A Brief History of America's Electric Cars, the Exotic 1953 Mota, and Trends for the Future

So you think electric cars are a new idea? Think again. Electric cars have been around in America since the dawn of the Automotive Age - roughly beginning in the early 1900s.

A brief history of American electric autos

In the beginning, nobody in the U.S. knew if steam, gasoline or electricity would be the dominant means of automobile power, so all three types of powered cars were manufactured.  One of the earliest and most well-known of the electrics was the Waverley. Other popular electric cars, early on,  included the Baker, Bailey, Chapman, Rauch & Lang and Woods. Around that time, the electric Ward auto was introduced. Priced at  an expensive $2,100, it went 100 miles per charge. Back then, electric cars were advertised in magazines and newspapers as light, safe, noiseless, odorless, comfortable and simple to operate, yet they did not catch on with the public. Even when proponents, like Thomas Edison, announced they favored the electric car, their endorsements had little sway with the public. So, during the next decade, auto manufacturers concentrated on improving gasoline-powered engines. Eventually the gasoline-fueled engines outclassed the performance of the early electric autos. Soon the gasoline-fueled cars had the roads mainly to themselves  In 1912, for example,  there was one electric car on the road for every 1,000 gasoline-powered cars. By the late 1920s, public  appetite for electric cars had nearly vanished.

The 1950s exotic Mota car, an "electrick" auto

From time to time, over the next 30 years, as the public grew weary of gas-guzzlers,or sought something different,  electric automobiles were re- introduced. Among the noteworthy, the fabulous-looking, hand-built electric Mota Car debuting in 1953. Despite its exotic fiberglass shell and some pretty good hype,  like other American electric cars before it, it never got going  (you can see what it looked like in the pictures at the top of this piece).

Back in 1953, the Mota looked like it might be produced by a big car manufacturer. It was promoted by auto enthusiast/radio and TV comedian, Herb Shriner, who insisted  the Mota's inventor, Gerald Banning, exhibit the car at the International Motor Sports Show in New York. Shriner's enthusiasm was well-founded, as the Mota car received an award for the "most unique and advanced concept of automotive engineering".   Described in a 1953 issue of Collier's Magazine as "a radically different motor (that) gives astonishing performance to this first U.S. electric car in years...." the Mota  had very few gears, no transmission, no drive shaft, and a small rear axle. The right rear wheel was the only one connected to the motor.

This hand-built car was impressive, including the fact the inventor, Banning's education consisted of correspondence courses in engineering, When the electric Mota car was introduced, Banning had put $15,000 and 2,500 man hours into creating it (with the help of his 17-man team). It also weighed a very heavy 4,500 pounds (about the weight of a mid-sized truck), because it was cobbled out of all the spare heavy steel parts the cash-strapped Banning could find.  Despite its great weight, Colliers reported the Mota was capable of going 60 mph on the open road. The power for the car came from a small alternating-current electric motor with only 20 horsepower. To make the motor work, Banning installed a generator to provide current and a four-cylinder gasoline engine to provide power for the generator. Despite its award and press coverage, the Mota did not take off. After the Mota fizzled, only a few other electric models were introduced here, including the Charles Town-About, which appeared in the late 1950s. It never really went anywhere either.

That is, until today. More major auto manufacturers are turning to electric cars as a way to curb our enthusiasm for gasoline and to clean up the environment.  However, just like the old days, despite the push to green America and to cool down Global Warming, the public does not seem overly enthusiastic about electric cars. Many  auto experts predict developing and selling electric cars will be a "slow and challenging process,"not only because of the Recession, but also because consumers are still worried about the difficult charging process. The people who seem most interested in electric cars are those drivers who have already opted for hybrid autos; It may be hard  to convince them to convert to total electric when the cars are made available.

Charge! will soon have a different meaning

When electric cars become more available (Tesla, for one, is already promoting its electric sports car), drivers will be looking for ways to "charge" their autos. In the near future, the word "charge" will have a completely different (and hopefully less expensive) meaning.One promising solution for electric-cars is Better Place, an electric car charging network of battery-charging stations,now testing in Japan. The expected roll-out for Better Place, in several locations,is 2011.  For those people interested in inventions, new employment opportunities or investing in technology, electric cars and their battery supplies, might be areas to consider. Lithium batteries are the main power-pack currently, but the cost of lithium will depend on its supply and its demand. Scientists are already looking for ways to create lithium alternatives. As one auto analyst put it, "there's a flowering of interest in battery technologies with abundant materials."

With many thanks to America-Automobiles.com, Collier's Magazine, Oct. 30, 1953, betterplace.com, and various internet resources.

07.22.09