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Robert Davidson
Did you know that the stop-start story of the electric car began in Aberdeen? In 1839, Robert Davidson demonstrated a passenger-carrying EV in the city — the world's first. This fascinating exhibition charted this remarkable story, with the help of some local businesses.
Please note: The Robert Davidson exhibition at Grampian Transport Museum is now closed. Visit the Collections page to see what's currently on display at GTM.
In this unique exhibition, we told Davidson's story in full and charted the early progress of electric cars, even probing the future. Included in the exhibition was a full-sized working replica of Robert Davidson's reluctance motor. The replica was built with the support of local companies Norco, TDC & Whittaker Engineering.
Norco and Arts & Business Scotland were key in the sourcing of specialist materials, with TDC preparing the wire windings and Whittakers engineering the moving parts. We also had assistance from some of GTM's volunteers.
The replica motor was a fantastic success and we received a great amount of interest from local schools, particularly those focusing their studies on Victorian Inventors and also the future of the electric vehicle.
Our Collections & Exhibitions
A quick guide to what's currently on display at Grampian Transport Museum.