Tillers on antique electric cars

Why did electric cars retain tiller steering long after other mfrs. changed to steering wheels? No other car makers still had tillers in 1920 and beyond.

They worked fine at the low electric speed, in fact may be superior for drivers that were not as muscular in upper body. They hinged up out of the way for very easy access.

What about golf carts?

They are also very intuitive to use... you simply point in the direction you want to go. Keeping in mind that the late electrics were extremely simple to use and were aimed at well-to-do ladies for "city" driving... shopping and making social calls, the usual owner probably didn't know how to drive anything more complicated. If you were 50 in 1920 that means you were born in 1870 and an adult before the turn of the century. Actually, I think that well into the late 30s many people who owned cars were poor drivers at best... my own grandfather (born 1888) didn't learn to drive until about 1930. He never learned to start on a hill and would generally roll back until his bumper rested on the car behind him before putting it into gear. The interesting thing is that no one seemed to mind... bumpers were bumpers and many people couldn't start on a hill.

Am thinking most (all ?) electric cars were side post tillers that you pushed/pulled.

JV is right about the quality and knowledge of drivers of the time. My family story has it that Grandpa went out with his brother for a ride in the newly aquired car ( probably well used) and after a trip around the block suggested that " If you slow down before you get to the corner it will be easier to get around, then you can speed up again". After the second go around Charlie said " That works a lot better". Probably a lot easier on the tires and everyone nerves too!

Electric cars were small and light, and did not have the weight of an engine over the front wheels. They did not need the leverage or gearing of a steering wheel. The lever went along with the simplicity of driving an electric. Many early gas cars and steam cars had lever or tiller steering. Wheel steering came along when cars got larger and heavier.

I would have thought that, with their big DC motors and the batteries they wouldn't have been lighter that a lot of "light" cars... especially as most of the late ones were closed and had heavy bodies. That said, the only one I've really looked at (Detroit Electric ca. 1915? It was a long time ago) had nearly all the weight on the rear axel.

In terms of leverage, a 2 foot long lever would be the same as a 4 foot diameter wheel, or a 16 in diameter wheel geared 3:1.

Electrics were rather small cars, and the heaviest part was the batteries. I should think the typical electric would weight about the same as a Model T sedan, under 2000 pounds.