A Century Before EVs Went Mainstream, This Engineer Saw It Coming

Charles Proteus Steinmetz, a towering figure in early electrical engineering, was not only a genius in the lab but also an unlikely visionary for electric vehicles. In 1920, he penned a comparison between EVs and gasoline cars, listing advantages like low maintenance and operating costs, alongside drawbacks such as limited range and dependence on charging stations. His observations, made over a century ago, remain strikingly relevant today.

Steinmetz’s own 1914 Detroit Electric sedan was a testament to his belief. With a top speed of just 25 mph and a range of about 30 miles on its 14 six-volt batteries, it was hardly a speed demon. Yet, he famously rode around Schenectady in a suit and top hat, sometimes letting his chauffeur sit in the back while he steered from the rear, making the car appear driverless—a playful nod to a future he anticipated.

His advocacy went beyond personal use. Steinmetz predicted in 1914 that over a million electric cars would be on U.S. roads within a decade, a forecast that proved wildly optimistic—it took until 2018 for that milestone to be reached. He also designed a double-rotor motor to reduce weight and improve efficiency, but the resulting Dey roadster failed commercially against the much cheaper Ford Model T.

Though his entrepreneurial ventures in EV manufacturing ultimately flopped, Steinmetz’s forward-thinking insights into the potential of electric transportation and the grid’s role in powering it were remarkable. His legacy, now showcased through his restored car at Union College, serves as a reminder that some ideas are simply ahead of their time.