1896 Riker Electric Tricycle
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Auto pioneer A.L. Riker built this electric tricycle in Brooklyn, New York, in 1896. Its tubular steel frame, wire wheels, and pneumatic tires are adapted from bicycle practice. Lead-acid batteries are under the seat, and a 40-volt, one-horsepower electric motor powered the rear wheel. Although quite successful at building electric vehicles, Riker sold his company in 1900 and became chief engineer of Locomobile, a builder of high-quality internal combustion powered cars. …
Auto pioneer A.L. Riker built this electric tricycle in Brooklyn, New York, in 1896. Its tubular steel frame, wire wheels, and pneumatic tires are adapted from bicycle practice. Lead-acid batteries are under the seat, and a 40-volt, one-horsepower electric motor powered the rear wheel. Although quite successful at building electric vehicles, Riker sold his company in 1900 and became chief engineer of Locomobile, a builder of high-quality internal combustion powered cars.
Andrew L. Riker (1868-1930) built this electric tricycle in Brooklyn, NY, in 1896 and used it for two years. With its tubular steel frame, wire wheels and pneumatic tires, Riker’s vehicle owed much to bicycle construction techniques of the time. The tricycle was powered by a series of sulfuric acid-lead batteries installed under the seat, and propelled by a 40-volt electric motor mounted at the rear. The motor turned a single rear wheel, which eliminated the need for a differential. Andrew Riker founded the Riker Electric Vehicle Company in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, and manufactured electric automobiles and trucks. But he sold his firm just three years later. Despite his experience with the electric tricycle and other battery-powered vehicles, Riker concluded that the future belonged to gasoline. In 1902, he joined Locomobile Company of America and began designing gasoline-powered automobiles.
Artifact
Automobile
Date Made
1896
Keywords
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Driving America
Object ID
30.328.4
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Andrew L. Riker.
Material
Leather
Metal
Wood (Plant material)
Color
Black (Color)
Dimensions
Height: 44 in
Width: 44.5 in
Length: 81.5 in
Diameter: 25 in
Weight: 488 lbs
Specifications
Make & Model: 1896 Riker electric tricycle
Maker: Andrew Lawrence Riker, Brooklyn, New York
Motor: DC
Batteries: lead-acid, 40 volts, 20 cells
Height: 44 inches
Wheelbase: 48 inches
Width: 44.5 inches
Overall length: 81.5 inches
Weight: 488 pounds
Horsepower: 1
Pounds per horsepower: 488
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