An early gas powered vehicle was designed by Edward Butler of England, in 1885. The design was shown at the 1885 Inventions Exhibition, in London. Butler patented the vehicle in 1887, and built the vehicle in 1890. It was a three wheeled vehicle with two wheels in front, and the rear wheel was powered by a chain from the 2 cylinder engine. Any such vehicle in England was doomed to failure because of the highly restrictive 1865 Red Flag Act. This established a speed limit of 2 mph in town, and 4 mph in the country, and a flagman walking in front the vehicle, and two helpers to control horse traffic. The Butler Petrol cycle was a contemporary of the Benz gas powered tricycle and Daimler's vehicle among gas vechicles, and the Serpollet steam vehicle.
It’s great that more people are focusing on making better environmental choices. Plus technology is making it more economical now, and that’s what people really notice. Wind energy, solar power, hybrids and zap EV’s, our choices are good. There are now electric cars being sold everyday, you just plug it into a regular power outlet. When people test drive them they say it’s far more fun to drive an EV.
Posted by: Web | March 24, 2008 at 05:36 PM
Butler is very near to the origin of motorcycling as we now know it. Not quite the first on all accounts, but the first in many regards. I've been researching the man and his machine for a while and have been astonished at what he was able to invent, while being completely independent and isolated from the other inventors of the time. I'll share more info on him on my site later, but I'm glad to see that you've included his bike on your site.
Posted by: Pete | October 08, 2010 at 08:54 PM