From 1942-1944 during the Nazi occupation of France, the Compagnie Générale d’Électricité or CGE (no, it’s not that General Electric) built 200 two-door, two passenger cabriolets dubbed the Tudor Electrique.
CGE’s Tudor Electrique was designed by famed auto engineer Jean-Albert Grégoire who was noted for his development of front-wheel drive.
During the Nazi occupation, liquid fuel was commandeered for the German war effort. Private transportation was left with awkward gasogen-powered vehicles[1] or small run-abouts powered with lead-acid batteries. Peugeot built about 400 such vehicles, double that of the Tudor Electrique.[2]
The Tudor Electrique, using a DC motor, was the first electric car capable of regenerative braking. The car was also noteworthy for driving 150 miles at an average speed of 27 mph without recharging.[3]
There’s one example on display at the French National Automobile Museum in Mulhouse, France.[4] There’s another in Florida at the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum.
Compagnie Générale d’Electricité was one of France’s venerable industrial conglomerates. In more recent years CGE is better known as Alcatel Alsthom with interests in electronics and electrical equipment.[5] There’s no connection to the American company with a similar name. In 1989, the conglomerate came full circle when it merged with the British company GEC, the British GE.[6] In 1998 Alcatel-Alsthom was rebranded Alstom, dropping Alcatel and the “h” from Alsthom.
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[1] Kris De Decker, “Wood Gas Vehicles: Firewood in the Fuel Tank,” LOW←TECH MAGAZINE, January 18, 2010, https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2010/01/wood-gas-vehicles-firewood-in-the-fuel-tank/.
[2] “Peugeot VLV,” in Wikipedia, September 12, 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Peugeot_VLV&oldid=1245342098.
[3] “1971 CGE GRÉGOIRE ELECTRIC,” Tampa Bay Automobile, accessed September 23, 2024, https://www.tbauto.org/car-collection/1971-cge-gr%C3%A9goire-electric-.
[4] “Grégoire / C.G.E. Tudor Cabriolet,” accessed September 26, 2024, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q115680355.
[5] “Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Générale d’Electricité – Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Générale d’Electricité,” accessed September 23, 2024, https://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/63/Alcatel-Alsthom-Compagnie-G-n-rale-d-Electricit.html#google_vignette.
[6] “Alstom,” in Wikipédia, August 5, 2024, https://fr.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alstom&oldid=217395278.
