Electric vehicles (EVs) emerged in the 19th century, well before 1907. The earliest practical electric car is often credited to Thomas Davenport, an American blacksmith who built a battery-powered electric motor in 1834 and later a small electric locomotive. By the 1880s, inventors like William Morrison in the U.S. created a six-passenger electric wagon in 1890-1891, with a 4-horsepower motor, a top speed of 14 mph, and a range of about 50 miles—arguably the first functional electric car in America.

By 1907, electric cars were not new but were in a golden age, competing with steam and gasoline vehicles. One notable example from that year is tied to the Detroit Electric Car Company, founded in 1907 by William C. Anderson (though often branded simply as "Detroit Electric"). They didn’t produce the "first" electric car, but they became one of the most successful early manufacturers. Their vehicles, built on carriage designs from the Anderson Carriage Company, used lead-acid batteries and offered ranges of 80-100 miles—impressive for the era. The first Detroit Electric model rolled out in 1907, priced at around $1,000-$2,000 (roughly $30,000-$60,000 today), targeting urban buyers, especially women, due to their ease of use (no hand-cranking like gasoline cars).

Here’s a snapshot of a typical 1907 Detroit Electric:

Power: Electric motor, often 2-4 horsepower.

Battery: Rechargeable lead-acid, charged via early wall units.

Speed: 20-25 mph, ideal for city streets.

Range: Up to 100 miles, though real-world use varied with weather and load.

Design: Open carriage or enclosed coupé, with tiller or steering wheel options.

By 1907, electric cars held a significant market share—about 28% of the 121,000 vehicles produced in the U.S. in 1900 were electric, per historical estimates, and this popularity persisted into the early 20th century. Companies like Baker Electric (founded 1899) and Columbia Electric also thrived, with models like the Baker Electric Runabout gaining fame. Even Thomas Edison worked on nickel-iron batteries to improve EVs around this time, though his innovations came later.

Robert Anderson (Scotland, 1832-1839): Built a crude electric carriage.

Ányos Jedlik (Hungary, 1828): Made a small electric-powered model.

Gustave Trouvé (France, 1881): Demonstrated a three-wheeled electric vehicle.

Electric cars declined after 1910 due to the rise of cheap gasoline, Henry Ford’s Model T (1908), and the invention of the electric starter (1912), which eliminated the crank-start disadvantage of gas cars. By the 1920s, EVs faded until their modern resurgence, led by companies like Tesla, Inc.