Detroit Electric - A real electric car company
Anderson Carriage Co, including the Detroit Electric Factory, 1911
Detroit Electric was founded by William C. Anderson of the Anderson Carriage Company in 1907. At the time, Detroit Electric was not the company name, just the brand name for Anderson's new electric car. The original Detroit looked more like a sleigh (or the Curved Dash Olds) than what we might normally think of as an antique car.
By 1907, gasoline automobiles were outpacing electrics in sales, but electrics were holding their own. (And as late as 1899 and 1900, electrics outsold both gasoline and steam automobiles.) It was a real battle - gasoline automobiles were cheap to make, cheap to run, and gasoline could be delivered anywhere a wagon could go. Electrics were expensive, heavy, required charging stations, and could only be driven in areas that had electricity--something not available in many rural communities. However, electrics were quiet and didn't spew out noxious fumes, and more importantly had one thing gasoline vehicles did not--a self-starter.
By 1907, gasoline automobiles were outpacing electrics in sales, but electrics were holding their own. (And as late as 1899 and 1900, electrics outsold both gasoline and steam automobiles.) It was a real battle - gasoline automobiles were cheap to make, cheap to run, and gasoline could be delivered anywhere a wagon could go. Electrics were expensive, heavy, required charging stations, and could only be driven in areas that had electricity--something not available in many rural communities. However, electrics were quiet and didn't spew out noxious fumes, and more importantly had one thing gasoline vehicles did not--a self-starter.
A 1910 Detroit Electric Victoria, like the one Will drives in the book
Starting a gasoline automobile was a fairly complicated and most "unladylike" procedure--engaging the hand brake, setting the spark and throttle, hand-cranking the engine until it started, hoping it wouldn't kick back and break a wrist (or worse), then racing back into the vehicle to reset the spark and fuel before the engine stalled. Consequently, the electric was the choice of wealthy women, as it gave them more freedom than a coach or gasoline car with a chauffeur. City doctors were the second target market for electric manufacturers. Unfortunately, electrics gained the reputation as women's cars. They were simply not manly, not for the adventurer.
Be that as it may, Detroit Electric had set its sights on being the top electric car manufacturer, and in 1910 achieved that goal, knocking off Baker Electric as number one.
In that same year, using the new Edison (yes, that Edison) nickel-steel battery, a Detroit Electric Victoria was driven 211.3 miles on a single charge, setting a new world record. The Edison battery carried a guarantee of 100-miles per charge, which doubled the normal rating of the standard lead-acid batteries.
In that same year, using the new Edison (yes, that Edison) nickel-steel battery, a Detroit Electric Victoria was driven 211.3 miles on a single charge, setting a new world record. The Edison battery carried a guarantee of 100-miles per charge, which doubled the normal rating of the standard lead-acid batteries.
Interior of 1911 Model 21 - pretty sweet, eh?
The future looked very bright for the company, and while they didn't achieve their sales goals in the next few years, they still maintained their lead over their competitors. Detroit Electric was the premier brand of electric in fit and finish, and were adept at co-opting their competitor's innovations--such as Baker Electric's chainless shaft-drive motor.
It's difficult to make out in this interior photo, but Detroit Electric used a steering lever, or tiller, rather than a steering wheel. When the driver got in the cab, she would pull the tiller down in front of her. The shorter lever, that looks like a stick shift or parking brake is the controller that would shift the car through five speeds and reverse.
These cars had no gas pedal. The lever completely controlled the speed, which varied a little from model to model. First speed was typically four miles per hour, second eight, and so on, up to twenty-two or twenty-four mph, depending on the model and the year.
It's difficult to make out in this interior photo, but Detroit Electric used a steering lever, or tiller, rather than a steering wheel. When the driver got in the cab, she would pull the tiller down in front of her. The shorter lever, that looks like a stick shift or parking brake is the controller that would shift the car through five speeds and reverse.
These cars had no gas pedal. The lever completely controlled the speed, which varied a little from model to model. First speed was typically four miles per hour, second eight, and so on, up to twenty-two or twenty-four mph, depending on the model and the year.
One of William C. Anderson's greatest coups was to contract with Edison for the exclusive use of his battery for the 1912 model year. Optimism for the future of electrics was at its highest point.
Sales continued to climb, and the electric car manufacturers knew they had only two serious obstacles in their way--their cars had to be considered useful for touring, one of the most fashionable pastimes in the early horseless era. For that, you needed a long range car that could bring you out into the hinterlands and back without leaving you stranded. The Edison battery solved that problem. Unfortunately, the other problem proved more difficult. Men simply could not accept an electric as a "man's automobile."
Sales continued to climb, and the electric car manufacturers knew they had only two serious obstacles in their way--their cars had to be considered useful for touring, one of the most fashionable pastimes in the early horseless era. For that, you needed a long range car that could bring you out into the hinterlands and back without leaving you stranded. The Edison battery solved that problem. Unfortunately, the other problem proved more difficult. Men simply could not accept an electric as a "man's automobile."
When Charles Kettering invented the first reliable self-starter for gasoline vehicles (first implemented in 1912 Cadillacs), the writing was on the wall for electrics. The discovery of oil in Texas brought gas prices down to an affordable level, and the price disparity between gasoline and electric cars had increased dramatically. In fact, by 1914 you could have bought a Model T for just the price of upgrading a Detroit to the Edison battery ($600).
Once the darling of society women, over the next few years electrics fell out of favor as the luxury gasoline automobile companies stepped up their game. Detroit Electric hung on by a thread through the Depression but slumping sales finally put them under in 1939.
Among Detroit Electric's customers were Clara and Edsel Ford (hence my fictional relationship between Will Anderson and Edsel). Clara drove nothing but Detroit Electrics for many years. One of them is on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI. Other Detroit owners of note--Pierre DuPont, Andrew Carnegie, Mrs. J.D. Rockefeller, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, Anna Kresge, Dr. Charles P. Steinmetz, Thomas Edison, the Steinway family, A. Stanford White, and the wives of the owners of many automobile companies, including Stutz, Packard, Dodge, Studebaker, Cadillac, and EMF.
Once the darling of society women, over the next few years electrics fell out of favor as the luxury gasoline automobile companies stepped up their game. Detroit Electric hung on by a thread through the Depression but slumping sales finally put them under in 1939.
Among Detroit Electric's customers were Clara and Edsel Ford (hence my fictional relationship between Will Anderson and Edsel). Clara drove nothing but Detroit Electrics for many years. One of them is on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI. Other Detroit owners of note--Pierre DuPont, Andrew Carnegie, Mrs. J.D. Rockefeller, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, Anna Kresge, Dr. Charles P. Steinmetz, Thomas Edison, the Steinway family, A. Stanford White, and the wives of the owners of many automobile companies, including Stutz, Packard, Dodge, Studebaker, Cadillac, and EMF.