Though most people think of electric cars as the latest thing, battery electric road vehicles (BERV) have actually been around since prewar times, and had clear environmental benefits is the smog-laden cities of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Unfortunately though, the concept was held back by the weight of the lead-acid batteries needed, and the only ‘industry’ to adopt electric power to any extent was doorstep milk delivery. Here, electric power had an additional benefit – it was far more socially acceptable at 5.30am than the noisy diesels of the time.
The Morrison-Electricar was at the cutting edge of BERVs, and their first vehicle was built for a local bakery in 1933. Founder Alfred Morrison had dabbled for years in various engineering projects, but by the late 1920s was concentrating on producing electric motors. These advanced designs were DC powered with a nickel frame and ran at
