techdirections November 2012 : Page 16

Electric Vehicles —A Historical Snapshot Thomas E. Kraft tekraft1905@gmail.com D ID you know there are three electric vehicles on the moon? That talk show host Jay Leno and inventor Thomas Edison both own/owned the same type of electric vehicle (EV)? Have you ever heard of a “milk ﬂoat”? If you were to ask a student in a technology or science class about the history of EVs, would they likely say that it involves a recent technol-ogy? Actually—and surprising to most people—the history of electric vehicles predates the Civil War. This article provides a historical snap-shot of EVs to pique your and your students’ interest in this important transportation technology. there were more than 30 prominent manufacturers of electric vehicles in the U.S.—Baker, Detroit, General Electric, Studebaker, and Woods to name just a few. The company to survive the longest was Detroit Elec-tric, which manufactured EVs from 1907 until 1939. In 2007, Detroit Elec-Torpedo Racers and the EV1 There is an interesting parallel be-tween EVs designed at the beginning and the end of the 20th century. Fast cars in the early 1900s were electric. Walter C. Baker, founder of the Baker Motor Co., manufactured EVs from 1899 until 1914. He also designed and The GM EV1 Impact EV Beginnings European and American inventors were working with dc current and commutators long before the Civil War in the United States. The earliest electric vehicles are attributed to a number of inventors and dated to the 1830s. Their vehicles included mod-els, carriages, and railway cars. In the last half of the 19th century, electric motor technology improved dramatically, and in 1859 France’s Gaston Plante invented the recharge-able lead-acid battery. This set the stage for the development of electric vehicles. Between the last part of the 19th century and the ﬁrst part of the 20th, Thomas E. Kraft is a retired associ-ate professor of industrial technology education. He taught at the University of Nebraska. EV1 images cour-tesy of RightBrain-Photography (Rick Rowen) EV1 central dash panel showing range left, battery charge, speed, and trip length tric was revived as a joint venture between U.S. and Chinese companies with the goal of researching, design-ing, marketing, and selling Pure Electric Vehicles (PEVs). To be as-sembled in Malaysia, these vehicles are destined for U.S., Chinese, and European markets. built fast EVs that he called Torpedo Racers. Baker was the ﬁrst to break the 100-mile-per-hour barrier in an au-tomobile. His vehicles were known for their shoulder restraints and aerodynamics. The aerodynamics of Baker’s Torpedo Racers was con-16 tech directions X NOVEMBER 2012

Electric Vehicles —A Historical Snapshot

Thomas E. Kraft

DID you know there are three electric vehicles on the moon? That talk show host Jay Leno and inventor Thomas Edison both own/owned the same type of electric vehicle (EV)? Have you ever heard of a “milk float”? If you were to ask a student in a technology or science class about the history of EVs, would they likely say that it involves a recent technology? Actually—and surprising to most people—the history of electric vehicles predates the Civil War. This article provides a historical snapshot of EVs to pique your and your students’ interest in this important transportation technology. EV Beginnings European and American inventors were working with dc current and commutators long before the Civil War in the United States. The earliest electric vehicles are attributed to a number of inventors and dated to the 1830s. Their vehicles included models, carriages, and railway cars. In the last half of the 19th century, electric motor technology improved dramatically, and in 1859 France’s Gaston Plante invented the rechargeable lead-acid battery. This set the stage for the development of electric vehicles. Between the last part of the 19th century and the first part of the 20th,there were more than 30 prominent manufacturers of electric vehicles in the U.S.—Baker, Detroit, General Electric, Studebaker, and Woods to name just a few. The company to survive the longest was Detroit Electric, which manufactured EVs from 1907 until 1939. In 2007, Detroit Electric was revived as a joint venture between U.S. and Chinese companies with the goal of researching, designing, marketing, and selling Pure Electric Vehicles (PEVs). To be assembled in Malaysia, these vehicles are destined for U.S., Chinese, and European markets. Torpedo Racers and the EV1 There is an interesting parallel between EVs designed at the beginning and the end of the 20th century. Fast cars in the early 1900s were electric. Walter C. Baker, founder of the Baker Motor Co., manufactured EVs from 1899 until 1914. He also designed and built fast EVs that he called Torpedo Racers. Baker was the first to break the 100-mile-per-hour barrier in an automobile. His vehicles were known for their shoulder restraints and aerodynamics. The aerodynamics of Baker’s Torpedo Racers was considered decades ahead of their time (see photos at www.landspeedracing.com/2008/08newsletter73). Also, Baker was known for some spectacular crashes—all of which he survived thanks to his safety harness. As a result of his crashes, he was known as “Bad Luck Baker.” Fast forward to the end of the 20th century. Picture a two-seat, two-door coupe with sleek aerodynamics. Add upgraded electronics, a single-speed reduction transmission, and a 312 Vac induction motor that would accelerate to 60 mph in eight seconds. General Motors built over 1,000 of these pure electric vehicles from 1996 through 1999. GM called it the EV1 Impact and made it available to the public by lease only. The Impact had a drag coefficient that is the lowest of any production automobile. In 2003, GM reclaimed the majority of these vehicles, loaded them on freight cars, shipped them to its proving grounds in Arizona, and crushed them. At the time, GM believed that the public was not ready for an electric car and that as a consequence one would not be profitable. Today, some of these vehicles still exist at museums and educational institutions with their power trains permanently disabled. Leno’s Baker Electric and Edison’s Battery Have you ever taken a peek into Jay Leno’s garage? Its contents include an eclectic collection of aircraft, motorcycles, and automobiles. For electrics, a sample of Leno’s vehicles include a Smart car, a Think car, a bicycle, a motorcycle, an environmental concept car, a Tesla Roadster, plus an antique that is over 100 years old. The antique is a 1909 Baker Electric. (You’ll find an interesting article by Leno about his electric cars at www.popularmechanics.com/ cars/jay-leno/vintage/4215940.) At one point in their production history, Baker Electric vehicles had the option of being equipped with alkaline batteries designed by Thomas Edison. Instead of lead plates like a typical lead-acid battery, Edison used iron and nickelic oxide plates, and in place of sulfuric acid, he used an alkaline electrolyte of potassium hydroxide. Like the creators of today’s lithium-ion batteries, Edison was in search of more energy density from the same or a smaller package. Twelve 6 V batteries totaling 72 V power Leno’s 1909 Baker Electric. Top speed is 25 mph with a range of 110 miles. Coincidentally, Edison also owned a Baker Electric. According the Wikipedia article on the Baker Motor Vehicle, it was Edison’s first car. At the turn of the century, a two-seat Baker Electric vehicle cost $850. That is just a drop in the bucket compared with four EVs that were built some 70 years later for the space program. LRVs and the Citicar How about a ride in a multi-million dollar EV? This four-wheeled, battery- powered vehicle weighed only 436 pounds and had its own satellite dish and TV camera. It looked like a dune buggy, was known as the moon buggy, and was designed to operate on the surface of the moon. Ever heard of a folding bicycle? Well, these were folding lunar roving vehicles (LRVs) stored in the underside of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Lunar Module. Built primarily from aluminum with tires that were 32" in diameter and 9" wide, the LRV was designed to operate at one-sixth the gravity of the Earth and could accommodate a payload of 1,080 pounds, including one or two astronauts, their equipment, and moon rocks. Boeing entered a contract to build four moon buggies, or LRVs, for NASA. The final cost was $38 million, which included additional LRV models for testing and training the astronauts. Today, three LRVs remain on the moon from the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 missions. The fourth was used for spare parts when the remaining Apollo missions were cancelled. Four dc 0.25 hp motors drove each LRV and two dc 0.1 hp motors provided steering for the vehicle. Two 36 V silver-zinc potassium hydroxide non-rechargeable batteries provided vehicular power. A T-shaped hand controller located between the seats permitted vehicle control and movement. A computer calculated the distance and direction back to the Lunar Module. The LRVs had a range of 57 miles and they were each used three times per moon mission. Apollo 17 used its LRV the most, a total of 4 hours and 26 minutes covering a distance of 22.3 miles. All the Apollo missions were launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The last missions occurred during the first part of the 1970s. At nearly the same time, another EV was under development not far from the Space Coast in Florida. The Sebring-Vanguard Citicar was produced in Sebring, FL, during the mid-1970s. Compared with an LRV, the Citicar was at the opposite end of the technology spectrum—simple, uncomplicated, and economical. It represented the first attempt to mass-produce a modern electric car in the U.S. since the 1930s. This two-door, two-seat electric car weighed in initially at just 1,100 pounds. Designed and built around a golf cart, it was 5' shorter than a Volkswagen Beetle. The aluminum chassis included a roll cage, and the body was molded from ABS plastic, the same material used to make football helmets. Compared with a 1974 Ford LTD, the Citicar occupied three and a half times less the square footage. Bob Beaumont, a visionary who saw the need for pollution-free electric transportation, was the driving force behind the development of the Citicar. It came in three models: a coupe, the SV-48, and a Model A. These models were equipped with dc motors of 2.5 hp from a 36 V battery pack, a 3.5 hp, 48 V pack, and a 6 hp, 48 V pack respectively. Barbara E. Taylor documents the Citicar story in The Last Cord: The Storytellers History of the Electric Car. The car’s demise was initiated by unfavorable ratings from Consumers Union. A total of 2,225 Citicars were sold, and 20 years later at least 300 were still being driven. A slow moving vehicle, top speed on a Citicar was 38 mph. Across the Atlantic, a very functional slow moving vehicle was also being mass-produced. The UK’s Milk Float I would be remiss in this historical coverage if I only discussed electric vehicles built in the U.S. Among others, Japan and Europe share in the history of this technology as well. In Europe, the United Kingdom (UK) was a leading manufacturer of EVs. By the 1970s, the UK had 150,000 EVs of one sort or another. One of the best-known vehicles is called the “milk float.” These milk delivery trucks traveled slowly, topping out at 25 mph. Their range was generally around 30 miles. Milk floats are durable, reliable, pollution free, and generally noise free. Their operation generally takes place at night or during the early morning hours. The only proof of their existence (to those who work during normal hours) is new containers of milk sitting at the back door in the morning. Their combination of a sturdy chassis and basic cab with a canopy made for an indestructible vehicle. Many milk floats originally built in the 1960s are still in service in Britain today. As the demand for milk delivery has declined, some vehicles have been sold and retrofitted for use as passenger vehicles, pastry delivery, trash collection, recycling trucks, and luggage transporters. Technically, the battery packs in these vehicles vary from 48 V to 132 V. Their marketability in the U.S. was limited because of the right-hand drive and charging systems that use a different frequency (50 Hz). Final Thoughts As you can see, the electric vehicle has an interesting and storied history. The old cliché that history repeats itself is evident when you review the on-again off-again nature of this technology. This is especially true in the U.S. where the tenuous circumstances of the electric vehicle have been tied to a variety of factors, particularly the supply and cost of oil/gasoline. In recent years, many new EVs and new EV manufacturers have appeared, such as Tesla, Detroit Electric, and Phoenix. And familiar names like Chevrolet, Nissan, and Mitsubishi are also involved in the EV-manufacturing game. According to the website Plug In America, every major automotive manufacturer worldwide is developing some sort of plug-in electric vehicle. This time around, I suspect electric vehicles are here to stay.

Previous Page Next Page

Publication List
Using a screen reader? Click Here