The Detroit Electric 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.

The marque was revived in 2008 by Albert Lam, former Group CEO of the Lotus Engineering Group and executive director of Lotus Cars of England. to produce modern all-electric cars by Detroit Electric Holding Ltd. of the Netherlands.

History

thumb|1911 Detroit Electric at the [[California Automobile Museum]]

left|thumb|200px|1915 Detroit Electric [[Brougham (carriage)|Brougham]]

left|thumb|200px|1916 Detroit Electric in Brussels Autoworld Museum

thumbnail|200px|right|1920 advertisement

thumb|200px|right|1917 Detroit Electric in [[Maffra, Victoria, Australia, 2007]]

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 , an Edison nickel-iron battery was available from 1911 to 1916. The cars were advertised as reliably getting between battery recharging, although in one test a Detroit Electric ran on a single charge. Top speed was around , this was normal average top speed for cars at the time of release in 1907 and was relatively slow by 1939.

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.

Alfred O. Dunk acquired the company in 1927 following the death of Anderson. The business continued to operate for some years, building cars in response to orders by word of mouth. The last Detroit Electric was shipped on February 23, 1939, though they were still available until 1942. In its final years the cars were manufactured only in very small numbers. Between 1907 and 1939 a total of 13,000 electric cars were built.

Detroit Electrics can be seen in various automobile museums, such as the Forney Transportation Museum in Denver, Colorado; Belgian AutoWorld Museum in Brussels; The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan; 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. Another restored and operational 1914 with the Edison battery option (Nickel-Iron vs. Lead Acid) is located at the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada. One 1914 model Is also located, restored and fully operational, near Frankenmuth, Michigan and another is at the Motor Museum of Western Australia in Perth, Australia, a 1914 Brougham in excellent condition.

A Detroit Electric is featured in the Peter Gunn episode Love me To Death (season 1, episode 31, broadcast date April 27, 1959).

The Disney cartoon character Grandma Duck drives a red car with license plate number "1902" that appears similar to a Detroit Electric.<br />

A Detroit Electric is featured in the Perry Mason episode The Case of the Borrowed Baby (season 5, episode 26, broadcast date April 14, 1962).

The Detroit Electric Car Company is featured in D.E. Johnson's crime novel The Detroit Electric Scheme published in September, 2010.

Comedian Jay Leno restored (restomodded) a Detroit Electric between 2015 and 2020.

2013 Concept Car

See also

  • History of the electric vehicle

References

  • 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)
  • 1922 Detroit Electric Coupe at The Henry Ford
  • 1913 Detroit Electric looked after by the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association

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