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Ohio inventions and firsts · Invention · 1911-1912

Electric self-starter for automobiles

Kettering and Delco (Dayton Engineering Laboratories, founded 1909) developed a practical electric starter by 1911; Cadillac's Leland ordered 12,000 for the 1912 models.

At a glance

Year
1911-1912
By
Charles F. Kettering
Company
Delco (Dayton Engineering Laboratories)
Place
Dayton, Montgomery County ZIP 45402 · Dayton · Montgomery County
Patent
US 1,150,523 US 1,150,523 (filed June 15 1911, granted Aug 17 1915; 'Engine-starting device', assignee Dayton Engineering Laboratories Co.)

The story

Early cars had to be started with a hand crank. It was hard work, and it could be dangerous: a kick-back from the engine could break an arm. A well-known story links the push to solve the problem with a fatal crank accident involving Byron Carter, a friend of Cadillac's Henry Leland.

Leland asked Charles Kettering, then at Delco in Dayton, for a better answer. According to the source, Delco had a practical model working by February 1911, and the company put an electric starter into 1912 Cadillac models. The 1912 Cadillac Model Thirty was the first production car to use an electric starter instead of a hand crank or spring, and it won the Dewar Trophy in 1913 for its electrical system.

Kettering's patent for an engine-starting device was filed June 15, 1911 and granted August 17, 1915 (US 1,150,523), assigned to Dayton Engineering Laboratories. Earlier electric starter attempts existed, but this was the first that worked well enough to sell in volume.

Over his life Kettering held 186 U.S. patents. He died in Dayton on November 25, 1958, and Kettering University and the Kettering Foundation carry his name.

Timeline

  • 1911-02: Delco has a practical starter model working. (Dayton, OH) source
  • 1911-06-15: Patent application for the engine-starting device is filed. (Dayton, OH) source
  • 1912: Cadillac puts the electric starter into its 1912 models. (Detroit, MI) source
  • 1913: The 1912 Cadillac wins the Dewar Trophy for its electrical system. (Detroit, MI) source
  • 1915-08-17: US patent 1,150,523 is granted. (Washington, D.C.) source

What it changed

  • The 1912 Cadillac was the first production car with an electric starter.
  • Kettering held 186 U.S. patents over his career.

Why it matters

Made cars practical for ordinary drivers.

Places in Ohio to see

Further reading

Sources

Confidence. High: the main facts were confirmed in sources we opened.