A while back I was surprised to find electric wipers on a Hudson in 1928. I ran through some owners manuals online and concluded that historian Conde must be wrong.
No, he was probably right. I wasn’t looking closely enough. This proves that Hudson had optional electric wipers in ’34, so ’28 isn’t unlikely. I suppose most of the manuals weren’t showing options.
Wiring schematic with the typical-looking wiper motor circled. It’s hard to see, so I might have missed it earlier.
The list of fuses includes a 7.5 amp fuse for the wipers, ‘not on all cars’, so optional.
I shouldn’t doubt Conde. He was Nash/AMC official historian from ’46 to ’80, and he had inside access to documents and management. So another Hudson first is proved. Electrics were available as aftermarket accessories in ’29, so ’28 isn’t unlikely.
Whether it was 1928 or 1934, Hudson was still the first. Chrysler began electrics in ’39 then Packard in ’42. Chrysler continued without a pause, first optional on all brands then standard on all brands in ’49. Packard never extended electric to all models.
Hudson also seems to have abandoned electric wipers later. There’s no sign of them in postwar models.
The standard belief that electrics are purely superior doesn’t fit my experience anyway. I had vacuum wipers on my ’50 Willys pickup, and noticed more advantages than problems. The control was analog, while most electrics had one or two speeds. The wipers didn’t slow down much when accelerating, and they had a natural intermittent feature. Because the vacuum motor is ‘soft power’, it can be set to move only when the glass is wet enough to slide easily. In light rain you’d turn the knob partway for occasional wipes. It also couldn’t break or blow its fuse when ice froze the wiper.
Polistra's Mill 