Baker Electric, starting in 1898, was one of the early pioneers of electric propulsion for the private sector. Some of these early electric carriages produced had long life nickel batteries sourced from Thomas Edison. By 1906, Baker Electric had now gone from producing carriages to cars, and with production of 800 cars a year, Baker had the clout of being the largest electric car manufacturer in the world. In 1907 Baker had 17 models from an entry level 2 seater all the way up to a luxurious 4 seater, and a line of trucks. By 1914 Baker was forced by competition from a growing Detroit Electric to merge with Rauch & Lang, with the new company called Baker Rauch & Lang. The last of the Baker Electric cars were produced in 1916, and trucks lasted a few more years before production ceased.