Skoda Elektromobil 1944

Skoda Elektromobil 1944 by Autocult

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

The further World War II progressed, the more people in Germany talked about alternative drive options for vehicles. The dwindling supply of oil led to rationing. This restrictive intervention in economic life was accompanied by the confiscation of privately used vehicles for the military and at the same time the search for alternative fuels was confronted. The switch to burning wood for gas production in cars was probably the easiest, but also the best-known measure to continue driving cars. In this context, however, the development of electric vehicles, such as that which took place in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia occupied by the German ‘Wehrmacht’ from 1939 onwards with the capital Prague, is largely unknown.In 1944, Škoda’s electric development was ready for series production to begin, allowing the inner-city delivery service to be maintained. The two lines of thought behind the electric vehicle at that time sound quite familiar to us today – at night, the car was clamped to the power source with the built-in battery and ‘refueled’ with cheap night electricity, but alternatively it was also planned to replace the entire battery system, so that after only a short stay the electric vehicle could go back on the road. A total of 20 units in the 1.5-ton variant were assembled at Škoda, about the same number are said to have left the factory as a 3-ton version. The only known buyer ist he Prague City Council.