Improvements in Electrically Propelled Motor Road Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Feb., 1897-Accepted, 26th Feb., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electrically Propelled Motor Road Vehicles.
I, LUDWIG EPSTEIN, of No. 28, Victoria Street, Westminster, in the County
of London, Electrical Engineer, 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 :—
In my Specification No. 15564 of 1895 I have described an electrically propelled
vehicle provided with a motor engine which can be applied while the vehicle is at rest
to work a dynamo and thereby charge accumulators from which the dynamo can
then be worked as a motor propelling the vehicle. My present invention relates to
improvements in a vehicle of this kind, particularly in respect of the arrangement
of the motor engine, the dynamo and the gearing as I shall describe referring to the
accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a side view, Figure 2 is a front view the fore carriage being removed,
and Figure 3 is a plan the seats being removed, of an electrically propelled vehicle
according to my invention.
A is the motor engine which may be an oil motor, a is its fly wheel, and a¹ a
toothed wheel on its crank shaft. B is the dynamo electric machine of such
construction that it can work as an electromotor. It has on its shaft a pinion b
which can be slid into or out of gear with the wheel a' on the engine shaft. It
has also on its shaft another pinion 6' which can be slid into or out of gear with
a wheel c on a countershaft C which extends across the vehicle and has fixed on
each end of it a sprocket pinion c. These pinions drive by chains sprocket
wheels on the axle of the driving wheels D. On the countershaft C is fixed a
brake drum E having its brake worked by a treadle e. The front wheels F have
their axles pivotted on the ends of a cross bar f and have lever arms f¹ connected
by rods f to an intermediate lever f³ by moving which both the wheels F are
simultaneously partly turned on their pivots thus steering the vehicle.
Above the machinery, seats G are arranged like those of a dog cart, and under
the hinder seat is an accumulator H or a group of accumulators.
Another accumulator or group K may also be arranged on the fore carriage.
The axle of the driving wheels D and the cross bar f are suspended from springs S
on which rests the rectangular frame L which carries the floor and seats and
bearings for the shafts. Vehicles of any other kind may be used.
When the vehicle is at rest the pinion b being in gear with the wheel a' and
the pinion 61 being out of gear with the wheel c the motor engine A is worked
driving the dynamo B which charges the accumulators H and K.
When the vehicle is to run, the pinion b is disengaged from a¹, and 61 is engaged
with c and then the accumulators supply electric energy to work the dynamo B
as a motor, which drives the countershaft C the sprocket pinions c¹ the sprocket
wheels and the driving wheels D.
The driver standing on the platform of the front carriage can steer by moving
the lever arm ƒ³ and can retard or stop it by acting with his foot on the treadle e.
Suitable electric switches of any known kind are also provided whereby the driver
can close or open the circuit of the accumulators and electric motor.

page_text: In cases where extra power is required the engine and electro-motor may be
employed together for propulsion. This is effected by retaining both pinions b
and b¹ in gear with a¹ and c respectively.
The sprocket wheels d may be so connected to the road wheels D or their axle
that they can be unclutched so as to act as fly wheels for the engine when it is
driving the dynamo, in which case the fly wheel a can be dispensed with.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
-
An electrically propelled vehicle having a motor engine a dynamo electric machine,
accumulators and gearing arranged and operating substantially as described with
reference to the drawings.
Dated this 26th day of February 1897.
P
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.