Georges Irat - During The Second World War

During The Second World War

After the outbreak of war, Georges Irat was among the first auto-makers to focus on electric cars, there being diminishing quantities of oil based motor-fuel available for civilian use, especially after the German invasion in May/June 1940. An all-new electric car was designed during Summer 1940 and developed rapidly in order to be ready for public launch at the Lyon Fair during the autumn of 1941. The little car was designed to be as light-weight as possible and the electric motor had a number of ingenious features. The vehicle had a top speed of 30-35 km/h (roughly 20 mph) and the lead battery provided for a range of 90-100 kilometres (nearly 60 miles) between charges. Both a small 2-seater cabriolet and a 2-seater mini-van were produced, although most of the rear portion of the car and indeed of the van was permanently occupied by the electric motor and batteries. The first few cars were produced for use by Georges Irat employees, but small batches of the cars were built for sale via an exclusive deal with a car dealer on the Rue de Passy on the western side of central Paris. After the end of 1942 significant levels of auto-production were no longer possible due to the non-availability of materials and labour for civilian production. Production of electric cars did not restart when peace returned in 1945.