Before the invention of the electric starter, cars started with the help of a crank, which was extremely inconvenient, difficult and dangerous, since many cars at that time did not have a neutral transmission, so when rotating the crankshaft, the car started to move right at the driver, and when the engine started he had to catch to jump into his self-propelled carriage on the go.

In 1911, inventor from Ohio, Charles Kettering, starts work on a project that later on will bring him worldwide fame and vice presidency at General Motors. This project was called "electric starter for starting a car engine". On June 15, 1911, Charles Kettering presents his invention - an electric motor that in a short period of time evolved enough power to spin the engine crankshaft to the required speed, and after starting the same electric motor was used as a generator to charge the battery.

The first to appreciate this important invention was Henry Leland - founder of the Cadillac car giant. And in 1912, the production of Cadillac Model Thirty (pictured), which became the first car in the world with an electric starter and headlights, is launched into mass production.