Andrew Lawrence Riker (1868–1930
/ref>) was an early automobile designer known for helping the U.S. car industry to transition from electric to gas-powered car manufacturing. He began experimenting with

electric vehicle An electric vehicle (EV) is a vehicle that uses one or more electric motors for propulsion. It can be powered by a collector system, with electricity from extravehicular sources, or it can be powered autonomously by a battery (sometimes ch ...

s in 1884. He formed the Riker Electric Motor Company in 1888 to make

electric motor An electric motor is an electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a wire winding to generate force ...

s, and a year later formed the Riker Motor Vehicle Company in

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a city and the county seat of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New J ...

. (advertised as " Elizabethport".) The company was absorbed by the

Electric Vehicle Company Electric Vehicle Company was an American automobile holding company and early pioneering manufacturer of automobiles. History The Electric Vehicle Company was founded September 27, 1897 as a holding company of battery-powered electric vehicle ...

in 1901. Riker was hired afterwards by

Locomobile Locomobile may refer to: Transport * Locomobile Company of America, a US company that made automobiles under the brand name "Locomobile" from 1899 to 1929 * Steam-powered agricultural and haulage vehicles: ** Traction engine ** Portable engine * ...

for their

ICE Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaq ...

development. Riker was a Co-Founder of the

Society of Automotive Engineers SAE International, formerly named the Society of Automotive Engineers, is a United States-based, globally active professional association and standards developing organization for engineering professionals in various industries. SAE Internati ...

in 1905 and served as the first president for three years.

Wins

* 1896: Rhode Island State Fair (

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

, 7–11 sept.) * 1900: Springfield- Babylon-Springfield (14 apr.)

Wins

References

Further reading