The Electrobat was one of the first electric automobiles. It was designed and built in 1894 by mechanical engineer Henry G. Morris and chemist Pedro G. Salom in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

History

Morris and Salom had backgrounds in battery-powered streetcars and, as the battery streetcar business was fading, they teamed up to make battery road vehicles. Their Electrobat received a patent on August 31, 1894. Built like a small version of a battery streetcar, it was a slow, heavy, impractical vehicle with steel tires to support its immense, 1,600-pound lead battery. An improved version, the Electrobat II, entered production in 1895. In 1896, the pair founded the Morris & Salom Electric Carriage and Wagon Company. G.N. Georgano, ''Cars: Early and Vintage, 1886-1930''. (London: Grange-Universal, 1985). Subsequent versions were lighter and had pneumatic tires, with bodies built at the Caffrey Carriage Company in

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...

. These cars steered by their rear wheels and had two motors that propelled them per charge at . Morris and Salom went on to build about a dozen Hansom cabs based on this vehicle, to compete with the horse-drawn cabs then in service in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

; they operated in New York,

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, and elsewhere. In 1897, they sold the cabs and their concept to Isaac L. Rice, who reincorporated the enterprise as the Electric Vehicle Company, which later became part of Albert Augustus Pope's empire. File:Morris & Salom 1895 Electrobat IV and Detroit Electric Brougham 1915.jpg, alt=, Morris & Salom 1895 Electrobat IV File:Electrobat Taxis on Manhattan 39th Street in 1898.jpg, alt=, Electrobat Taxis in Manhattan in 1898

References

{{Commons category, Electrobats Vehicles introduced in 1894 1890s cars Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Companies based in Philadelphia Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Pennsylvania Highwheeler Electric vehicles introduced in the 19th century Electric vehicle manufacturers Veteran vehicles

History

See also

References