An EV Oddity

1972 Kelsen Sports Rider

The Kelsen Sports Rider was built from 1963-1973 by Kelsen Mfg of Stanton CA. Early models had 3 wheels and were powered by a pack of four 6v batteries that could plug into any 110v outlet. Later models had a 4th wheel and two more 6v batteries. The cars were only marketed in Long Beach CA.

1967 Kelsen Sports Rider

The design of the Sport Rider is quite similar to the Electra King which was also built in Long Beach starting in 1963. The Electra King’s bodywork is more stylized, while the Kelsen has more of a private label look. It is possible the two brands may have had a connection. And then again the basic golf cart underpinnings of both cars were not exactly rocket science.

LAte-1960s Electra King

Long-gone local manufacturers producing a comoditzed product don’t often leave behind detailed sales figure. But enough Kelsens show up on the internet in various configurations to believe that total unit production may have reached into very low 3 digits.