The Electric Car That Almost Triumphed: The 1931 Mystery Power Source By A.C. Greene, originally referenced from the January 24, 1931, Dallas Morning News
It is a mysterious vehicle, once demonstrated by Nikola Tesla—the pioneer of alternating current—that could have made electric cars triumphant nearly a century ago.
Backed by the Pierce-Arrow Co. and Westinghouse in 1931, Tesla removed the gasoline engine from a brand-new Pierce-Arrow and replaced it with an 80-horsepower AC electric motor with no external power source.
From the electric motor, two thick cables extended to the dashboard. Additionally, there was a standard 12-volt storage battery. ("A 12-volt Willard battery was installed in the car, but it was only for the lights and far too small to power the vehicle.")
The motor was rated at 80 horsepower, with a maximum rotor speed set at 30 revolutions per second (1,800 rpm). A 6-foot vertical antenna rod was mounted at the rear of the car.
At the appointed time, Nikola Tesla arrived from New York and inspected the Pierce-Arrow automobile. He then went to a local radio store and purchased a handful of parts: 12 vacuum tubes, wires, and assorted resistors.
A box measuring 60 cm long, 60 cm wide, and 15 cm high was assembled to house the circuit. This "Power Receiver" was then placed into the car's dashboard, its wires connected to the antenna and the air-cooled brushless motor. Two rods, roughly 0.6 cm in diameter and 7.5 cm long, protruded from the box. Tesla then began making adjustments to the device.
Stepping into the driver’s seat, Tesla pushed the two rods in and declared, "We now have power." He put the car into gear and drove forward! This vehicle, propelled by an AC motor, reached speeds of 140 km/h and performed better than any internal combustion engine of that era. Tesla spent a full week testing the vehicle.
Several newspapers in Buffalo reported on the test. When asked where the power came from, Tesla replied: "From the ethers all around us." (Ethers refer to electromagnetic radiation. Radio waves are electromagnetic radiation with the lowest frequency and longest wavelength, produced by charged particles moving back and forth).
Critics suggested that Tesla was "insane" or somehow in league with "sinister forces of the universe." Infuriated by these claims, Tesla removed his mystery box from the vehicle and returned to his laboratory in New York City.