The Tribelhorn was a Swiss

electric car An electric car, battery electric car, or all-electric car is an automobile that is propelled by one or more electric motors, using only energy stored in batteries. Compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, electric cars are quie ...

manufactured in Zurich from 1899 to 1919, although production did not begin in earnest until 1902. The car was offered in both three- and four-wheeled versions. Additionally, the company produced

trolleytruck A trolleytruck (also known as a freight trolley or trolley truckIn the United Kingdom a ''trolley'' may refer to the hand operated wheeled vehicle called a ''hand truck'' in North America. In North American usage the term ''trolley truck'' may als ...

s that were used in Gümmenen and

Mühleberg Mühleberg is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. History Mühleberg is first mentioned in 1011–16 as ''Mulinberg''. There are several Hallstatt era grave mounds around Mühlebe ...

, Switzerland, between 1918 and 1922 during the construction of a dam. After 1919, it focused solely on producing light utility

van A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across th ...

History

A. Tribelhorn & Cie. AG was founded in

Feldbach, Switzerland Feldbach is a village near Rapperswil, Switzerland. It is located on the north bank of the lake of Zurich and is part of the political municipality of Hombrechtikon. In the local dialect it is called ''Fäldbach''. Geography Situated on ''Zür ...

, in 1902, initially focusing on manufacturing automobiles and trucks. In 1918, the company underwent a name change to ''Electrische Fahrzeuge AG'' and relocated to Altstetten in Zürich. Production of the Tribelhorn ceased in 1920.

Vehicles

The first prototype of the Tribelhorn was developed in 1902, exclusively featuring an electric motor. The company primarily focused on manufacturing commercial vehicles, producing only small quantities of passenger vehicles. The Tribelhorn received its patent in 1912. The vehicle enjoyed moderate popularity, with 78 vehicles registered in 1910, 121 in 1912, 121 in 1917, and 112 in 1918. In 1915, Tribelhorn also designed an electric wheelchair.Wheelchair Tribelhorn 1915
, , 1915-11-07, p. 29. Currently, two Tribelhorn vehicles are exhibited at the Verkehrshaus der Schweiz ( Swiss Museum of Transport) in

Luzern , neighboring_municipalities= Adligenswil, Ebikon, Emmen, Horw, Kriens, Malters, Meggen, Neuenkirch Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a ...

. Additionally, a conference room at Tesla Motors, Inc. is named after the company.

Bibliography

* Harald H. Linz, Halwart Schrader: ''Die große Automobil-Enzyklopädie.'' BLV, München 1986, . *

G.N. Georgano George Nicolas "Nick" Georgano (29 February 1932 – 22 October 2017Nick Georgano
Alvis Archive Bl ...

: ''Autos. Encyclopédie complète. 1885 à nos jours.'' Courtille, Paris 1975. * Ernest Schmid: ''Schweizer Autos. Die schweizerischen Automobilkonstruktionen von 1868 bis heute.'' Auto-Jahr, Lausanne 1978, . * Martin Sigrist: ''Johann Albert Tribelhorn und sein Erbe bei EFAG und NEFAG – Pioniergeschichte des elektrischen Automobils.'' Verein für wirtschaftshistorische Studien, Zürich 2011, (''Schweizer Pioniere der Wirtschaft und Technik.'' Bd. 93).

References

* David Burgess Wise, ''The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Automobiles''. Car manufacturers of Switzerland Electric vehicle manufacturers of Switzerland Battery electric vehicles Truck manufacturers of Switzerland Electric vehicles introduced in the 20th century {{vintage-auto-stub