Improvements in Electric Motor Propelled Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Feb., 1897
Complete Specification Left. 22nd Nov., 1897-Accepted, 29th Jan.. 1898
Improvements in Electric Motor Propelled Vehicles.
We, HENRY GURNEY MORRIS, of 318, South 10th Street, Mechanical Engineer, and
PEDRO GROTJAU SALOM, of 4702, Chester Avenue, Chemist, both in the City and County
of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, one of the United States of America, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of our invention is to construct an electrically propelled carriage or
wagon in such a manner that the driving mechanism will be carried by the front
axle, making the front wheels the driving wheels, with steering mechanism
connected to the rear wheels, as fully described hereafter.
The particular advantage of this construction is that the motors can be mounted
on the front axle so as to always be in line therewith and they can be directly geared to
the driving wheels, while the storage batteries can be contained in a compartment
above the front axle and preferably under the seat of the operator, so that carriage
bodies of different designs may be combined with the box for the storage batteries
and, when necessary, delivery wagons and trucks may also be combined therewith
and these wagons in addition may have compartments for the storage batteries
extending under their floors, where additional power is required.
One of the features of this invention is the mounting of two independent motors
on each axle, one motor being geared to one driving wheel and the other motor being
geared to the other driving wheel. The motors, however, are wired to a controller so
that while they work in unison they drive independently so as to enable the carriage
to more readily turn curves and to respond quickly to the steering mechanism.
The form of vehicle we prefer to use has a front axle on which are loosely mounted
the two driving wheels, preferably, provided with rubber tires, and hung to the axle
are two motors arranged side by side; these electric motors may be of any ordinary
or suitable type and the shafts of each motor may be either indirectly or directly
geared to an internal gear wheel on its driving wheel.
Above the box containing the batteries is the driver's seat and under the seat is a
controller wired to the motors and having a handle within easy reach of the driver so
that the motors will be under his control. Thus it will be seen that all the operating
mechanism for the carriage or wagon is carried at the front of the vehicle, so that a
wagon body of any suitable design may be used in connection therewith, without
altering any of the working parts.
The steering is accomplished by mechanism connected to the axles of the rear
wheels, the axles being short independent sections and each axle passes through a
box on a vertical shaft, which is adapted to a bearing on a frame which supports the
rear of the carriage or wagon through the medium of springs. The inner end of each
axle is connected by rods to a two-armed lever attached to a vertical shaft extending
up through the battery box on the front of the vehicle and provided with an arm
which is connected to a steering lever or shaft within easy reach of the driver so that
on moving the lever or shaft the rear wheels will be turned in unison to the degree
required.
We may apply braking mechanism to the motors by providing each motor shaft

page_text: with a grooved wheel to which is adapted the brake band connected to a brake lever
adjacent to the drivers seat.
The side lights of the vehicle may be arranged at each side of the battery box and
be illuminated by electric lamps connected to the batteries.
When brakes are required for the wheels we may mount them similarly to those of
ordinary wagons.
As a modification of the steering gear we may swivel the hubs of the rear axles on
vertical rods and mount the wheels beyond these hubs and on the vertical rods above
the axles we mount coiled springs which support the rear of the vehicle. The inner
ends of the axles are provided with arms which are connected by rods to a two-armed
lever and one of these arms is connected to the steering lever at the front of the
vehicle by a rod.
When the vehicle is used as a delivery wagon we may form the supporting frame
for the driving mechanism at the front of the vehicle of tubes or rods so shaped as to
form two circular end sections connected by transverse rods or tubes. This frame is
secured to the body of the vehicle and elliptical springs are mounted within the rings
and connected to the front axle. The motors are mounted on this front axle and are
yieldingly connected to the frame.
The perch of the wagon is also connected to this frame and extends to a cross bar
at the rear, to which the upper portion of the fifth wheel or segment is attached and
on which the rear axle swings. The rear axle is connected to a steering shaft at the
front of the vehicle.
Dabad thin oond tow of Dobruary 1807
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.
Improvements in Electric Motor Propelled Vehicles.
We, HENRY GURNEY MORRIS, of 318, South 10th Street, Mechanical Engineer, and
PEDRO GROTJAM SALOM, of 4702, Chester Avenue, Chemist, both in the City and
County of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, one of the United States of America,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The object of our invention is to so construct an electrically propelled vehicle that
the motor and batteries will be carried by the front wheels so that any form of body
can be attached thereto and carried by the rear wheels.
Heretofore in the manufacture of electric carriages in which batteries are used, the
battery box was supported by the front and rear trucks, so that the entire carriage
had to be designed with special reference to the battery box and motors whereas
according to our invention we mount all the mechanism on the front truck and can
attach thereto a body portion either in the form of a coupe, landau, barouche, or any
form of wagon body, without disturbing the design of the driving parts of the
apparatus.
We will describe our invention with reference to the accompanying drawings:-
Figure 1 of which is a side view of a coupe made in accordance with our invention;
Figure 2 is a plan view, Figure 3, a front view, and Figure 4 a rear view of the
coupe, Figure 5 is a diagram of the gearing; and Figure 6, is a view shewing our
invention applied to a different style of carriage.
A is the front axle of the vehicle on which are mounted the driving wheels a a; B
are two motors mounted on the said axle, these motors are coupled independently to

page_text: the batteries and each motor is geared through a train of gearing to the driving
wheels, in the present instance through the gearing b, 61, 62, 63, Figure 5, the gear b³
is an internal gear secured in any manner to the driving wheel. It will be under-
stood that any form of gearing inay be used to couple the motors to the driving
wheels. The motors in the present instance have straps b* by which they are secured
to the axle, and tie rods 65 couple the motors to the forward portion of the running
gear so as to keep them in a fixed position.
In the present instance there is provided on each motor shaft a brake drum c to
which is adapted a brake strap or shoe c¹ connected by a rod c² to the brake lever C
within easy reach of the driver, so that instead of applying the brakes to the rims of
the wheels they are applied directly to the motor shaft.
D is the forward structure containing the batteries, this structure is mounted above
the front axle, on transverse springs d which are connected to side springs d'; the
springs d are mounted upon the axle A and are connected at their rear ends to the
carriage body; on this forward structure is the seat E for the driver.
The box D has suitable doors at the front so that the storage batteries can be
placed in position within the box without interfering with either the drivers seat or
the main body of the vehicle.
Under the drivers seat is the controller F, the drum of which controller has a wheel f
around which passes an endless chain f¹ the said chain also passing round a wheel f
mounted on a shaft carried in bearings under the drivers seat and on which shaft is
an operating arm f³ in easy reach of the driver, so that by moving the said armn the
electric motors can be controlled.
Extending rearward from the forward structure D, and mounted on the rear axle
or truck, is a vehicle body D', shewn in the drawing in the form of a coupe body
having a single seat and side doors; this body is connected to the forward structure
at d².
It will be seen that the connections between the batteries and the controller, and
between the controller and the motors, are short and that the invention can be readily
applied to any style of carriage or wagon the parts always bearing the same relation
to each other. The main body of the carriage may be of different designs and may
have two or more seats, or may be designed as a delivery wagon without changing
the arrangement of the forward parts hereinbefore described.
G is the rear truck frame having the cross bar g, brace g² and vertical bearings g¹,
to which are adapted vertical studs projecting from the short rear axles G¹ on which
are mounted the rear wheels G².
Projecting from the inner ends of the short axles G' are arms g³ each arm being
connected by a rod to a two-armed lever H situated near the front of the vehicle
and mounted on a vertical shaft H¹ having its bearings in the box section D of the
the carriage body, and also in a bracket h¹ projecting from the main body portion.
On the upper end of this shaft H¹ is an arm h connected by a rod h² to one arm of
the steering lever H2 pivoted at h³ to a stand H³ mounted on the box in front of the
drivers seat. By moving the lever H2 in one direction or the other the wheels G²
can be shifted to turn the vehicle in the direction required.
Projecting from each side of each bearing g' are brackets g' to which are hung the
springs I which support the rear of the body portion D¹ of the vehicle.
At each side of the drivers seat are lamp casings M M fitted with incandescent
electric lamps connected to the storage batteries so that they can be lighted by
simply switching on the current.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The combination in an electrically propelled vehicle, of the front axle, motor
mounted thereon, a forward structure forming part of the vehicle body, and located
directly above the front axle, and carrying the battery, a rear axle, and a carriage or

page_text: wagon body extending from the front structure and mounted upon the rear axle,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The combination in an electrically propelled vehicle, of the front axle, its wheels,
a motor or motors mounted on the front axle, a rear axle, wheels thereon, a battery
carrying structure arranged directly above the front axle, a body mounted upon the
rear axle and connected to the said battery carrying structure, the motors being
geared to the front wheels, and steering mechanisin connected to the rear wheels,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. The combination in an electrically propelled vehicle, of the front axle, two inde-
pendent wheels thereon, two motors on the axle, one motor geared to one wheel and
the other motor geared to the other wheel, a rear axle, wheels thereon, a battery
carrying structure mounted above the front axle and motors carried thereby, and a
body attached to the said structure and supported by the rear axle, with steering
mechanism, substantially as herein before described.
4. The combination in an electrically propelled vehicle, of the front axle, its
wheels, motors on the front axle, one motor geared to one wheel and the other motor
geared to the other wheel, springs mounted on the axle, a battery holding structure
mounted above the front axle and supported by the springs, a rear axle and its
wheels, springs carried thereby and a body attached to the battery carrying structure
and mounted on the springs of the rear axle, substantially as herein before described.
5. The combination in an electrically propelled vehicle, of the front axle, its wheels,
an internal gear mounted on each wheel, two motors mounted on the front axle and
having pinions, the pinion of one motor geared to the internal gear of one wheel and
the pinion of the other motor geared to the internal gear of the other wheel, springs
on the front axle, a battery carrying structure mounted on the springs directly over
the front axle so that the front wheels will sustain the weight thereof, a rear axle and
its wheels, and a body attached to the battery carrying structure at its forward end
and carried at the rear by the rear axle, substantially as herein before described.
6. A body for electrically propelled vehicles, having a rear portion conforming to
the shape of the ordinary vehicle and having a forward portion extending over the
front axle and adapted to receive the electric batteries which supply the current to
drive the vehicle, substantially as hereinbefore described.
7. A body for electrically propelled vehicles having a rear portion conforming to
the shape of the ordinary vehicle, and having a seat, or seats, a front portion extend
ing over the front axle and adapted to contain the battery cells that supply the cur-
rent to drive the vehicle, and the drivers seat mounted upon this forward portion,
substantially as herein before described.
8. A body for electrically propelled vehicles having a rear portion conforming to
the shape of an ordinary vehicle and having a forward portion extending over the
front axle and open in front to receive the electric batteries which supply the current
to drive the vehicle and doors for closing said opening, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
9. An electrically propelled vehicle as hereinbefore described and shewn in the
accompanying drawings.
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JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.