Are electric cars the better classic cars?
05/10/2012
Well, of course there is no simple answer to the question of whether electric cars are better classic cars. First of all, it is important to know that there was a significant population of electric cars in the early days of the automobile and that they were particularly popular with women and doctors, for example, because they were easy to operate, were ready to start at any time and could certainly keep up with "conventional" cars in terms of range and comfort. One example of this is the Detroit Electric (pictured above), which was built in its thousands and to which we will soon be devoting a detailed report.
The advantage of old electric cars from the perspective of the classic car collector lies in their comparatively easy-to-repair and simple technology. The restoration of a pre-war electric car is usually easier than that of its gasoline-engine counterpart. Ongoing maintenance is also usually less complex and primarily relates to axles and brakes.
Whether this also applies to the classic cars of the future, such as the electrically powered Morgan on show at this year's Geneva Motor Show, must be questioned, however. After all, we are a long way from the primitive technology of pre-war electric cars today. In twenty or thirty years' time, the computers, power electronics and complex battery air conditioning and protection systems of modern electric vehicles are likely to make many a mechatronics engineer despair.
