Electric cars? John D. Rockefeller Jr was no fool

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 18 March 2008 09:11

Opinion and Analysis

The Detroit Electric company survived until 1939, but the Great Depression and the cheap nature of oil and petrol saw the Detroit Electric company crushed and sent out of business.

According to a reprint of an old print advertisement for the Detroit Electric, which you can see at Zap’s website.

It notes that the Detroit Electric was “Truly the car for summer luxury and coolness is the Detroit Electric.”

Part of the sales pitch was: “Drive it anywhere - perfectly shaded - windows open and the breeze blowing through. Starts with the turn of a key. Its operating is so free from heat and throb - so silent, smooth and restful - that you'll welcome its use on the most heated days.”

Even back then, it was clear that some people knew just how efficient an electric car was over its petrol powered equivalents, with the ad proclaiming: “Investigate out "Chainless" Direct Shaft Drive - a straight path of power. Fewer parts - silent running. No concealed chains. Pneumatic or Motz cushion tires. Batteries - Edison, Ironcalde, Detroit or Exide.”

Thank goodness the electric car is finally coming back. It will mean a far smaller dependence on oil and petrol to drive the world’s fleet of vehicles, it will mean far fewer greenhouse gas emissions, the cars will use far fewer parts, will cost much less to run and is a future we should have been enjoying – for the last hundred years!