, and by 1915 internal combustion was beginning to dominate. Rauch & Lang survived into the ’20s by switching production to gas-powered taxis.
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Then, as now, many EVs were small, to maximize range and efficiency. But the Argo Electric brougham boasted a 100-inch wheelbase, said to be the the longest for any EV at the time. Argo didn't get into the EV game until 1913, just in time to see internal combustion become dominant. The company was done by 1916.
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Like many early EV companies, Pope-Waverly marketed its cars toward women because EVs were cleaner and easier to operate than gas-powered vehicles, which required a crank to start. This four-seat coupe had a removable top and could be had for $2,250 on either solid or pneumatic tires.
Getty Images06Thomas Alva Edison Next to Electric Car
Detroit Electric produced some 13,000 cars between 1907 and 1939. Its clients included Thomas Edison, shown here with a four-seat brougham in 1914. With battery packs in the front and rear, the cars could hit roughly 25 mph and offered an average range of 80 miles, comparable to what modern (albeit faster and heavier) EVs typically achieve.
Getty Images07Babcock Electric Car
In 1906, Frank A. Babcock took an electric car, slapped on his own batteries, and covered the 100-mile trip from New York to Philadelphia without recharging. One of several cars he eventually produced, the Model 6 was marketed to women as being safe and easy to handle.
