The first electric cars were speculative models of the real thing in the minds of scientists. That’s because personal automotive transport was only just beginning, and the demand simply was not there. And then along came Andreas Flocken who produced an ‘electric wagon’ in 1888. Except his Flocken Elektrowagen looks more like a giant electrified baby carriage to us.
The Birth of the Andreas Flocken Elektrowagen
We don’t know a great deal about Andreas Flocken as a person. Except his life began in 1845 in Albersweiler, Germany, and his first job was at a tractor factory. However, he had an entrepreneurial spirit, and so he had his own business by the time he was 35.
This provided an opportunity to experiment with fresh ideas, including new-fangled electric transport. Eight years later Andreas produced his prototype Flocken Elektrowagen. This was the first practical, go-to-it electric car in the world.
The Main Features of the First Electric Auto
Andreas based his design on the popular chaise, or light, two-wheeled horse-drawn leisure carriage for two people. Except he omitted the horse of course, and added batteries and an electric motor. The original model included these features:
- High wheel, iron-tired chassis with narrow track and turntable steering.
- One horse power electric motor driving the rear axle via leather belts.
- Empty vehicle weight 882 pounds, maximum speed 9 miles per hour.
Later models had more refinements. For example, the 1903 Flocken Elektrowagen boasted stub-axle steering, and spoked wheels with pneumatic tires of the same size. Plus ball bearings for the wheels, fully elliptical springs, and a battery box over the front axle. It also had electric lights, but this was its swansong because consumer interest was by then moving on.
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