New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-05
FIECTRICS CHARGED
IN TEN MINUTES

and appeals TO hundreds Of Thousands
Of people as against few hundred
who have benefited by II In Hartford.
There a similar system has been quietly
operating as a sort Of try-out for the
past two or three years. According 70
Automobile Topics" which has re-
Gently made an investigation Of the r.
suits. It has proved very pleasing 10
the users and IL is said that the yshl
cles which are equipped with renting
system now control the market almost
absolutely in the city OF Hartford.
Boston was startled last week by "a
announcement Of a committee inter.
ested In the battery renting system FOR
that city. The members OF the com
mittee are as follows:
Floyd T. Taylor. district sales mana.
ger The Cutler-Hammer Manufaet1r.
ing Company; K. B. Daggett, manager
New England district Commercial
Truck Company Of America; P. Z. Ksl.
lev. manager Boston Office Philadelphia
Storage Battery Company; Georss
W. Holden, New England manager Ed
son Storage Battery Company; W. 2.
Haseltine. assistant general manager
Holtzer-Cabot Electric Company;
John A. White. New England manager
United States Light and Heating CON-
panv; VI. O. White. Boston manager
ONO Electric and Ward Electric Truck;
!. ". Emery New England manager
Waller Vehicle Company, and VI. T.
Bracket. Boston branch manager Cen
eral Motor Truck Company.
The announcement at the Hub ere
atcd something Of sensation among
. = f.fa fvs TX
appeared 20 be on the outside. In
/ vestigation showed, however, tina.
there is little room for alarm IN the
trade. There are certain patent con.
alterations which are apparently con.
trolled by the General Vehicle Com.
pany, Of Long Island City, but. so far
there Is no intimation that these pat.
ents cannot he used by all OF III.
electric vehicle manufacturers whs
desire 20 put out vehicles 70 operate
under a battery renting system.
Central charging stations in New
England have already been advised
that the battery exchange plan will
be available for every make OF eleetris
truck and passenger vehicle
One Of the first steps toward putting
a renting system into effect will be
the establishment of standard sizes
of batteries in order that there may
be a free interchange and prevent the
necessity for supply stations TO carry
great variety of sizes.
Bad features may develop as the
undertaking progresses, but II LOOKS
like a wonderful step forward in favor
of the storage battery car. One OF
the great drawbacks TO this vehicle
has always been the time required In
recharging. In the case Of the pleasure
vehicle, driven all day, il is necessary.
to deposit il at a charging station
early enough in the evening to permit
Of a long, slow charge. In takes, In
fact, almost as long to recharge bat
terry as It does 10 exhaust IL by use.
This has proved something OF q draw.
back 10 the sale Of both pleasure and
commercial electric vehicles.
With the adoption of a quick ex.
change rental system, the owner OF an
electric vehicle would merely have TO
familiarize himself with the location
of charging stations, and II these were
well located throughout the country,
he could tour practically from coast
to coast and from Florida to Mains
with the assurance that he could al.
wavs find power and not be compelled
TO lose time in waiting for an exchange
OF battery.
In theory the project looks good,
but. of course, il all depends on the
working out of the details and upon
the establishment of reliable supply
stations in every part of the country.
Immense capital will be required 70
do this, and it is only q development
which could be undertaken by a com.
bination of the large corporations
which have been mentioned. Charging
stations are already literally distrib.
uted over the country, so the greatest
expense in putting a renting system
into operations would be supplying
these stations with a stock of bat
teries.
Just how the owner will be charged
does not seem to have been decided
yet, but he will very likely be called
upon to pay a fixed rate whenever he
makes an exchange OF discharged
! battery for new one.