Smithsonian shows 100 years of electric car's past

[October 28, 2011]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- The history of electric cars is going on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History with two "electrifying cars" from the early 20th century.

A 1904 Columbia electric runabout went on display Thursday with a 1913 Ford Model T touring car. The cars and other objects, including a battery charger for General Motors' EV1 electric car from the 1990s, are on view through January.

The Columbia was the best-selling U.S. car at the turn of the century, while the Model T was a gasoline car equipped with an electric starter and electric headlights.

A rare EV1 was displayed in the past. It was pulled from view in 2006, weeks before the movie "Who Killed the Electric Car?"

Last year, electric cars were reintroduced to the market.

[Associated Press]

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