Automotive Electricity: Electric Drive

Chapter 3

Electric-Powered Vehicles ¹

3.1. History

In 1901, in view of its performance, the future looked bright for the electric vehicle. It was possible to imagine installing charging stations where during the night it would be possible to recharge a battery that was discharged after a day’s use, or change an empty battery for a full one. However from 1907, the newspapers began to declare that the electric vehicle was in decline: although it did not present any disadvantages at start-up and it was clean, it remained a city car or one of luxury, very easy to drive, for example, on a small excursion. It only had one electric motor, light but robust: on slopes, for example, it could develop power twice that of normal power without dangerous overheating. Its two 110 V battery groups (at the front and back), were high-capacity and robust accumulators for long journeys. But its price still often remained rather high, due to the accumulator battery itself, which provided its autonomy. In fact, the conclusion was quickly reached that: “The electric car has hardly progressed in the last ten years, and we can say that, generally speaking, it is not practical. We have managed to develop cars able to cover nearly 100 km without recharging, and I believe that it is a maximum. Moreover, the speeds reached are low because we are obliged to protect the accumulators, and these are, in addition, always heavy and cumbersome. The electric car can, in special circumstances (proximity of an electric ...