Detroit Electric not quite what it seems

Seventy years after the Detroit Electric Car Co. stopped producing the battery-powered Detroit Electric, a Dutch company has resurrected the brand's name and retro script logo for its line of plug-in electric vehicles.

But experts question whether Detroit Electric's lack of connections to the US Motor City will cause problems when the company tries to start selling cars in the United States.

The US Patent Office has refused a trademark to Detroit Electric so far, in part because the company doesn't have any connection to Detroit.

In a letter to Detroit Electric explaining the decision, the patent office said that the trademark could be considered "geographically deceptive" if the company's cars aren't made or produced in the Detroit area.

The original Detroit Electric line, built from 1907 to 1939, gained popularity because its engine didn't need to be cranked, unlike early internal combustion engines.

Most Detroit Electrics were driven by wealthy customers such as inventor Thomas Edison, steel magnate John D. Rockefeller Jr and Clara Ford, the wife of Ford founder Henry Ford.

Albert Lam, leader of Detroit Electric Holdings and former CEO of the Lotus Engineering Group, said the original company was ahead of its time.

He said he adopted the brand because consumers associate Detroit with innovation. "Having this name constantly reminds us of the pioneers in Detroit who started the car industry," Lam said.

"This is the same entrepreneurship. We are moving the industry ahead."

Detroit Electric has joined with Malaysia's national carmaker Proton Holdings to build its first models in Malaysia, using Proton vehicle platforms.

The company plans to release a two battery-powered sedans in Europe and Asia next year using Proton's distribution networks, with a US launch supposedly to follow later in 2010.

The original Detroit Electric car could travel 160km on a single charge, but battery costs made the cars several times more expensive than combustion-powered vehicles. Lam said Detroit Electric's new short-range model would get 180km per charge and will cost US$25,000 ($40,000).

The longer-range model will get 320km per charge and will cost US$33,000, he said.

- AP