Riker Electric Motor Company

Riker Electric Motor Company - Picture Gallery

1896 Riker Electric Tricycle	1896 Riker Electric Tricycle 1896 Riker Electric Tricycle Photo By: Douglas Wilkinson Photographed at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. by Douglas

Riker Electric Tricycle

The Riker two-passenger tricycle was built and used by Andrew L. Riker at Stamford, Connecticut, from 1896 to 1898. Its tubular steel frame, wire wheels, and pneumatic tires reflect the standard construction for bicycles of that period. It is powered by a series of lead-sulfuric acid batteries located under the seat and is driven by a Riker electric motor mounted at the rear. Drivetrain is by direct reduction gearing in an 8-to-1 ratio to the single rear wheel.

This is the first vehicle of its type to be manufactured in the United States at a time when electric, steam,and gasoline-powered automobiles were all in the experimental stage. Also credited to Mr. Riker in the same year, 1896, is an electric phaeton that became the first electric automobile ever to win a prize on a racetrack in the U.S. on September 22, 1896 at the Narragansett State Fairgrounds at Providence, Rhode Island.

• Range: 25 miles
• Motor: 3/4 kw, 40 volt
• Drive: Direct gearing
• Speeds: 3 forward, 2 reverse
• Wheelbase: 48 inches

Riker Electric Motor Company
Brooklyn, New York

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