1960s and 1970s Electric Car Bibliography

While serious scholarship has been done on the early history of electric vehicles in America -- see, for example, books by Gijs Mom and David Krisch -- the critical period of the 1960s and 1970s related to the electric car, technological developments, and government support, remains uncharted territory. Even before Oil Shocks I and II, serious scientific and engineering work was being done on the electric car using new battery technologies, motors, and electrical controllers, and yet this work was put on a shelf after the early 1980s. But now the GM Volt is nearing introduction, and great claims are made for it as cutting edge technology. Will the Volt be accepted by consumers? What will the government do to artificially raise gasoline prices so that electric cars will be attractive to the marketplace? Is the Volt going to be merely a flash in the pan? What will cars of the future look like?

I have assembled a working bibliography on the electric car and its history during the 1960s and 1970s, and want to share it with you. Perhaps you are interested in this topic, or perhaps you want to follow up on some or all of the sources.


Appelt, Suzanne. Electric Vehicles, a Bibliography, 1928 -1966. Portland, Oregon: Bonneville Power Administration, 1966.

Bates, Bradford, Ed. Electric Vehicles: A Decade of Transition. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers, 1992.

Beggs, S.D. The Demand for Electric Automobiles. Palo Alto, CA: Electric Power Research Institute, 1981.

Butterworth, W.E. Dave White & the Electric Wonder Car. New York: Four Winds Press, 1974.

Bureau of Transport Economics. Electric Cars. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service, 1974.

Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. The Electric Vehicle – An Alternative to the Gasoline-Powered Car. NP: n.p., 1975?

Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Act, Public Law 94-413 Demonstration Program Objective
and Schedule. Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Advanced Energy Technologies and Energy Conservation Research, Development and Demonstration. 95th Congress, First Session, July 12, 1977. Washington: GPO, 1978.

Electric Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration act of 1975.
Hearings Before the Special Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Commerce, United States Senate, 94th Congress, First Session, on S. 1632 and H.R. 880. Washington: GPO, 1976.

Electric Vehicles: Cumulative Index of EVC Symposia papers, 1969-1980. Washington, DC: Electric Vehicle Council, 1980.

Electric Vehicle Research, Development and Demonstration Act of 1975. Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Energy Research, Development and Demonstration of the Committee on Science and Technology U.S. House of Representatives. 94th Congress first session on H.R. 5470, June 3, 4, 5, 6, 1975. Washington: GPO, 1975.

Fogelberg, Hans. The Electric Car Controversy: A Social-Constructionivist Interpretation of the California Zero-Emission Mandate. Gothenburg, Sweden: Chalmers University of Technology, 1998.

Greene, James E. An Experimental Evaluation of the Mars II Electric Automobile. Buffalo, NY: Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory, 1969.

Hackleman, Michael A. Electric Vehicles: Design and Build Your Own. Culver City, CA: Earthmind, 1977.


Hartman, A.W. Controllers for Electric Cars. New York: Society of Automotive Engineers, 1969.

Hamilton, William. Electric Automobiles: Energy, Environmental, and Economic Prospects for the Future. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1980.

Hamilton, W.F. The Impact of Future Use of Electric Cars in the St. Louis and Philadelphia Regions. Springfield, Virginia: United States Energy Research & Development Administration, 1976.

Hamilton, W. F. Impact of Future Use of Electric Cars in the Los Angeles Region: Executive Summary and Technical Report. Ann Arbor, MI: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1974.

Hoffman, George A. Automobiles – Today and Tomorrow. Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 1962.

Hoffman, George A. The Electric Automobile – An Example of Vehicle Systems Design. Los Angeles, CA: Institute of Government and Public Affairs, 1965.

Jones, Clyde R. Convert Your Compact Car to Electric. Northbrook, IL: Domus, 1981.

Lucas, Ted, and Fred Riess. How to Convert to an Electric Car. New York: Crown, 1980.

McKee, Robert S., Boris Borisoff, Frank Lawn, and James F. Norberg. Sundancer: A Test Bed Electric Vehicle. New York: Society of Automotive Engineers, 1972.

Shacket, Sheldon. The Complete Book of Electric Vehicles. Chicago: Domus, 1981.

Shipps, Paul R. Electric Mini-Cars for Urban Driving. San Diego, CA: 3E Vehicles, 1977.

U.S. Department of Energy. Opportunity and Risk Assessment of the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development and Demonstration Act of 1976. Washington: GPO, 1978.

U.S. Department of Energy. Vehicle & Hybrid Program. The Second Annual Report to Congress for Fiscal year 1978. Washington: GPO, 1978.

Wakefield, Ernest H. The Consumer’s Electric Car. Ann Arbor, MI: Ann Arbor Science, 1977.