electric car, also called electric automobile, battery-powered motor vehicle, originating in the late 1880s and used for private passenger, truck, and bus transportation. Through the early period of the automotive industry until about 1920, electric cars were competitive with petroleum-fueled cars, particularly as luxury cars for urban use and as trucks for deliveries at closely related points, for which the relatively low speed and limited range, until battery recharge, were not detrimental. Electrics, many of which were steered with a tiller rather than a wheel, were especially popular for their quietness and low maintenance costs. Ironically, the death knell of ...(100 of 379 words)

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