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When was the electric car starter invented?
Someone was telling me that vehicles used to be hand-cranked. When did that change? It sounds awful. When was the electric car starter invented?
Bellina Gaskey · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Great question! The first electric starter was built in England in 1896. The first American to come up with and patent an electric starter was Clyde J. Coleman in 1903.
Fun-fact:
Until this point, diesel vehicles had to be hand-cranked, a cumbersome and dangerous procedure that broke more than a few thumbs. Vehicles in the late 1900s weren’t the fastest
, but they were a sight to see start-up.When being started, an engine was known to be unpredictable. It would sometimes kick back, rotating backward, and although many manual starters had a release provision that would disengage the starter from the engine once the engine started, it was dangerous.
If the engine kicked back, the crank could suddenly and violently jerk, causing a hazard for operators. If they held the crank with their fingers on one side and thumb on the other, a backfire could break a thumb or wrist, or a dislocated shoulder or worse.
Cord-wound starters had their own dangers. Kickbacks could jerk an operator toward the engine, or swing the pull cord wildly around the engine, potentially striking someone.
This is why so many variations of electric starters were manufactured in such a short time. It was a dangerous proposition to start your vehicle. The electric starter was first designed in England in 1896, installed on an Arnold by engineer H.J. Dowsing.
In America, the first electric starter was designed and patented by Clyde J. Coleman in 1903.
Whether you still use a hand crank, or you’ve moved on to electric startersget yourself the most affordable insurance.
Jerry
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