A Brief History of the Electric Utility Vehicle

Electric utility vehicles were first used for commercial or work-related applications more than 150 years ago when the first electric carriage was introduced in England as an alternative means of low-speed transportation. During the post-war era in Europe, a demand existed for a light-weight utility vehicle that was not dependent upon the scarce fossil fuels. At that time, both American and European inventors were being forced to design and manufacture an alternative fuel source vehicle for low speed tasks.

Many of the early electric utility vehicles would play a major role in the post-WWII industrial revolution in our country and would become mainstays for a lot of businesses, municipalities and private industries during periods when fossil fuels were scarce. The power output of an electric vehicle's motor is rated by kilowatts (kW) not horsepower. If the motor that is installed in your utility vehicle is four kW, it is considered to be the equivalent of a 5-horsepower gasoline-powered engine. A major advantage of using electric power in a low speed vehicle, street-legal golf cart, neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV), parking shuttle, electric bus or other electric utility vehicle is the electric motor's maximum torque can be delivered over a much broader range of RPMs.

When interpreted as a measure of engine performance, an electric utility vehicle with a 4kW electric motor will actually exceed 5 horsepower. The wider power-band of today's electric motor means that almost any type of electric utility vehicle can deliver the power needed with enough kW output. At Moto Electric Vehicles, our experienced staff can assist with your selection of electric motors for personal or commercial applications. Whether you are looking for a multi-passenger electric bus or a fully-loaded maintenance vehicle, use our website's convenient "Live Chat" and have your questions answered by the Pros.