The 1904 Baker Electric is owned by Neville Digby, of Christchurch, and it will make the shift south with him permanently when he retires to Wanaka, which he expects will be within the next couple of years.
Mr Digby has used the car in Wanaka during holidays and still drives it regularly in Christchurch. It is believed to be the oldest electric car in New Zealand.
"The Baker is my choice to drive to the coffee shop at a weekend.
"It is totally silent, and you sit high so you have a commanding view."
Mr Digby said the "tiller steering" was "simple and direct and very quick to master", as was the hand-throttle lever.
The model owned by Mr Digby is one of only six left in the world, and he imported it from the United States four years ago.
He told the Otago Daily Times there were a few rather annoyed Americans who thought the vehicle should not have left the country.
Mr Digby said Baker Electric cars were owned by Thomas Edison, the King of Siam and were "the first choice" of First Lady Nellie Taft.
He believed the reason they were popular with women was because there was no need to crank the engine to start the motor.
He also suggested the invention of the electric starter motor, making petrol engines easier to start, was a major factor in the demise of electric vehicles.
Mr Digby works for Orion New Zealand.
It and its predecessors have owned a 1918 Walker Electric truck since new, and that connection led to him acquiring the Baker car.
Mr Digby recalled some years ago answering a request from Eric Luebben in the US for technical details about Orion’s truck.
He spent considerable time and effort gathering together "a huge amount" of information.
The information was sent away "and I never heard a thing, not even an acknowledgement, which slightly miffed me".
Five years later, Mr Digby decided he would like to find a Baker Electric car to buy and use during his retirement.
He failed to secure a Baker at several auctions but then heard wheelchair-bound 86-year old Californian man Lou Millar might be thinking of selling his Baker Electric.
After initial "rather frosty" dealings, Mr Millar asked him whether he had sent the details on the Orion truck to the US.
"My answer was ‘yes’ and very soon afterwards I was the next owner of his Baker Electric."
Mr Digby has visited Mr Millar and regularly corresponds with his friend Eric Luebben.
He hopes to have the Baker Electric in Wanaka at Christmas.
1904 Baker Electric car
• Powered by a Westinghouse 48-volt electric motor
• Has four 12-volt lead acid batteries
• Top speed approx 40kmh
• Drive time 2 hours
