The Detroit Electric, produced from 1907 to 1939, was a leading early electric vehicle, built by the Anderson Electric Car Company. These expensive, luxurious cars were highly favored by wealthy urban women, including Clara Ford, and professionals like doctors, primarily because they started instantly without the dangerous hand cranking required by gasoline engines. While offering low speeds and a limited range of about 80 miles, the electric car dominated city transportation until Henry Ford's affordable Model T and the invention of the electric self-starter caused their market decline.