OPEN ANY car magazine this year and you’re likely to be faced with articles telling you the electric car is “with us” and before long a majority of us are likely to be driving one as the technology comes to the marketplace.
The future? No, actually, more like the past.
In the early days of motoring, electric-powered cars were just as numerous as cars powered by internal combustion engines. The electric motor had the distinct advantage of having already had a long period of development (since 1837, when one was first used to power a lathe) in contrast to the newly developed and undeniably crude internal combustion engine.
The honour of producing the first electric vehicle fell to the French inventor Gustave Trouve, who displayed an electric tricycle at the International Exhibition of Electricity in Paris in 1881.
By April 1899, the world’s land-speed record was held by the Belgian Camille Jenatzy, who used a specially designed electric “wonderful blue cigar on wheels” to set the record at 65.7mph (105.81km/h), becoming the first motorist in the world to travel at more than 100km/h.
That same year, Reg Plunkett’s Sperry Cleveland electric car was built by the Cleveland Machine Screw Company of Cleveland, Ohio. Electric cars were very popular in 1899 and were about to enter their golden age between the years of 1900 and 1920.
Reg Plunkett, a past president of the Irish Veteran and Vintage Car Club, has owned his example of this rare vehicle for over 20 years and famously has completed the London to Brighton Run in it on four occasions, as well as being a regular starter in Irish events such as the Royal Irish Automobile Club’s Pioneer Run. Plunkett’s car is one of only two known survivors of the 100 built in Ohio.
Roll on 110 years to the present and Mitsubishi’s iMiev (standing for Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle) looks as if it will have the distinction of being the first ‘modern’ electric car to be mass produced.
Pre-production examples of the iMiev are doing the rounds of some of the European markets where it will first appear and we couldn’t resist the opportunity of testing it against the 1899 Sperry Cleveland to see what progress has been made in electric vehicles in the intervening century. The results were surprising.
The seating position is the first thing that strikes you about the Sperry Cleveland. It’s about three feet higher than that of the iMiev and while the view is tremendous, allied to the tiller steering and it’s solid tyres, changes of direction can be a little unsettling, giving the driver – until they get used to it – a distinct feeling that the whole thing is about to topple over.
No such feelings in the iMiev, which impresses with its road-holding as well as its overall handling, and very much on a par with any other modern small saloon. It’s aided in this regard by the positioning of its battery package under the floor, giving it a low centre of gravity.
The Sperry Cleveland has two seats under its retractable ‘surrey’-type hood, plus another seat behind the hood, perched even higher up than the front seats, high enough for the passenger to have an all-commanding view as well as feeling the need for a parachute.
The iMiev is, by contrast with the majority of current electric vehicles, a full four-seater with room for four adults.
On the road both vehicles have that linear acceleration which is a feature of electric vehicles. In the case of the iMiev there is 180Nm of torque instantly available to speed you on your way and while no torque figure was available for the Sperry Cleveland, its initial acceleration is equally brisk.
Mitsubishi claims a maximum driving range of 144km for the iMiev and, judging from figures we saw, a range of at least 120km should be possible, or 144km using the car’s Eco mode, which limits power output and uses light regenerative braking. The iMiev was more than capable of keeping up with traffic and at absolutely no disadvantage in motorway driving.
So, what have we learned in 110 years? Frankly, given the differences in technology, not as much as we would have imagined. Given that in 1899 the land speed record was held by an electric car at just over 100km/h, the performance of the Sperry Cleveland is in keeping with the technology of its times, as is its roadholding, braking and, most important of all, its range of about 30km.
As in 1899, the biggest limiting factor of electric vehicles remains their batteries. It is here that development has, in one sense, been slowest, with battery range having ‘only’ increased from 30km to 144km.
In all other areas – roadholding, ride, comfort, braking and so on – the strides forward have been enormous and even a short drive in the iMiev confirms the modern electric car offers many advantages for urban motoring over its petrol-engined cousins.
Perhaps, at some point in the future, looking back to the turn of the last century, the development of the motor car will be seen to have taken a wrong turning that may yet lead to a blind alley. Certainly, the designers of the Sperry Cleveland had the right idea even if they were unknowingly limited by the technology of their day.
Thanks to Reg Plunkett for providing the Sperry Cleveland
Factfile 2009 Mitsubishi iMiev
Seats: three
Steering: tiller
Max speed: 25km/h
Range: 30km
Battery type: lead acid (four x 12v batteries with four more in reserve)
Wheels: solid tyres mounted on wooden wheels
Factfile 1899 Sperry Cleveland
Electric doubts: page 10
Weight: 1,080kg
Seats: four
Steering: rack and pinion
Max speed: 130km/h
Range: 144km (claimed)
Motor type: permanent magnet synchronous
Battery type: lithium-ion
Wheels: 15”