A New Electric Truck.

Lake County Press, Issue 2115, 26 April 1906, Page 2

A New Electric Truck.

A new electric vehicle for commercial purposes has been in use for some months in America, and has proved highly successful. A single electric motor is lilted within each wheel. The motors are rated at two horse-power, and drive the truck at about six miles an hour. There is a very considerable gain in the power of control by the use of the fourwheel drive, and this the manufacturers demonstrated in a convincing' way by driving a machine off a curb and closing a watch case-lid without breaking the glass. It is claimed that the loss by friction in the transmission of power from motor to wheel is one percent, as compared with over fifty percent, lost in the spnrgear transmissions usually employed. The controlling nmchanism handled by the driver is of the ordinary motor-car type, ami five speeds in both directions are available. On account of the great saving in transmission of power to the wheel through the single reduction coupleaction gear a three or live-ton truck, whose weight complete is 7,7001b., will run on some 100 per cent, less current than the ordinary truck of the. same size. The result is that I lie battery and motors will last much longer than is usually the case, as they are never seriously overloaded. Under regular service conditions, ahout 3,000 miles can lie got nut of the battery before it will need ('leaning. An examination of tlie motors by the editor of the “Scientific American" showed them to he very good in condition, there being, apparently no trouble from burning of the commutators due to jumping of the brushes from the excessive vibration the, motors would he expected to receive in thi> wheels. The tension of the brush-holder springs, too, was very light. Some tests made recently show (he economy of the new truck under severe hill-climbing conditions. A hill which was paved wit it cobblestones and had a 15 per cent, grade, was mounted with a controller on the fourth speed. An examination of the pinions and hearings is said to have shown almost, no perceptible wear after running the truck nearly 4.000 miles When cost of maintainanee is considered, therefore, it would appear that lids electric truck would he considerably cheaper to run and maintain than a petrol truck of equal size.