Charged for Battle: How Nissan & GM Went Electric
In his small office deep inside GM’s Vehicle Engineering Center in suburban Detroit, Posawatz pulls out some books on the history of electric vehicles, which date back to 1881 and outsold gasoline-powered cars in the early days. Henry Ford’s wife drove one. Posawatz points to a 1910 ad for the Baker Electric. Beneath a drawing of a woman at the wheel, the ad copy boasts of the “quietest and most refined electric car.” Back then, he says, electric carmakers like Baker, Detroit Electric, and Waverly Electric targeted women, who wouldn’t have to crank a starter or tolerate the noise and soot of gas-powered cars.
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Source:
Businessweek
Published: Dec 30, 2010
Length: 22 minutes (5,617 words)