Powertrain – Rear-Mounted Electric Motor
Battery – Lead-Acid Storage Battery
Transmission – Direct Drive
Range – Approximately 80 miles per charge (period claim)
Top Speed – Approximately 20 MPH
Production – Approximately 13,000 units total (1907–1939)
"Society's Town Car"

The Detroit Electric was produced by the Anderson Electric Car Company of Detroit, a firm that originated in carriage manufacturing before transitioning to electric automobiles in 1907. By the 1910s, the company had established itself as one of the most consistent producers of electric vehicles in the United States, with annual output reaching between 1,000 and 2,000 units at its peak.

Unlike gasoline automobiles of the period, the Detroit Electric emphasized ease of operation, mechanical quietness, and reliability over speed or long-distance touring. Its electric drivetrain required no manual starting, gear shifting, or complex maintenance, making it particularly suited to urban use. Period advertising cited a range of approximately 80 miles per charge, with longer distances achieved under controlled conditions.

By 1917, the Detroit Electric occupied a stable position within a transitional automotive landscape in which electric, steam, and gasoline propulsion systems coexisted. Its modest top speed of approximately 20 miles per hour aligned with urban driving conditions, where outright performance was secondary to practicality. The Model 62A Cabriolet represents a variation from the more common enclosed brougham bodies, combining the controlled operation of electric propulsion with a degree of openness typically associated with touring cars.

The Detroit Electric also held a distinct social position among early automobiles. Its quiet operation and straightforward controls made it particularly accessible at a time when gasoline cars required physical effort and mechanical familiarity, thereby allowing a broader segment of society—namely women—to participate in early motoring with a degree of independence not otherwise readily available. This accessibility contributed to its adoption among prominent figures such as Thomas Edison, Clara Ford, Lizzie Borden, Charles Proteus Steinmetz, Mamie Eisenhower, and John D. Rockefeller Jr., whose ownership further reinforced the car’s cultural standing. In this context, the Detroit Electric functioned not only as a refined instrument of personal mobility but also as a subtle marker of social position, signaling both modernity and membership within an upper social stratum that valued discretion, ease of use, and technological progress over overt mechanical display.

Despite its early success, Detroit Electric’s philosophy became increasingly misaligned with broader industry developments. Improvements in gasoline-engine reliability, expanded fueling infrastructure, and declining fuel costs reduced the advantages once held by electric vehicles. By the 1920s, production declined, and the company shifted to limited, made-to-order manufacturing before ceasing operations in 1939.