Josip Belušić's electric speedometer
Velocímetro eléctrico de Josip Belušić
- Date
- 1887-1889 · confidence low
- Place
- Pula, Istria, Croatia
- Credited to
- Josip Belušić
- Field
- Knowledge & symbols
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
An electric instrument (with magnet and coil) for measuring the speed of vehicles, which Belušić presented at the 1889 Paris World Fair. It is cited as the first vehicle speedometer.
Its priority is disputed; there are other devices (tachometers, Otto Schultze, 1902) and the documentation on Belušić comes mostly from local Croatian sources. The 1888 year is taken from those sources and is not confirmed in patents.
What it led to
- speedometers for cars and locomotives
- induction-based speed-measuring instruments