MR EDISON'S NEW BATTERY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVII, Issue XLVII, 12 July 1912, Page 1

MR EDISON'S NEW BATTERY.

LIGHT, COMPACT ACCUMULATOR . FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES. * After nine years of constant experiment, Air Edison appears to have 1 produced a] light storage battery ' suitable foivdriving vehicles. A light van, .capable of travelling ■ Sfi miles on one charge of the new battery, has been running in London for sonV' time. About sixty of the cells "are v m the van, and there is an electric motor run at seventy-two volts, the wli.»i<* taking up considerably less space than an ' ordinary petrol engine.' The cm tures of the battery are its lightness, portability, and the high rate at wUfch. it can be charged and discharged. It weighs hardly more than one-half .-qf what an ordinary storage battery of- tiie sam_e capacity would do, and takes.up considerably less space. - ' Tramway cars have been operated in Washington with the battery, and liave run for, sixteen minutes, with a .threeminute interval for "charging up.". It - is-claimed that the battery nwill'.prove, serviceable for taxicabs which can make' use of .town charging stations. An expert-, ment will be made at Slough, when the battery will be tested as a substitute for the petrol engine in "starting up' V the ', petrol electric locomotive made' by the British Thomas-Haustori Company. , , Each cell has a series of specially-pre- ■ pared plates, the positive elements'consisting of alternate, layers bf,nickfel hydroxide and metallic nickel/ compressed ' into perforated nickel tubes, ' and fthe ' negative elements of black oxide of iron compressed into perforated nickel receptacles. The plates 'are immersed in ,a solution of potash containing a, small percentage of lithia, the cell being en« closed in a nickel-steel case.