Way back in 1967 Ford took their very first electric concept car to the Geneva Motorshow. The tiny Ford Comuta a product of Ford UK was something of a very early experiment into the world of electric cars for Ford; powered by 4 12 volt 85amp hour batteries and driven by two lightweight 5hp electric motors taken from the aircraft industry.
The Comuta features a Lotus Elan style backbone chassis which carried its lightweight fibreglass body work which carried the driver as well as an additional 2 passengers! The Ford Comuta could reach a top speed of 40mph but if you wanted to get the most out of its maximum 40 mile
range it was suggested that you stick to a more sedate 25mph cruising speed. Unlike modern lithium-ion battery technology the chemical limitations of Lead Acid batteries meant that the last few miles may be at a snails pace. Despite the vehicles low centre of gravity and Lotus-like chassis design, the handling of the comuta was far from Lotus-like.
At the time Ford of Great Britain predicted that small electric cars like this would be commonplace in city centers by the mid 70s; they were off by about 40 or so years.