The Columbia Electric Victoria Phaeton was so popular that it sold out
Most of us think that electric cars are a recent… Tesla invention.
But in fact, an internet search shows that – in the US at least – electric cars have been around since the beginning of the 20th century!
In fact, Theodore Roosevelt was the first American president to take a public ride in such a vehicle in 1902.
The electric car was the Columbia Victoria Phaeton, by Columbia Electric Vehicles.
Theodore Roosevelt in the first public ride of an American President in an automobile. The car was a Columbia Victoria Phaeton, an electric vehicle. 1902. pic.twitter.com/lv2kpPYqsj
— History Calendar (@historycalendar) August 22, 2022
In fact, the model that was mass-produced in 1905 – according to a company brochure – was so popular that it quickly became… sold out.
It incorporated a 24-cell battery, a drive system with three forward gears and two reverse gears, and could reach a speed of up to 24 km/h.
Announced in 1908, the same year the Ford Model T debuted, the EV Columbia Victoria Phaeton combined a General Electric motor with a 32-cell battery pack. The subsequent age of gasoline dominance would not be truly challenged until almost a century later by Tesla’s Roadster. pic.twitter.com/bm73Wg3UPP
— Petersen Museum (@Petersen_Museum) December 5, 2022
Photos from Facebook
Source: Skai
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