The history of the electric hansom cab was a short and complicated one:
In 1896, building off the Electrobat of 1894, Morris and Salom construct their two-seater Electric Road Wagon and formed the Electric Carriage and Wagon Company, evidently the first electric car company in America. The Electric Road Wagon was developed into a series of coupes and hansoms for use as taxis in New York. These vehicles had rear-wheel steering, two 1/2 hp motors, and 44 lead-acid cells which gave them a range of 30 miles. Their company was purchased by Isaac L. Rice of Electric Storage Battery. Along with Pope (Columbia) and Riker, these companies combined and were the foundation for the Electric Vehicle Company and the "lead cab" syndicate (1899) which tried early to monopolize the automobile industry in America but failed to do so.