Detroit Electric
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| Former type | Automobile Manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Genre | Electric automobiles |
| Founded | 1907 |
| Defunct | 1939 |
| Headquarters | Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Area served | United States |
| Products | Vehicles Automotive parts |
| Parent | Anderson Electric Car Company |
Detroit Electric (1907–1939) was an electric car produced by the Anderson Electric Car Company in Detroit, Michigan. The company built 13,000 electric cars from 1907 to 1939.[1]
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History [edit]
Anderson had previously been known as the Anderson Carriage Company (until 1911), producing carriages and buggies since 1884. Production of the electric automobile, powered by a rechargeable lead acid battery, began in 1907. For an additional US$600, an Edison nickel-iron battery was available from 1911 to 1916. The cars were advertised as reliably getting 80 miles (130 km) between battery recharging, although in one test a Detroit Electric ran 211.3 miles (340.1 km) on a single charge. Top speed was only about 20 mph (32 km/h), but this was considered adequate for driving within city or town limits at the time.
The Detroit Electric was mainly sold to women drivers and physicians who desired the dependable and immediate start without the physically demanding hand cranking of the engine that was required with early internal combustion engine autos. A statement of the car's refinement was subtly made to the public through its design which included the first use of curved window glass in a production automobile, an expensive and complex feature to produce.
The company production was at its peak in the 1910s selling around 1000 to 2000 cars a year. Towards the end of the decade the Electric was helped by the high price of gasoline during World War I. In 1920 the name of the Anderson company was changed to "The Detroit Electric Car Company" as the car maker separated from the body business (it became part of Murray Body) and the motor/controller business (Elwell-Parker).
As improved internal combustion engine automobiles became more common and inexpensive, sales of the Electric dropped in the 1920s, but the company stayed in business producing Detroit Electrics until after the stock market crash of 1929. The company filed for bankruptcy, but was acquired and kept in business on a more limited scale for some years, building cars in response to special orders. The last Detroit Electric was shipped on February 23, 1939, (though they were still available until 1942),[2] but in its final years the cars were manufactured only in very small numbers. Between 1907 to 1939 a total of 13,000 electric cars were built.[1]
Notable people who owned Detroit Electrics cars included Thomas Edison, Charles Proteus Steinmetz, Mamie Eisenhower, and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. who had a pair of Model 46 roadsters.[1] Clara Ford, the wife of Henry Ford, drove Detroit Electrics from 1908, when Henry bought her a Model C coupe with a special child seat, through the late teens. Her third car was a 1914 Model 47 brougham.
Detroit Electrics can be seen in various automobile museums, such as the Belgian AutoWorld Museum in Brussels, and the Museum Autovision in Altlußheim, Germany. A restored and operational Detroit Electric, owned by Union College, is located in the Edison Tech Center in Schenectady, NY.
Revival [edit]
The Detroit Electric brand was revived in 2008 by Albert Lam, former Group CEO of the Lotus Engineering Group and Executive Director of Lotus Cars of England,[3] with a vision to produce premium-quality pure electric vehicles “that seamlessly integrate refined aesthetics, innovative technology and superior handling and performance.”[4]
Detroit Electric was relaunched to the world on 19 March 2013, with the signing of its new headquarters in the Fisher Building in Detroit, Michigan.[citation needed]
Detroit Electric SP.01 [edit]
The Detroit Electric SP.01 two-seat all-electric roadster is Detroit Electric's first product and sales are scheduled to begin in the United States in August 2013 at a price starting at US$135,000. The SP.01, like the Tesla Roadster, will be built on a Lotus Elise aluminium chassis with carbon fiber body, and production will be limited to 999 units. The SP.01 prototypes are being assembled in Europe. The commercial version will be built the Detroit Electric production site in Wayne, Michigan, which will have an annual capacity of 2,500 vehicles.[5][6]
The SP.01 will have a total weight of 2,354 lb (1,068 kg), and it will be powered by a 150 kW (201 bhp) electric motor mounted behind the passenger cabin that delivers 225 N·m (166 lb-ft) of torque. The electric motor drives the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission, and a fifth and sixth gear ratios in the gearbox are redundant and available as an option. Top speed is 155 mph (249 km/h) and its time from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 100 kph) is 3.7 seconds, the same as the Tesla Roadster. The electric car will have a 37 kWh lithium-polymer battery pack capable of delivering a range of 180 mi (290 km) under the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) standard. A 7.7 kWh home charging unit will fully charge the car in 4.3 hours, a charging through a standard 13A power source will take 8 hours.[5][6]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ a b c John Voelcker (2013-03-19). "All-Electric Sports Car Coming Next Month From Detroit Startup?". Green Car Reports. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
- ^ G.N. Georgano Cars: Early and Vintage, 1886-1930. (London: Grange-Universal, 1985).
- ^ Detroit Electric: 10 things to know about the new electric vehicle company (MLive.com, March 20, 2013)
- ^ http://www.detroit-electric.com/our-story.php
- ^ a b Paul Stenquist (2013-04-01). "A New Electric Car With an Old Name". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-04-04.
- ^ a b Detroit Electric Press Release (2013-04-01). "Detroit Electric unveils SP:01 two-seat electric sports car; 190-mile range on NEDC; V2H feature". Green Car Congress. Retrieved 2013-04-04.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Detroit Electric vehicles |
- Historic Detroit Electric
- 1916 Detroit Electric Touring Car short article and photograph
- Detroit Electric car at Forney Museum article with photos of a 1916 Detroit Electric Opera Coupe
- photo of 1931 model Detroit Electric
- Autovision (Museum) German Museum with a number of electric cars (e.g., a Detroit Electric)
