The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-10-06
ELECTRIC VEHICLES.
THE IDEAL POWER FoRAUToMo6lLEs
rs ELECTRICITY.

New Ideas Being Worked Out Con
stantIy and Weight Of Storage Bat
teries Being Reduced-Its Reserve
Power Instantly Available.
The wonderful development Of cleo.
Gicity within the past few years, for
power purposes, and its great economy,
adaptabiiity, and usefulness in that
line as shown by its universal adop-
ton Tor the propulsion of street rail
WAY ears, also clearly demonstrate its
superiority Us a convenient and easily
controlled power for motor vehicles.
which are becoming 50 popular.
While the we'll known trolley car
takes its power through the overhead
or underground wires and conductors
from an inCXhaustiblc source of cleo
tricjty, the motor vehicle is limited TO
the charge or amount it can carry, in
consequence of the fact that II is in
tended TO travel in places and over
roads where there is no continuous
outside supply of electricity. Hence,
the means of storing electricity eco
nomic"lly in the form of batteries Is
now one of the problems which is I'M
dcrgoins Development
New ideas are constantly being
worked out, and il is confidently eX-
pectcd improvements will continue by
which greater efficiency viii result. At
present. changes have been made in
the construction of storage batteries
whereby a surprisingly large quantity
of active material is put into a small
space. and this accounts for the heater
appearance electric motor vehicles now
possess over former designs. II y also
a fact that the aggregate weight OF
battery for the amount of current as
charge obtained is less than formerly.
The factor of weight is one of the
features in electric vehicles that prac-
zeal men are working to overcome. and
II is said that whenever Il storage bat
terry or a system of storing the electric
current is invented by which the
weight of the battery Is greatly re-
duced. there is certain to be an impe-
tuS given TO the electric motor vehicle
industry such Ms has never been
thought of.
One of the essential requirements in
a motor vehicle is that the reserve
power shall he instantly available for
a brief period of time. aS, for example,
when heavy grades are met with In
Il storage battery this condition is per
fectly met, the increase Of current de-
manded being readily given off and ac-
curately measured by the ampere me
ter, SO that by observing the latter
while travelling on an apparently level
road one can detect slight grades by
the varying position Of the ampere
needle.
The battery may be considered as
an elastic equalizer capable of giving
off in an instant the amount Of current
needed ut various times and emergen-
Ges. This makes electricity an ideal
power for vehicles. for it eliminates
the complicated machinery Of either
gas, steam. or compressed air motors.
with their attendant noise, heat, and
vibration. 1t is not only serviceable as
power but also as light at night,
The vertical steering shaft is con-
nectnd underneath the carriage by a
crank and rod with one end Of an in
terror movable hollow hub, around
which the front wheel runs on ball
bearings; the hub is pivoted on It's in
terror to the carriage frame. Another
connecting cross rod extends from this
hub to the same style of hub on the
opposite side. So that tine movement