What 1888 German vehicle is often regarded as the first electric car?

The 1888 German vehicle often regarded as the first electric car is the Flocken Elektrowagen.

German inventor and entrepreneur Andreas Flocken built it at Maschinenfabrik A. Flocken in Coburg. The vehicle began as a high-wheeled carriage fitted with an electric motor, battery equipment, and rear-wheel drive through leather belts. It reportedly weighed about 400 kilograms and reached approximately 15 km/h.

The wording “often regarded” matters because electric vehicles existed before 1888. Gustave Trouvé demonstrated a three-wheeled electric vehicle in Paris in 1881, while other early experiments are associated with inventors such as Thomas Parker. The Flocken is especially notable because it was a four-wheeled German passenger vehicle and is frequently described as the first electric production car.

The original 1888 vehicle is believed to be lost. Later Flocken models continued to develop the idea, including a photographed two-seater from around 1903 with pneumatic tires and electric headlights. Vehicle production ended at the company in 1903.