History of electric vehicles, John Newell collection, 1962-1993

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Summary

Title:
John Newell collection on the history of the electric vehicle
Dates:
1962-1993
Abstract:
The John Newell collection on the history of the electric automobile includes 22 boxes of print and photographic materials documenting Newell's role as a co-founder of the California Electric Automobile Association (EAA) and as a hobby enthusiast of the electric vehicle during the 1970s through the early 1990s. The collection includes photographs, correspondence, newsletters, subject files, and a sampling of project papers and schematics for electric vehicle conversion projects. A limited amount of biographical related materials about Newell is also included in the collection.
Extent:
7.4 Linear Feet (20 manuscript boxes)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[identification of item], John Newell collection on the history of electric vehicles (M0963). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection features materials collected by Newell about the electric automobile during the 1970s through the early 1990s, and with a particular emphasis on the Electric Automobile Association's activities in Northern California. The collection includes photographs and filers for electric car rallies and exhibition shows; and documentation for individual electric car projects, instruction manuals, and surveys conducted about electric car ownership. The collection also includes a series run of the Electric Automobile Association newsletters, a publication featuring articles about electric vehicle conversion projects, listings for educational resources and vendors, and events showcasing EVs held locally and nation-wide.

Biographical / historical:

John Newell (b. 1910 d. 1998) graduated from Kansas University; and after a long career with oil companies in Oaklahoma, music instrument manufacturer C.G. Conn, and the Defense Department at Point Mugu in Southern California, he moved to the Bay Area in 1957 to work as a systems engineer at Lockheed Missiles and Space until retiring. He became co-founder and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Electric Automobiles Assocation (EAA) in 1967, an interest-based organization that was the outcome of a symposium on the Electric Auto held that same year and organized by the Engineering Department at San Jose State College. The EAA provided an opportunity for the exchange of information and ideas about the electric automobile among engineers and enthusiasts alike.

For over 25 years, Newell helped to promote and expand the EAA throughout the Bay Area, across the country, and internationally. In 1982, Newell converted his Ford Escort automobile to electric, and according to an article in the Palo Alto Daily Times from 1995, he had "driven 50,000 miles and the only thing I've had to replace has been a windshield wiper." Newell and his wife, Lydia Zinov Newell managed the production and distribution of the EAA newsletter and related EAA business from their home in Belmont, California, and were both awarded the EAA Fellow award for their dedicated efforts to the association. Through the EAA, Newell advocated for electric vehicle legislation and their mass production through various letter writing campaigns to California politicians and major automobile companies. Newlell passed away in in 1998.

Acquisition information:
This collection was given by John Newell to Stanford University, Special Collections in 1998. Accession 1998-046.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-10-18 12:10:23 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for research, with the exception of born-digital materials, which are closed until processed. Note that material must be requested at least 36 hours in advance of intended use. Audiovisual materials are not available in original format, and must be reformatted to a digital use copy.

Terms of access:

While Special Collections is the owner of the physical and digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns.

Preferred citation:

[identification of item], John Newell collection on the history of electric vehicles (M0963). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Location of this collection:
Department of Special Collections, Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-6004, US
Contact:
(650) 725-1022
specialcollections@stanford.edu
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