10 Electric Cars That Shaped EV History Before Tesla Even Existed

Throughout the mid-20th century, the development of EVs was largely non-existent, as there was simply no demand for them -– gas was plentiful, and so was the American interest in large, high-margin vehicles. However, the oil crisis of the ’70s meant there was a renewed interest in electric power, even if actual EV technology had barely advanced since the ’20s. One of the hastily improvised solutions was the Sebring-Vanguard CitiCar, which was produced for just three years and featured a motor making a measly five horsepower. For context, the Porsche P1 of 1899 was just as powerful.

The CitiCar could just about reach 40 mph and had a range of around 40 miles, although it was significantly cheaper than most gas-powered cars at the time. Like any startup car company, Sebring-Vanguard had its fair share of quality control issues, and the CitiCar was hit with three separate recalls during its short time on sale. The first of those concerned the seatbelts, which had been installed incorrectly, making them potentially “impossible to wear,” according to the NHTSA. A year later, 499 CitiCars were recalled as the brakes could temporarily fail, and then an even larger recall was issued shortly after because of a fire risk caused by short-circuiting wires. 

Despite its inherent flaws, around 2,000 examples of the car were sold. However, by 1977, fears around the oil crisis had subsided, orders dried up, and Sebring-Vanguard was forced to declare bankruptcy.