The Detroit Electric, take a ride in the Great-Grandfather of Electric Vehicles
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ธ.ค. 2023
- Over 100 years ago, Battery Electric Vehicles roamed the dirt and cobblestone roads of American Cities. Let’s explore one of the most popular, The Detroit Electric - manufactured by the Anderson Carriage Company. #ev #electricvehicle #detroitelectric #antiquecar #history
Kansas City Office:
mostateparks.com/sites/mostat...
Detroit Electric History:
www.detroitelectric.org/
www.coachbuilt.com/bui/a/ander...
www.motorcities.org/story-of-...
NEW Detroit Electric:
detroit-electric.com/
myautoworld.com/brand/other/d...
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Sorry for the audio inconsistencies, I messed-up the microphone pairing. Bill provided A WEALTH of details that went into the video. 👍🏼
❤😊 in the 1980s this was the car that got me interested into electric cars that and working for an engineer on a ship who said the future is electric for ships and cars. run on renewable energy he was right. ❤🎉😊😊. ❤ 🎉🎉 😊 but as then as now we have invested interests of the carcinogenic fossil fool fuel that we burn. this is not good war anthropogenic Extinction dangerous fools in charge idiot spying stuff they shouldn't ❤🥺🥺🥺 ☠️🦤⛽☠️ time for rapid change to a clean, sustainable mother Earth 🌎❤️🥰. #
The audio is great because there is no music.
Thank you.
What ironic is that? The electric starter motor is what killed the electric car back then it made gas powered cars become the standard.
True. But that's only one of the reasons. Yes the electric starter negated the advantage of electric cars, considering that except for taxis, most EVs were very expensive and driven by bourgeois women. The main reason of their demise is that electrical infrastructures were mostly inexistent outside of major cities, simple. Like it was mentioned in other comments, most of North America's electrical network wasn't completed before the end of the '50s, unfortunately. Here in the province of Quebec, Canada, Maurice Duplessis the Prime Minister, started a program in 1945 to provide electricity in every rural region of the entire province. It was aimed primarily at farms but of course it also profited all the villages and towns. It took 26 years to reach 90% of farms. All this to show that EVs were a great idea in the beginning of the 20th Century but the technology wasn't there to support them. Now a hundred years later, the stars are aligned to make it work but we have to deal with politicians, capitalism, wars, oil companies and general reluctance of the average driver to change his ways... No one said it would be easy ! 🥰
This is the kind of electric car I'd love to own.
Im from a family of late 1800s and early 1900s - i live in a rural area and there was no grid power till the late 1950s -
For those who had electric viehicals in areas out side town they had generators made for charging the electric cars -
The were also inverters that stepped up farm house 32 volts to the higher charging voltage of electric cars -
If a car was setup to travel longer distances they had battery's with 1.265 acid - thats close to the acid strength of lead acid batterys - if a electric car was used for shorter distance and it did not get lowere than minus 17° F a customer could get batterys with 1.220 acid strength -
With the weaker acid strength in the lead acid batterys the battery were expected to last 20 to 40 yrs - the weaker strength acid does not rot the plates in the batterys - but with weaker acid there was a 30% loss in capacity -
Delivery truck in citys in the south often used batterys with the weaker acid strength - my grand father had commented on all this - he was an early machanic electrician
Such a great video about the Detroit Electric. A great narration, great historical details and Bill's DE is beautiful. Good job Mike and Bill! If anyone in the PNW is interested in viewing a 1914 Detroit Electric, we have one in the Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum (WAAAM) in Hood River, OR. Our dear DE is working and fully drivable using a single battery pack of modern golf cart batteries (so we don't have the burst of power in speeds 4 & 5). We have a set of unrestored Edison Ni-Fe cells on display in the front battery compartment. We've rebuild much of it and we had to replace the upholstery but the body retains the original paint and character (i.e. a few dings). Our 1914 Model 63 is driven on a weekly basis (we logged several hundred miles in 2023) and is a star attraction with WAAAM's visitors. You're invited to visit WAAAM in Hood River, OR any time to see this fascinatingly piece of history...visit us on the 2nd Saturday of the month and we're happy to give you a ride in several antique vehicles including the Detroit Electric.
When They Outlaw Gasoline Me and My 1985 Chevy 4X4 With 4 on The Floor Will Become Outlaws an l Will Run The Damn Thang on Shine Liquor ! Yes I Recon This Ole Back Woods Country Boy Despises a Dam Democrat For Trying To Meddle in My Life That's Alright Though as Long as You B astards Stay The HELL OFF MY DAM LAND an OUT OF MY WAY !!! 🇺🇸
Best video I have seen about Detroit or any other early electric car company bar none.👍
So much to learn about the history of the wonderful Detroit Electric automobile.
💞 Thanks
One other factor in the World War 1 & 2 periods that favored using the electrics was that in the First World War the national speed limit was 25 mph. During the Second World War they imposed a 35 mph speed limit. The electrics on hand were not so disadvantaged in addition to not needing the ration coupons to purchase gasoline.
Fantastic history lesson - thank you!
One thing Detroit is good at is preserving old architecture. This electric car verify's the proverb, "There is nothing new under the sun"
There were battery's that used an acid strength of 1.295 - they generally used the stronger acid to increase the capacity of the batterys - also with a dedicated charging inverter or generator they could fast charge the batterys to 85% capacity in one hour if the batterys were dead -
My dad was born in 1912 and at times worked with my grandfather or his dad - he often talked about the electric cars, trucks and electric ice delivery trucks ect -
Those that lived in rural areas that had electricity had 16 large house batterys the were set up for 32 volts and down here in the deep south they oten used a acid strength of 1.200. - that gave the batterys a 60 to 80 yr life cycle but there was a 40% loss of capacity -
Are you sure they weren't nickel-iron battery Edison's these were more common and had a much longer lifespan could you change the alkaline base chemistry they practically last forever
@@kurtzxcvb3481I'm positive - I had a bank of iron battery's from the railroad at one time - or better known as Edison cells - also I was a SCR electrician In the offshore oil & gas industry for decades -
I live in the rural south up till the late 50s and early 60s homes with power had 32 volt farm light plants with 16 2 volt lead cells or 26 Edison cells -
The Edison cells plates had to be scraped every 7 to 10 yrs to restore capacity -
Thick lead plate battery's and Edison cells like lithium cells all have there place -
On the domestic side most have little knowledge about lead acid batterys today -
In some cases there are lead acid battery with a acid strength of 1.495 or higher they can be 90% charged in under one hour with out gassing - those are called opertunety charge battery's - there often used on electric forklifts that are worked around the clock daily - there are means to desulfate them to extend there service life -
You can look up electric motive power and farm light plant battery's from the early days on the net -
My grandfather would give me books from the early 1900s to read up on about what had been learned about battery technology back then - today they say a car battery is 12 volt when it might be 12.8 to 13 volt -
Before battery's were use for starting the acid was normally 1.195 gv at that strength fully charged at 78° the cell voltage is 2 volts a cell. To day that battery would be seen as a dead battery -
With weaker acid the charge rate is slower but they don't sulfate as easily and the plates don't swell and flake as bad - the old called it plate rot -
Iron battery can be over discharged and overcharged with out any problems - that's why they were used on railroad passenger cars - but they don't hold a charge very long at all -
They made cars until 1939. The name and trademark were purchased in the 2000s with the intention of building a modern electric car based on the Lotus platform.
Maybe the most famous user of a Detroit Electric car was/is Dorette Duck - the grandmother of Donald duck.
The future of electric cars is in the far distant past....1900, 1910.
Thanks for bringing us a very interesting history clip,the speed controller is kinda like a locomotive unit. The fully enclosed cabin would be treasured in the windy city winter.
Nice video. At the 1:55 min mark, I was heavily imvolved with restoring that very 1912 Detroit Electric. Family member owned it. Rack of 6 volt lead acid batteries both front and rear, wired in series. Tiller steering, vis a vis seating, surrey top, patent leather fenders. The steel chassis holds a massive 'shunt' motor. It has a vintage but non factory mechanical 6 or 8 quadrant contact switch for varying speed. Under the driver seat is a hidden panel. Lift that and exposed is a modern speed controller made by Curtis. The vintage quadrant contact switch is wired to that modern controller. To vent the heat from the hidden controller, its ventilation draws air from drilled holes in a wood side, exits to the underside, all done by a silent PC fan. The shunt wound motor is not like a conventional electric motor with high RPM. Its a direct armature to a shaft to the input of the rear differential. Loads of torque. Band brake at the output shaft. Scary with all its mass and especially in descents. We completed the Minnesota London to New Brighton antique car run. Also towed a trailer battery helper pack to obtain the distance for the event, but even so it required a short charge to make the finish. The body is wood structure with hand formed aluminum panel. Ornate lamps, various nickel plated antique accessories, handles. Cast aluminum step plates. Originally ran with city wheels, artillery non pneumatic with wooden spoke (visualize wagon wheels). Fine for general use and smoother road however the weight and friction created great heat and was risky on hot pavement and distance. Its pictured here with a change to the pneumatic with essentially Ford T wheels. Incorrect and smaller diameter than original but more practical for todays hobby show and drives. The depiction in this vid appears when it was later sold and went to a museum/ seller in St. Louis.
Edit to add further info about the bodies. The Detroit Electric of that timeline had the fully enclosed body for colder seasons. It would be unbolted and lifted off and the open seating arrangement was used for warm seasonal use.
Hey Ho! This writer, also an EV owner/historian; finds this video 'top shelf'. The charger locations in 1919 Detroit are just ONE prize of this video. This will go into this writers collection of 'go to' for facts, data, and information--for the non EV curious who ask--and for the 'gas car or YOU die' crowd I too often see. To "Mike the Car--" how about a video on the hundreds of EV taxis in New York City, circa 1919?
Lovely car .
That drove surprisingly neatly. Ans silent.
Great video thank
Verry verry interesting!
Awesome video.🙂 ⚡️ 20:25
I was hoping to see a great one for example .thanks!
Wow. We reckon today we are on to it....I want one
Love it.
I liked Jay Leno's video on his Detroit electric too . We get a extra little more interesting history in this video .
There is a 1914 Detroit Electric in the Forney History of Transportation Museum in Denver
I find it hilarious that the top speed for the Stanly is "Faster". It goes faster, and that's all you need to know.
A special streamlined racing Stanley set a record of 127 MPH on Daytona Beach in 1907, quite an accomplishment for the time.
Electric cars don’t make a lot of noise , so much safer for the horses , who startled real easy .
That was a nice video. Very well done :-)
I’ll buy one! Anything but these crappy cars we are subjected to now . I come from an age when cars were practical and not lab experiments. The E car is not a bad idea however technology has destroyed everything that’s practical . Do you really need to boot up the car system? Gone is the getaway car ! Then there are the prices. Are you out of your head! My first car cost me $40 a month for three years , and no money down. Leasing are car ? Whose idea was that, Wall Street ?
Very interesting video. I wonder if anyone has thought about retrofitting one of these early electric cars to use modern electric car batteries?
I bet they'd run for miles and miles.
Jay leno has one with modern electronics
I love how the speedo goes casually to 80 mph (ca. 129 km/h)
Not every a Detroit Electric but did ride a Baker that was great granddad's when I was a child.
I was wondering when someone would put this video up .
Even cooler is the "magnetic" a true Hybrid from the 20s or 30s. saw it on lenos garage. correction jay Lenos magnetic is a 1916
Detroit Electric Corporation= DELCO. When the infant General Motors acquired the Allis-Chalmers Company, the two electric car and truck/generator companies became "A/C-Delco". We had Delco electric trucks from Magic Empire Express delivered newspapers to news-boys (we call them paper-boys har' in Okie land) until the early 60's at a thundering 12 MPH top-speed and a "range" of less than 30 miles. At 11 years of age, I could out-run one on my 20" "Training bicycle" on their route. I got up at dawn one morning to prove it to myself. They were purchased in the mid-1930's and by 1963 the battery fumes had corroded most of the truck's frames to the point the frames were snapping into-IN THE CHARGING GARAGES. HINT: Lithium batteries also give-off fumes (-OH radicals) when charging. So much for "non-polluting" and "safe".
For posterity: What became Delco was acquired by General Motors as Dayton Electrical Company. A.C. was Arthur Champion's ignition parts company set up after he departed on the best of terms with Dayton Electric. Both firms were in Ohio. Allis-Chalmers never had a connection with GM. Also, Li-Ion batteries only produce hydroxyl radicals when they are in the process of exploding due to oxygen exposure. Detroit Electric persisted until 1929 when they were acquired following a collapse of orders due to the collapse of the stock markets. Vehicles were available by special order through February 1942, but the last vehicle was actually delivered to a customer in 1939.
I like the body style of those old machines . Lots of window to look through as you drive around . These new cars are seriously disappointing .
Have you been in a modern electric car? Tesla has even more glass since the roof is also glass.
You touched on the primary reason for the demise of the EV in that they could not compete on price and that Ford's wife owned and drove one but what many may not realise is that Henery planned the T Ford to be an EV He even spent two years working with Edison to improve the battery technology of the time but when it came to mass production he was unable to get the investment necessary to set up, that was until oil interests came along and offered money with conditions.
When it came to competing with the mass produced cars, the established manufacturers such as Detroit and Baker who were in essence coach builders were not able to get the investment necessary to switch to mass production and by 1930 were all but consigned to history.
The irony of this is that today the established ICE car manufacturers such as Ford and GM face exactly the same problem and are likely to go the same way.
Detroit electric led and it mattered.
Good presentation, thanks. Please learn the correct use of "graduating".
Such a cool car.... I wonder if anyone has tried to put moden Lithium batteries in them? Less weight.. MUCH more energy density.. the Range would be really high.
8:41 steam cars are the only thing that can really compete with electric and low HP means nothing considering how much torque they deliver.
Closed loop steam systems are even nicer because range is extended and some use a steam generator instead of a boiler so they are really to move very quickly and can even easily keep up on modern roads.
Tesla has cameras all around their cars , but who wants to see through a distorted image .
"Just Think?" this may be the first not "horse" powered transportation these people ever had? and it was Nice, and Easy! for the day.
They were Not very aerodynamic or designed to go through corners fast but did look like to be comfortable except for lack of Air conditioner and heating and stereo
It's like an electric golf cart. A simple electric car might be ok for short local trips, but regulations would make them too costly
How many antique electric vehicles still survive?
Total range is not quite out of sight.
I would have to change the motor out to keep up with times, to free electric energy antigravity motors, because who needs batteries to much weight
Why not change to LFP batteries? This should give much more range and long life time.
Great video! However, the history of electric vehicles have the same problem then as they do now! Range, charging time, and infrastructure for charging. Of course, we have the added bonus of burning your garage, house, or anything nearby to ashes! Model T was originally designed to run on ethanol, the one fuel we have that is renewable. But of course, like now, politicians don't want to lose the alcohol tax. Now, ask yourself why politicians are pushing electric vehicles. And not flex fuel automobiles!
Is that a grandma Duck car as i remember right.
Eisenhower's mother had one. Or he had one he gave her a ride in.
So, I wonder if anyonw had changed out the standard batteries to modern batteries?
Those are modern batteries in that car.
@@rpvitiello I think he meant lithium ion like the newest electrics, not the old fashioned lead acid.
Better battery technology now, you can watch your ride burn itself up in a snap. Yep superior tech, real hot stuff.
Don't drink that Koolaide. The reality is that ICE vehicles catch fire 60 times more frequently than EVs. And that's AFTER adjusting for the number on the road.
Here's the sad truth: From 2008 to 2018, ICE vehicle fires accounted for 16% of all fires reported to fire departments in the US, and 15% of all fire deaths.
Keyless ignition ICE cars also kill several hundred people per year by spontaneously starting up and idling in an attached garage. EVs don't do this.
Wow. This car was quite sophisticated for the era in which it was made. In many respects, the advantages of electric vehicles, outlined starting at 00:03:20, still apply today. Our family only drives pure battery electric vehicles, and they are absolutely terrific.
Good documentary on the fist simple and durable slow EVS. The main fact was that the first EVS had all manual controls. Maybe, today's EVS manufacturers can learn from history and make a simpler affordable durable electric car under $15000. Thanks.
They make small cheap simple electric cars in China. They call them "grandpa cars" because they are popular with old people.
One hundred years of battery development and this is all we get aone that blowsup
Nicad or lithium. To day maby??
Imagine if both the electric auto manufacturers and the public were stronger against gas providers, Texaco, ESSO, BP, and ICE vehicle manufacturers. It would be a very different world.
You would be walking. There is physically not enough renewable electric capacity nor will there ever be.
@akshonclip people like to act like electric vehicles for everyone is fully feasible when blackouts are already common in places with higher amounts of them.
Nonsense, absolute Nonsense let's see, there was no use for that black goop coming out of the ground, electricity was actually older technology than internal combustion, they chose the one that made the most sense, & it still is , & as for the pollution thing, battery power still pollutes far more to this day
The mistake competing against Tesla was in making a sporty wedge shaped EV, they shoulda gone for the old body style.
People were allowed to try other things but now people are destroyed if they try new things that might compete with big companies.
Not once they have to pay the full price for it.
The most powerful engine is the starter it has to overcome the gas engine to start .
Yeah the Camry and the model S but the 3 and Y are and they're eating a Toyotas lunch
Thanks for this superb video. Oil companies probably also destroyed Ev 1 Gm project ... I m french but have been always interesting by Us technology in general and electric one in particular😅 . I ride Tesla Lr model 3 and Chrysler Pt cruiser two remarkable cars each one in its domain.😊. I hope Us electric cars will survive Oil companies and Chines Ev cars that begin to roll in in Europe. GOD bless America.
GM destroyed the EV1s after the initial lease-only period because they didn't want to stock parts and service them for 10 years.
Be nice to have a automobile with character, modern safety regs won't allow for the sitting room design.
Electric will only be fully accepted just before we go back to horses and mules. Thomas Edison recommended gas to Henry Ford even though he manufactured and sold commercial grade batteries made in West Orange, New Jersey.
Electric cars should stay in the past where they belong..........
this pisses me off. if we had electric cars 100+ YEARS AGO why are they only just NOW catching on as the norm.
BIg Oil
Because 100 years ago, gas was only 10c per gallon. A year from now, you cannot determine what you will be paying for gasoline, or 10 years from now. You cannot draw gasoline from Solar Panels, but your EV can be run for free - if you have the infrastructure. EVs make a lot of sense for those short trips, where your car is running on full choke, and guzzling down fuel that could be paying your mortgage.
Wind up cars are an absolute waste of time!! #Trump2024
Battery operated cars were and always will be IMPRACTICABLE
I genuinely hate them, but they are very practical for city use.
Gas cars are practical for most anywhere.
What companies are still making them ?
I don’t need to go far , so this option sounds ideal . Yah and as far as city driving is concerned , yah , we have solar power to recharge them .
And they're not doing any better today then when they built that old relic. This time, electric cars won't be back. They should've learned their lesson from that one. Until the day comes they invent a real Mr. Fusion, EV's are not viable and are much too heavy to ever become efficient. The EV Dodge Charger weighs over 1,000 lbs heavier then the car it replaced. Good luck with that.
Electric cars are much better than the gas guzzling garbage they offer now, they will be the future, you'll see.
The EV market has imploded, it won't be the future.The "future" is going back to gas, with every delay and cancellation of proposed new EV's currently happening, and even the manufacturer of the charging stations has gone into bankruptcy, from what I've heard and read. The EV's are too expensive and inconvenient, and even downright dangerous to life and property.
History is repeating itself, EV's failed in the market 100 years ago, gas won the automotive consumer then, and it is again.
i am betting that hybrids will prevail.
@@flexairz not when people realize they have the cost to maintain two different powertrains or their automotive investment becomes worthless, and that both powertrains must work flawlessly together or else problems happen.
It will take longer for people to realize that than it has for full EV's inconveniences and dangers, but it will happen.
ICE gas engines took the market over for a reason, and nothing has changed except a couple of generations who knew nothing of the EV failures in early 1900's, but bought into modern propaganda that electrics were the future. It won't be.
Back then, an EV was a rich man's toy, and was superseded by better ICE vehicles. Is history about to repeat itself?
lol
The original batteries were not let acid they were nickel-iron Edison batteries what's your alkaline base
Electric cars were popular in 1900 Then a better option, gas, came along and ev's died. So, nothing new. EV's are history not the future.
And that’s that! How easy to pontificate!
EV failed at the past and will fail on the future
@@alphasigmasezon8597 Nothing progressive comes from conservative thinking. Your perspective is the same as those who said “Get a horse” when automobiles first appeared. Internal combustion engines are a modern marvel, but they are complex and dirty. I know - lots of gearheads love ‘em and all the noise they make, but it is time for a change. My electric car is a dream to drive, the torque is phenomenal and the electricity to charge it costs me 1/8 of the gas cost per mile of my ICE SUV. My electric car’s motor/drive train has 13 moving parts (no transmission, just reduction gears) and will likely just keep on going for years beyond what a gas engine will do. Yes, the battery is the weak point as far as assured longevity, I will give you that. But with care and charging to consistently high but less than optimal levels (80% or so), they can last just fine for years and have already done so. How many internal combustion engines with hundreds of components and moving parts have given out before their time? Junk yards are full of them. Anything mechanical has its limits. Oh, and the fires, there is an issue that got out of hand. Factually, ICE cars catch on fire at a rate of 1530 per 100,000 on the road, while electric cars catch fire at a rate of 25 per 100,000 (source: autoinsuranceEZ.com). Regardless of any facts, I know you are convinced that electric cars are not going to make it, even though you give provide no support for your conclusions, so I will have to leave it there.
I mean, this would be the perfect electric car for my needs. I never have to go more than 100 miles in a day and I'm perfectly content doing 20-25mph. Such electric vehicles could fill a void in the market were it not for stupid road loads making it nearly impossible to have anything but a fast car.