New-York tribune., 1902-05-29
SOLVES BATTERY PROBLEM
EDISON PERFECTS INVENTION FOR
AUTOMOBILE

Vest Orange n. J., May 2S (SpeciaD.-Thomas
A. Edison announced to-day that he had perfect
ed his new storage battery to such extent that
he believed it to he one of the most important
inventions since his solving of the incandescent
lighting problem. He very jubilant over
his success He explained his invention and its
commercial value follows
II believe that my battery solves satisfactorily
the problem of securing source of power for
running automobile vehicles that will give
good mileage without renewal 1t will not re-
quire expensive care, and will not deprecate.
and. besides, it will not weigh more than the
vehicle that it is expected to drive. l consider
that the battery at the present time is COM
mercially great success" .....
The inventor also said that series Of tests
had been made which successful in every
detail. The first was made with light
runa bout equipped with an electric motor driven
by twenty-one cells of the battery. The
vehicle was run by Messrs. Bee and Fleiss. two
of Mr.. Edison's experts, over roads near Orange
and Paterson and on rough roads, including nu-
merous hills with grades averaging from to
Il per cent. A run of sixty-two miles was
easily made on charge of the battery,
which at the end of the run able to de-
velop So per cent of its speed at the start
Mr.. Edison says that on another occasion his
men started out with the object of running
the machine until it would not stir. The roads
were soft from the rain. and in many places
were in very bad condition. but it was not until
eghty-f1ve miles had been covered that the
machine stopped. In each the batteries
were charged twenty-nine volts AT the end
Of the first test the voltage was twenty-five and
al the end of the second trial it had dropped to
six and three tenths.
An endurance run OF five thousand miles will
be made next week. Mr. Edison says and If
this is satisfactory the manufacture Of the bat
teries for traction purposes will be begun at the
Edison factory at Glen Ridge, n. J. 1t is the
opinion of Mr.. Edison that the battery can in
an emergency be charged for run of twenty
miles in forty minutes. a whole night might
be given to charging it for long
1t Is not the purpose of the inventor 10 go
into the manufacture of electric vehicles of any
description. Only the batteries will be handled
by his firm. He says the cost Of charging the
batteries under normal conditions will be about
the same as supplying gasolene TO an engine
developing an equal horsepower The benefits
will be derived in the cost of maintenance and
the saving Of expense for repairs, to say moth
ing of the frequent annoyance caused by stop
ping for getting up power"
a few pleasure carriages and vehicles for
heavy work will be made and experimental with
at the Edison works during the next few
months, and every Conceiva BILE kind of test will
be given to them Mr.. Edison also proposes to
give the subject of streetcar traction some at
tention and to apply the invention to launches
and small yachts.
He says: It's great I do not know but that
may be able to apply it with success to any
number of schemes"
The battery is a compact affair II is inclosed
IN steel case about a foot high. the other
dimensions being about by 4 inches The
entire battery can be easily tucked under the
arm Ihe only renewal necessary beyond the
regular recharging is the occasional addition OF
little water lost through evaporation. Mir
Edison says that his battery surpasses any
other power which has been placed on the mar
ket to date, and he predicts that In a short time
his invention Will be popular.