Electric cars, they'll never catch on...

Walter J Boyne, Power behind the Wheel, Stewart Tabori and Chang 1988

A Detroit Electric car, getting its batteries charged in 1919. The Detroit Electric was manufactured from 1907 to 1939 and was one of the first fully enclosed cars made. About 13,000 were built in total. The car had a range of about 80 miles, but a top speed of only about 20 mph, considered to be useful enough around town. For comparison, the GM EV1 of the 1990s had a similar range with an electronically-limited top speed of 80 mph. 
Batteries were the familiar lead-acid type though a more robust nickel-iron battery was available for awhile at a cost of $600, about the same price as a new Model T.
 Below, towards the end, a rare 1937 model.

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