Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-30
PERFECTION IN ELECTRICS
Carrying Capacity Of Electric Cars il
Now Almost Unlimited.
SCOPE FOR USE is WIDENING
weight of battery Is Reduced and
Tire Problems Are Being
solved 20 Make These
Popular.

Conoomltant with the dvanees in cleo
trical vehicles were the Improvement
wrought In storage batteries. The success
of the electrical vehicle depends almost
exclusively upon the obtainable success Of
the battery. The question of the chassis
was settled in common for the several
modes Of automobiles. The electrical motor
rs used in vehicles OF this class was refined
In connection with street railway and other
work. In the eafly days, before the per-
lection OF the chassis and the details OF
the electrical system, the problems were
more diverse in their characteristics and
Tar more difficult to solve.
The tire problem was more acute IN con
nection with electrical vehicles because the
weight Of the battery mounted up to q con.
siderable figure, In some OF the earlier
types OF trucks It was not uncommon to
observe a weight OF two tons in the battery
alone. Gradual advances in battery con.
struction resulted in a very material re
iuctlon in the total weight, and this reduc
ton in view Of Improvement wrought it,
tires, resulted Ia the elimination of what
was long termed 'impossibilties" in CON
neotion with the electrical vehicles. True
there remains what Is called the tire prob
lem, but it mas been reduced 70 a COM
merclal basis, in that the electrical auto
mobiles do so much and such good work
as TO earn excellent returns on the invest
ment, besides settling for tires and the re-
naming costs.
In the early days of the electrical auto
mobile the facilities for charging the bat
teries, were so crude as to be lndeseribable
A battery follows very we'll known and
fixed chemica laws: It must be manlpu-
lated by a man who appreciates the sig
nlficance OF these laws. and every violation
OF any one Of them carries with it a pen
atty. There was a time when experts in
this line worked continuously with the idea
OF evolving types Of battery, less In point
OF weight on the one hand, and OF greater
stability on the other. IN the long run re-
lance was placed ON the batteries as they
are today, and when It was found that re-
lief was to come by way OF careful atten-
ton to details, rather than through the
good office Of some revolutionary inven-
tlons things looked up a bit and the bait
teries thfived.
Electrical Pleasure Automobiles.
As a general proposition an electrical au-
tomobile will carry the equal of its own
weigh The motor equipment is of such a
character as to deliver the requisite torauc
under the most severe conditions of service.
An electrical delivery automobile, then,
VIII make Roadway on bad roads. up steer
grades and in deep snow. They are moi
vehicles for speed, and. while they are rel
atlvely slow, they are sure. Because Of this
reliability, electrical vehicles lend them
selves to commercial work, especially to
heavy short hauls, and II they are used
continuously, as they should be, the bat.
teries Will serve best ana earn forNthe
owner Of the car In every case the price OF
a new battery, plus a fair return, ere the
battery wears out.
There Is nothing that looks more pleas
ing than a little piano box type Of cleo.
trical runabout, picking its way through
busy streets or on boulevards, with a
woman at the lever. These little cars are
perfectly simple to manage; they obtain a
speed OF from twelve to eighteen miles an
hour, and they rarely ever get out OF order
IL the batteries are managed by persons OF
fair skin. These cars car be handled by al
most anyone at ell, and in connection with
otherl automobiles In a we'll equipped gar
age they are extremely useful. There are
other types Of electrical automobiles that
are well worth mentioning, as, for Illus
tration, town EARS as broughams, Victorias,
l~sndaulets and a type OF cabriolet.
Medical doctors, in their practice, espe-
eially in the winter time, particularly ap.
preeiate comfortable and sure means OF
transportation. The first year that the
rougha type OF electrical automobile was
introduced In the city of New York seven
ty-two doctors adopted this type OF car for
use In their service. Some OF them com.
planned that the cost was rather high. but
none OF them made complaint because their
radius OF travel was Increased and their
zone or activity brought them better re-
turns, In the long run they tired of COM
planning, but they stuck to the brougham.
and, from eli accounts, the quality of the
service was improved from year to year.
until today Il represents much OF all there
IL OF sturdy, reliable service ana comfort
In the extreme without defeating stability.
Wide Range OF Uses.
In private service the electric vehicle may
be in divers forms. From the little car
with the plano box body to the most lux.
urious type OF the town car Is a long way,
and space forbids a detailed discussion.
Moreover the subject is well threshed out.
even SO, 1t may not be far-fetched TO say
a word or two by the way OF calling atten.
zion to the fact that In various ways con.
sistent with the well known ABILITIES OF the
electric" the service has been on the in.
crease to a very great extent. From early
morning TO late at night the cars of thi.
class can remain in constant service. be.
ginning with the safe and comfortable de.
livery OF the master OF the house TO his Of
flee In the morning, by which time madam
win command the attention OF the car for a
shopping expedition. In the afternoon the
same car will be available for calls or a
roll On the boulevard - unless 1t is that
some social function intervenes. In the on.
era season che car win be in much de.
mand, In which service Il has long rlveted
The attention OF a%utolsts. The time was
when the service that a battery would
render did not permit OF a schedule such
as this. That time lie pest; the batteries
now embOdy the requisite qualities. which
vas very adequately proven recently when
a car % this class made a touring trim
from Colorado 10 New York under its own
power, over roads such as were long looked
upon as entanElins propositions for even
pretentOus touring cars.
Cause of short Circuit.