Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-01-12
REVIEW SHOWS
LIGHT ELECTRICS
GAIN in FAVOR
Growing Prestige of Com
mercial Wagons, Taxicabs
and Roadsters
DEVELOPMENT is SLOW
Rv A. JACKSON MARSHALL
!. ,..s-o,arv Electric vehicle Association
ceeie'N'' of America,

Of America.
r.. fost wear has seen many changes
~ ir,nroyements in the electric vehicle
s1srstrv. all of which point to an unusu-
ai,s bright future, both for the electric
= the commercial field and as a passen-
~. ~ bar There have been no sudden, illu-
~, sn,irts of popularity in the progress
~ the electric vehicle; rather 1t has been
rradual steady growth, forming
rood strong foundation upon which to
ssDgd up its ever-increasing business.
seer since the transportation world has
A.,ognized the value of the motortruck
- medium for transporting merchan-
Stso II has invariably been admitted In
.hn larger cities, where there are oppor
,,,ritles of testing the various forms of
,r,oks that while the gasoline motor
trick is especially adapted for long, un-
interrupted hauls, the electric vehicle Is
the desirable and economical vehicle Tor
city and suburban work.
The Boston Institute of Technology,
.mnloylng the best authorities In an un-
biased study of transportation problems,
hears out this statement of the electric's
sSantabllty to city traffic after four years
~ observation and statistical study. In.
dsed, all we need do is to observe the
large fleets of electrics in our city streets
which have been adopted by our largest
and most conservative business houses.
LIGHT ELECTRIC WAGON.
That the horse and wagon are gradu-
ally Being displaced by the light electric
delivery wagon has been demonstrated
carried on by n well-known manufac-
turer of vehicles of that type. Within its
capacity rating the small 750-pound cleo
trio delivery wagon costs less to operate
than single-horse wagon and can per-
form far greater amount of work.
Where conditions are such as TO de-
mand ranges of 80, 40 or so miles per
day, the saving obtained by the use of
this car may actually cover Its cost in
less than two years, and this after all
other running expenses have been paid
for. II costs less to keep this car in tires
than It. does to keep n single horse In
shoes for the same work done. For equal
service the cost of current at cents per
skIlowatt hour amounts to but half the
cost OF hay and oats alones In New York
city more than so livery stables have
expressed willingness to store and wash
this car for $40 per month. These same
stables get from S27 to $50 per month for
stabIing and otherwise caring for. n single
horse and wagon, and there is profit in
the former and almost inevitable loss in
the latter
Another important development of the
electric vehicle during the last year in
a special field is its adoption for munich
pal service by many of our most progress
slve cities In one form or another. 1t is
with considerable interest that fire chiefs
throughout the country are watching the
results and performance of electrically
propelled fire trucks and engines in the
cities where they have been adopted.
The very latest development and one
which will play an Important part in
further popularizing the passenger cleo
trlc, Is the electrically driven taxicab.
The present gasoline taxicab service in
many OF our larger cities and especially
New York is inefficient in many in
stances unsafe and costly to operate.