10-31-2011, 02:43 PM
....for electric CARS.....there seem to be quite a few CAR fans here.....
Smithsonian exhibits 100 years of electric cars
US museum puts on display EVs from 1904 to present day
....News comes from the U.S. that the Smithsonian National Museum of American History will celebrate a century of electricity as a power source for cars. The Washington-based museum has established an exhibit that includes a 1904 Columbia electric car, along with a 1913 Ford Model T petrol-powered car that uses a battery to power its starter motor and headlights.
It isn’t clear whether or not the museum appreciates the irony of placing the pure-electric Columbia on display alongside the Model T, which was effectively the car that killed electric vehicles. The Columbia was the best selling car in America at the turn of the century, particularly amongst women – at the time, petrol-powered cars had to be started using a crank handle to turn the motor over. This required strength and a bit of bravery – if the car backfired the crank could easily break an arm. By comparison, you just climbed into an electric car, flipped a switch and off you went.
When the Model T arrived with its electric starter motor, that key advantage was wiped out and electric cars were soon swamped by their petrol-powered rivals. For the record, the Columbia claimed a range on a full charge of 40 miles, which is a little better than that claimed by the Chevrolet Volt in the U.S. Plus ça change and all that.
The exhibition aims to chart the historical, cultural and physical development of the electric car throughout the century. One of the more poignant exhibits is a battery charger (but not the actual car) for General Motors’ EV1 pure-electric of the late 1990s, star of the Chris Paine movie “Who killed the electric car?” The majority of EV1s were eventually crushed by GM after production ceased amid a whorl of conspiracy theories.
The exhibit is a tacit acknowledgement that the market for electric cars is well and truly back. In its own words, the Smithsonian said: “For the first time in almost 100 years consumers can purchase all-electric or new types of hybrid cars.”
The display is part of the “America on the Move” exhibition that runs through January 2012.....
does this get your ENGINE going.....???
Smithsonian exhibits 100 years of electric cars
US museum puts on display EVs from 1904 to present day
....News comes from the U.S. that the Smithsonian National Museum of American History will celebrate a century of electricity as a power source for cars. The Washington-based museum has established an exhibit that includes a 1904 Columbia electric car, along with a 1913 Ford Model T petrol-powered car that uses a battery to power its starter motor and headlights.
It isn’t clear whether or not the museum appreciates the irony of placing the pure-electric Columbia on display alongside the Model T, which was effectively the car that killed electric vehicles. The Columbia was the best selling car in America at the turn of the century, particularly amongst women – at the time, petrol-powered cars had to be started using a crank handle to turn the motor over. This required strength and a bit of bravery – if the car backfired the crank could easily break an arm. By comparison, you just climbed into an electric car, flipped a switch and off you went.
When the Model T arrived with its electric starter motor, that key advantage was wiped out and electric cars were soon swamped by their petrol-powered rivals. For the record, the Columbia claimed a range on a full charge of 40 miles, which is a little better than that claimed by the Chevrolet Volt in the U.S. Plus ça change and all that.
The exhibition aims to chart the historical, cultural and physical development of the electric car throughout the century. One of the more poignant exhibits is a battery charger (but not the actual car) for General Motors’ EV1 pure-electric of the late 1990s, star of the Chris Paine movie “Who killed the electric car?” The majority of EV1s were eventually crushed by GM after production ceased amid a whorl of conspiracy theories.
The exhibit is a tacit acknowledgement that the market for electric cars is well and truly back. In its own words, the Smithsonian said: “For the first time in almost 100 years consumers can purchase all-electric or new types of hybrid cars.”
The display is part of the “America on the Move” exhibition that runs through January 2012.....
does this get your ENGINE going.....???
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I reject your reality and substitute my own!
I reject your reality and substitute my own!