New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-10
HELPS AUTO EFFICIENCY
Cleveland Man Couples Case
Iene and Electric Motors.
WORKS ON OLD PRINCIPLE
Device Eliminates Gears and
Flywheel, While Foot
Controls Speed.

Automobile makers and users of Cleve-
land are much interested at the present
time In & new development OF the in
dustry-an electric transmission for gaso-
lene driven vehicles-perfected by Walter
c. Baker. president OF the American Ball
Bearing Company, working along fun
damental principle covered by a patent
held by Justus Il. Entz, also Cleve-
lander So convinced are the persons IN
terested that the mechanism will super
sede the ordinary forms Of transmissions
that they are now negotiating for a site
on which to erect a plant for manu-
featuring. Several men Of wealth are said
10 be behind the proposition.
Whether the new company will manu-
facture complete cars equipped with the
new electric transmission, or whether the
gasolene motor and new electric trans
mission will be manufactured as a single
unit and sold to the manufacturers OF
cars is to be determined.
Bakers new transmission, applicable 10
any gasolene motor-driven car, eliminates
the present gear-driven transmission
clutch, fiywheel, self-starter and gener-
ator for the charging OF batteries, now
part Of automobile equipment The trans
mission, in the opinion Of Baker, his
associates and others who have examined
II, will reduce to the least possible effort
the starting and driving OF a gasolene
uiotor-driven car.
A car equipped with the new electric
Transmission is being used daily by
Isal,er. The drive is considered even more
sim Die than that OF electric automobiles.
To start, a switch is turned, button
~ red and the motor self-cranked and
= ing. The release OF a brake and foot
sure on a pedal. corresponding 20 the
n Of the ordinary motor car, is the
Ing secret
ere are no gears to shift, no throttle
park levers to manipulate. All speeds
at instant control by the mere press
OF the left food. The car, on all
DIS except what ordinarily is termed
speed, Is dually driven by the gaso-
motor and an electric motor, which
a part of the transmission. Power for
re electric motor is generated in the
waste energy ordinarily lost In the pres
ent clutch. so necessary a part Of the
present motor car.
The ordinary gasolene motor located in
the usual place at the head OF the car, Is
hooked on to an electric clutch, which
is part Of the generator. The other part
of this clutch is revolved by the gasolene
motor. The inner part Of the clutch Is
connected directly with the propeller
shaft to the rear drive wheels. The out
s,4a Of the eletric clutch is wrapped with
Go lNyi In y
field Of an electric generator or dynamo,
the inner part being the armature.
Directly back OF the dual clutch-gen-
orator is a small electric motor. This
motor assists the gasolene engine In driv-
ing the rear axle. On the lower speeds
this makes most OF the driving force come
from the electric motor. always assisted
and edualized by the force Of the gaso-
lene motor.
II is possible, according TO Baker, to
stand still on any one Of the speeds with
the clutch in, power applied and the mo-
tor turning over without any possibility
of the motor stalling or being choked of
as would be the case with the present
gear transmission and clutch. On high
speed the electric generator clutch be-
come a magnetic clutch, the generator Is
short circuIted and both the field and ar
mature part revolve at the same speed
the power being supplied directly 10 the
rear drive axle. The generator being tenn
porarily eliminated on high speed the
motor runs free.
In the other speeds the slip OF what IL
the clutch in the ordinary motor car pro-
duces electricity which is used TO furnish
power 20 the electric motor, adding Its
power TO the drive shaft. The combina-
ton OF electricity with the driving power
Of, the gasolene motor, eliminating the
gears and grind and jerk Of the ordinary
clutch, gives the unlimited elasticity
which makes this transmission most sim
pie, but maintaining high efficiency with
absolute control at all times.
While the electric Transmission weighs
considerable. ii eliminates and takes the
place Of the nywheel. the clutch. the gear
Transmission, the heavy self-starter and
generator and the weight is less in pro-
portion. The result, summed up by
Baker, is that there is no additional
weight, increased efficiency and partic-
ularly a minimum of effort required for
operation.