Electric cars reached their peak in popularity in the 1910’s. But by 1920 they had almost entirely vanished. However, some industrial applications kept the idea alive, most notably battery forklift trucks, golf carts, and milk floats in Europe and Britain. Most of the world’s electric vehicles were small UK milk delivery trucks for the rest of the 20th century. And the tradition still lives on.
What Milk Floats Were, Did and Still Do
The tradition of having fresh milk delivered each morning predated refrigerators that keep it fresh for days. The original vehicles were horse-drawn, until the advent of batteries that enabled them to ‘float’ along streets silently, early in the morning. Some people still cling to the tradition despite the convenience of supermarket shopping.
Relatively small battery capacity still keeps milk float speed below 15 miles-per-hour. And as a result the operator can alight before they completely stop, to expedite deliveries. They were an indispensable British tonic during World War 2. And a cheery ‘milkman’s’ greeting outside the front door was most welcome during COVID-19 lockdowns.
The Technology and the History of the Idea
We’re not sure when the first electric floats were built for milk deliveries. However, we are reasonably sure the Graiseley company (see above) began building them well before 1931. Their first offerings were pedestrian-controlled two- and three-wheelers. Although they upgraded in 1937 when they added ride-on four wheelers to their fleet.
However, many, many other companies also produced milk floats, again primarily for the British market. Some diversified into flat-beds for coal and building material deliveries. However, we don’t believe the tradition of milk deliveries to-the-door by battery floats will survive much longer.
So why were these mini-delivery vehicles so popular and for so long? We believe batteries greatly contributed to this. And we say so because only batteries could have enabled pollution-free, silent deliveries across the face of England for so long.
More Information
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