TODAY'S ELWELL-PARKER
A new electric legacy for the 21st century and beyond
Long before the Prius, long before the Leaf, long before the Volt, and long before the latest Tesla, there was the Elwell-Parker Electric Company. In the late 19th century, before there was even an automobile industry, Elwell-Parker was building electric motors and batteries, the first of which it sold in England in 1882. In the 130-plus years since it created some of the world's first industrial batteries and dynamos, Elwell-Parker has never abandoned its commitment to electric products. We were there designing motors and controllers for the Baker Motor Vehicle Company at the birth of the automobile industry in 1899; in 1906 we invented electric material handling when we introduced the first-ever battery powered baggage truck. In 1914 we developed one of the first electric lift trucks, and in 1919 we helped introduce the first electric forklift truck.
Learn more about Elwell-Parker's lines of Green electric material handling equipment:
- Automatic Guided Vehicles
- Electric Forklifts
- Coil Handling Equipment
- Die Handling Equipment
- Platform Trucks
Elwell-Parker designed electric motors for major American car manufacturers throughout the early 20th century, and in 1903 Elwell-Parker built a six-ton street truck that for over 20 years was the largest electric vehicle in the world. Elwell-Parker even produced gas-electric hybrid trucks nearly 90 years before they returned to the market in the late 1990s. Demand for Elwell-Parker motors, meanwhile, so outpaced the supply that in 1909 the Detroit Electric Car Company bought a controlling interest in Elwell-Parker just to secure its inventory. Click here to read the full Elwell-Parker story.
Even after interest in electric passenger vehicles declined in the 1920s, Elwell-Parker remained focused on the potential it saw in emissions-free vehicles. From then through today, green forklifts and equipment have comprised all of our flagship products -- a tradition we have carried on for generations. As a result of that tradition, you'll find Elwell-Parker material handling equipment with capacities ranging from as little as 500 pounds to as much as 400,000 pounds. Our electric vehicles were meeting modern emissions standards decades before the first regulations were drafted. And since Elwell-Parker forklifts and trucks are also the most versatile and longest lasting ever produced, in many cases the same vehicles are still in service and continue to meet those standards today. As we move deeper into the 21st century, our dedication to supplying the best electric forklifts and equipment is stronger now than ever. Our green heritage is a 130-year-old living legacy that is built into every electric product that carries the Elwell-Parker name. We will never stop nurturing that legacy or watching it grow.
For parts and service, sales and rentals, or to learn more about any Elwell-Parker vehicle, contact us online or call us today at 1-800-272-9953.