Last known electric car ‘ready to run’

The only remaining electric car designed by American inventor Thomas Edison was restored after half a century spent rusting in a London garage, a newspaper reported.

The Sunday Express reported the electric car, worth an estimated £1 million ($1.6 million), was built in 1912 by the inventor of the light bulb.

The restoration work was done by Bob Burrell of Chelmsford, Essex in southwestern England over the past eight years. Mr Burrell builds old racing car engines for a living.

The electric vehicle was one of only three built by Edison to showcase the power of batteries.

“Edison’s vision was to make the longest-lasting battery in the world and the cars he built were a part of that quest,” Mr Burrell told the newspaper.

He added, “He [Edison] came from America to live in Dukes Street, in London, and built three cars, one of which he drove from Scotland to London, charging it up along the way. The final leg, 170 miles (273 kilometers), has still never been beaten.”

Edison’s car is slow compared to modern standards. It has 15 two-volt batteries which power a 30-volt electric motor.

The car’s top speed is just 25 miles per hour (40 kilometers per hour).

“In Edison’s day it would have been speedy in comparison to other cars,” Mr Burrell said.

He added: “A hundred years ago, Edison said electricity was the future because all the oil would be pumped out of the ground but it was decided more money could be made from taxing petrol. Imagine what we would have now if Edison had been listened to a century ago.”

via Last known electric car ‘ready to run’ | Herald Sun.

This entry was posted in Electric Vehicle, Green News and tagged Electric Vehicle, Thomas Edison. Bookmark the permalink.