The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1903-08-03
.EDlSOHM0TOR BATTE
Inventor Tells Of His Expert
ments With New Machine.
FASTER REoHARaEDTHAETHBoLD

As Much Electricity as WIN Send the
Auto Forty Miles Can De Put IN II,
He says. In Less Than an Hour.
Its Light weight, small Size and
Great Mileage, He claims, VIII
Drive out Gasoline.
Thomas A. Edison, when questioned
recently about the new storage battery
which the public has been expecting for
over a year, said TO a reporter Of the
New York Times.
"The popular impression seems to be
that my new storage battery was more
Tor less a possibility but that It began
and ended there That is not 50 One
Of them has been in operation for the
4 last few weeks IN q delivery wagon
Of n large department store in New
York and IS doing all that ! expected
and claimed for it.
"There is a great deal to be said for
the new battery. and all in its favor.
It viii average more than third
greater mileage for half the weight
than win the old lead battery It has
an additional advantage, inasmuch as
1t can be recharged at a much faster
rate than the old battery. As much
electricity as viii send the motor forty
miles can be put In If in less than an
hour
Ever since took UP this problem
Of the greater capacity battery ! have
worked with the idea of using it for
street Iocomotion-in automobiles and
trolleys. And now the auto battery is
finished The other day three friends
and myself took a trial run to Atlantic
| City in a car consisting Of Mors
frame aud one of my batteries We
wished to attain great velocities over
rough surfaces, and we succeeded be
/ yond any Of our expectations, The
idea was to find any defects in either
the frame OF the car or the battery and
motor The latter two were entirely
successful, but there are a few things
which can be betfered in the car.
"Aly experience shows me that we
have much to learn from the French
makers they heve been at It longer
than we have and are stlll several
years ahead. Several Of the auto max
ers In this country have sent for ny
| battery specifications and are begin
ming to make types Of their machine
IN which it is to be used
II have been experimenting with an
electric coach, and it is surprising how
well it showed up. We climbed Eagle
rock. where the hill climbing contests
are held with the greatest ease and we
really did not dare to attain our maxi
mum speed,
I'VE cannot put the new battery on
the market IN Any quantity rs yet
The best we can do now is to make
one day by October we viii make
at least six daily. and about Christmas
we win be III shape 10 meet any de-
mand The trouble has been that spe-
eial machines had to be built Another
disadvantage ! have to contend with Is
Ipaying 30 per cent duty on a certain
sheet steel that must be imported from
England or Germany. and then In only
limited quantities, BY Christmas three
rolling mills win be able to make it for
me here in this country, and then the
present high price for the batteries
will be reduced
This battery will drive all other
methods Of locomotion out Of business
land in less than ten years the horribl
Eodor Of gasoline on the public high
ways VIII be unknown. As for a lack
Of recharging stations. that is nonsense.
la the last month forty-iiye new ones
have been installed in the New Eng
land states alone and this is going on
all over the country,
Next year / viii wager that can
take a car of my own design, fitted
with my motor and battery, and 60 to
. Chicago and return In less time and
. with more pleasure than any other
, machine in existence There win be no
breakdowns, no explosion Of gas or
gasoline, and the trip viii be made at
. an even twenty-five miles an hour
Another thing. the battery will be
made in four sizes, so that when fully
charged 1t win run %, so 15 or 100
.. miles, and If wanted they will be made
, any size larger or smaller OF course.
the running power of the battery will
depend to a certain extent on the work
| il is called upon TO do II the roads
are rough and there are many hills q
. charge will last shorter time than if
. the conditions were such as are found
in the city. But taking the maximum
. of bad going, the battery viii only be
. exhausted about % per cent sooner
! than 1t would be under favorable con
; ditions.p
) In looking up the official test made
: of the new battery q the delivery
J wagon at the New York department
; store, the books showed that the old
) lead battery weighed 1,260 pounds
: and had maximum Of 20 miles,
) while the Edison battery which re-
: placed 1t weighed $50 pounds and
! drove the wagon 36S miles, besides
: which the old battery occupied IFS
5 cubic feet. while the Edison took up
: only SIS cubic feet