American Electric (1899 automobile)

Last updated
1900 American Electric Dos-A-Dos 1900 American Electric Dos-A-Dos.jpg
1900 American Electric Dos-A-Dos

The American Electric was an American automobile manufactured in Chicago from 1899 to 1902 and Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1902. The company was incorporated by Clinton Edgar Woods in 1895 [1] as American Electric Vehicle Co. Chicago, and merged with Indiana Bicycle Co. to become Waverly in 1898 [2] and later Pope-Waverley. [2] [3]

The company built a wide range of electric carriages - some bodied as high, ungainly-looking dos-a-dos four-seaters - these were claimed to be capable of running from 35 miles (56 km) to 50 miles (80 km). Perhaps optimistically, the manufacturer claimed that "very few private carriages would ever be subjected to such a test". The company moved to New Jersey in 1902, according to a company statement, “to find more wealthy customers,” but they shutdown operations within the year.

See also

Related Research Articles

Winton Motor Carriage Company United States automobile manufacturer

The Winton Motor Carriage Company was a pioneer United States automobile manufacturer based in Cleveland, Ohio. Winton was one of the first American companies to sell a motor car. In 1912 Winton became one of the first American manufacturers of diesel engines.

Hiram Percy Maxim American inventor

Hiram Percy Maxim was an American radio pioneer and inventor, and co-founder of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). Hiram Percy Maxim is credited with inventing and selling the first commercially successful firearm silencer, and also with developing mufflers for internal combustion engines.

Antique car Automobile as an antique

An antique car is an automobile that is an antique. Narrower definitions vary based on how old a car must be to qualify. The Antique Automobile Club of America defines an antique car as over 25 years of age. However, the legal definitions for the purpose of antique vehicle registration vary widely. The antique car era includes the Veteran era, the Brass era, and the Vintage era, which range from the beginning of the automobile up to the 1930s. Later cars are often described as classic cars. In original or originally restored condition antiques are very valuable and are usually either protected and stored or exhibited in car shows but are very rarely driven.

Quadricycle small motorized four wheeled vehicle

Quadricycle refers to vehicles with four wheels.

Steam car Automobile powered by a steam engine

A steam car is a car (automobile) propelled by a steam engine. A steam engine is an external combustion engine (ECE) in which the fuel is combusted outside of the engine, unlike an internal combustion engine (ICE) in which fuel is combusted inside the engine. ECEs have a lower thermal efficiency, but carbon monoxide production is more readily regulated.

Baker Motor Vehicle

Baker Motor Vehicle Company was an American manufacturer of Brass Era electric automobiles in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1899 to 1914.

Woods Motor Vehicle American electric automobile manufacturing company, trading between 1899 and 1916

Woods Motor Vehicle Company was an American manufacturer of electric automobiles in Chicago, Illinois, between 1899 and 1916. In 1915 they produced the Dual Power with both electric and internal combustion engines which continued until 1918.

Electric Vehicle Company was an American automobile holding company and early pioneering manufacturer of automobiles.

High wheeler

A high wheeler is a car which uses large diameter wheels that are similar to those used by horse-drawn vehicles. These cars were produced until about 1915, predominantly in the United States.

Automotive industry in China Overview of the automotive industry in China

The automotive industry in China has been the largest in the world measured by automobile unit production since 2008. Since 2009, annual production of automobiles in China exceeds both that of the European Union and that of the United States and Japan combined.

The Grinnell was an electric car manufactured in Detroit, Michigan by the Grinnell Electric Car Company from 1910-13. The Grinnell was a five-seater closed coupe that sat on a 8 ft (2.4 m) wheelbase. The company claimed to have a 90-mile (140 km) range per charge. The vehicle cost $2,800. By contrast, Ford Model F of 1905 and the Enger 40 were both US$2000, the FAL was US$1750, the Oakland 40 US$1600, and the Cole 30 and Colt Runabout US$1500.

Car Motorized passenger road vehicle

A car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transportation. Most definitions of cars say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than goods.

Oliver Parker Fritchle American chemist

Oliver Parker Fritchle was an American chemist, storage battery innovator, and entrepreneur with electric vehicle and wind power generation businesses during the early twentieth century. His initial battery patent was awarded in 1903 and by 1904 he had established what was to become the Fritchle Automobile & Battery Company in Denver, Colorado. He was an early adaptor and developer of significant automotive technologies, such as regenerative braking and hybrid drivetrains, that did not reemerge on production vehicles of major car companies until late in the twentieth century.

The Ward Motor Vehicle Company was founded by Charles A. Ward in New York City as an electric truck company. When Hayden Eames joined the company, it made electric cars also, from 1914-1916.

Clinton Edgar Woods

Clinton Edgar Woods was an electrical and mechanical engineer, inventor, manufacturer of automobiles in Chicago and New York City. He was the author of one of the first books on electric vehicles, and an early management author.

Columbus Buggy Company American automobile manufacturer

The Columbus Buggy Company was an early buggy and automotive manufacturer based in Columbus, Ohio, United States, from 1875 to 1913.

William Morrison (chemist) Scottish chemist, developer of early electric automobile

William Morrison was a Scottish chemist. His background in chemistry piqued his interest in improving storage batteries. He concentrated on how to produce the most available energy for a unit of weight for efficiency in the working of an individual battery cell. Eventually, he developed storage batteries far more powerful than what had then been available. To demonstrate his batteries, Morrison installed 24 of them on a common horse-drawn carriage and attached an electric motor to the rear axle to be powered by them. Through various innovations, he developed the controls for the power used and the vehicle's steering so that the driver had complete control. Morrison invented the first practical self-powered four-wheeled electric carriage in the United States. His electric vehicle was the first to be driven in Chicago and in his hometown of Des Moines, Iowa. This electric horseless buggy of the late 19th century helped pave the way for the hybrid electric automobile of the 21st century.

Indiana Bicycle Company American bicycle and automobile manufacturer

Indiana Bicycle Company was a bicycle and automobile company in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The company made carriages, bicycles and electric vehicles under the name Waverley Cycles. By 1896 the company was producing 350 bicycles every ten hours.

References

  1. Halliday Witherspoon (1902) Men of Illinois p. 52
  2. 1 2 Car Companies on earlyelectric.com. Accessed May 7, 2013
  3. The Waverley Company on earlyelectric.com. Accessed May 7, 2013