Electric Car Companies H-I-J-K
Version 3.0
Electric
car companies of the world, made before 1940, and listed alphabetically by
brand name (when available).
Hobby
cars after 1908 are generally omitted. Most makers of commercial electric
vehicles are included, but not covered in detail.
The
years given each company represent the span of electric car production, not
necessarily the total life of the company. Many were previous horse-carriage,
or bicycle companies, and several continued to make internal combustion cars
post electric.
The
majority of
these listings were prototypes, and never produced in volume.
H
H & F Electric 1910
Frank D. Hovey and F. E. Foulke,
Detroit, MI
A prototype was exhibited featuring an aluminum-clad
body; it weighted 2,200 lbs, had a motor axle, and claimed a range of 140-150
miles per charge.
They were looking for capitol and a factory
location.
Hagen 1903-1908
Kölner Accumulatoren
Werke, Cologne-Kalk, Germany
Gottfried Hagen,
Cars, cabs (KAW),
and trucks (Urbanus)
based on Kriéger
patents
Hallford 1909-1910
England, Electric busses
Hansa-Lloyd 1913
Germany (see Lloyd)
Harper 1908
Harper Motor Co, Holburn
Junction, Aberdeen, Grampion, England
A builder of gas & steam vehicles that made a
prototype electric
Hart 1900-1901
E.W. Hart & Co, Luton, Bedfordshire, England
Hart was the British importer of Daimler & Lohner cars; he briefly sold an
electric under his own name. Hart also made an electric called the Lutonia, based on
the locus of manufacture.
Haschke 1904
& 1917
Julius E. Haschke,
Chicago, IL, Los Angeles, CA (c.1915)
Worked with Edison and Ford, held battery and
motor control patents.
Industrial truck (1917)
Haupt, Homer 1913 Ohio
Hautier 1899-1905
Sté Hautier,
Paris, France
Hawa 1923-1925
Hannoveresche Waggonfabrils
AG, Hanover, Germany
Headland 1897-1900
Headlands Patent Electric Storage Battery Co Ltd.
669-673
High Road, Leyton, London E10
Showrooms,
12 Pall Mall, London SW
Henry William headland
Headland held the patent
for a drive system designed by James T. Robson, with two motors in one case
The cars featured
Headland Accumulators.
1897
Dog cart, rear drive, 4-passengers dos-à-dos, and
center pivot steering by means of a crank handle.
Mail Phaëton, (converted
from a horse drawn vehicle) 3-hp
Phaëton 2-Passengers, chain
drive to front axle
Phaëton 3-Passengers, with
3 hp motor, front axle driven by worm gear
Victoria. 4-passengers, inside toothed ring gears on
front wheels, driven by pinions on motor shaft.
Healey 1910-1916
Healey & Co, 1654 Broadway, New York, NY
Custom coachbuilder, General Warren Mansfield
Healy, made at least 400 front-wheel-drive electric cars to order. The first
client was the car’s designer, William Henry Douglas, of New Jersey. The cars
were driven by two motors through U Joints to the pivoting front wheels. The
steering system used a pair of counter rotating worm gears.
This was the town car of choice for the very
wealthy. Three cars were built for J. D. Rockefeller Sr. Three for his brother
William, and one for Mrs. George S. Bowdoin (a Morgan partner). General Healey
had official use of the Edison battery (along with Bailey & Anderson/Detroit).
Hedag 1905
Hamburger Elektrische Aktien Gesellschaft, Hamburg, Germany
German cabs licensed from Kiéger.
Two-motor front wheel drive/steer Broughams and
Landaulets for taxi service in Hamburg.
All Krieger vehicles used the same front traction device, two series/parallel wound 3-kW motors rotated the front wheels by a pinion on each motor, engaging a large inside toothed ring gear on each front wheel.
Helvetia 1899-1900 Compagnie des Voitueres Electric
Helvetia, Combs-la-ville, France
Henry 1899
The Stanley
Electric Manufacturing Co, Denver, Colorado
Electric railway engineer John C. Henry said he
was building an all-electric car, with dynamic braking recharging the battery,
and electric steering. He passed away before he could build much. Henry’s
patent was for a Steam/Electric hybrid
Henshel 1899-1906
Berliner Mascinenfabrik
Henschel & Co, Berlin, Germany
Electric
and gasoline cars and cabs
Hercules 1903
The Federal Manufacturing Co,
American Trust Building, Cleveland, OH
Hayden Eames, from Columbia, designed a platform for a small single chain runabout
using a Westinghouse motor and
controller. One bought the running gear from Federal, built an angle iron frame from the design provided, add a
simple piano box body, and voilà; one had a car.
Hercules 1907
James Mac Naughton Co, Chicago, IL
2
& 4 seat models
Hercules 1908
Hercules Electric Co, Indianapolis, IN
H. G. Cox, VP & secretary
Hercules Electric 1914-1915
Hercules Motor Car Co, New Albany, IN
An assembled
car
Hertner 1906
Hertner Electric Company, Cleveland,
OH
John H. Hertner and De
Witt C. Cookingham
Hertner supplied traction
motors and controllers for the 1905 Rauch
& Lang electric coaches. Around 1906 they decided to produce a car of
their own. Hertner
seems to have made at least one proto-type vehicle, and published a very fancy
sales catalog.
Alarmed by the prospect of their supplier becoming
a competitor: Rauch & Lang bought
Hertner.
Hewitt 1900-1901
Hewitt-Lindstrom Motor Vehicle Co, Chicago, IL
Charles A. Lindstrom designed the motors, frame,
and batteries.
A bus, delivery, Omnibus
(Auto mag. Jan 1901), runabout, Stanhope, and Break.
Holson 1901-1909
Holson Motor patents Co Then, in
1909, Church Balance Gear Co Ltd.
Based on the patents of Albert B. Holson, Melvin B. Church, & Karsten
Knudsen
1901 Holson
Two-Wheeled Electric Vehicle; a prototype two wheel (side/side) vehicle. The
2-seat carriage hung Ferris-wheel style between two large wheels, with motors
in the hubs.
1904 Test
of Truck with Holson Gear Motor
Holtzer-Cabot 1891-1895
Holtzer-Cabot Electric Co, an
electrical equipment manufacturer in Brookline, MA.
Charles W. Holtzer &
George E. Cabot.
The company built two electric coaches for F.
Fiske Warren of Boston.
The 1891 coach seated two, and used a series wound
Immisch
traction motor that Mr. Warren had obtained in England. The motor ran up to 600
RPM producing 4-5 hp. Rawhide pinion gears on either end of the armature shaft
(with differential) drove rather large ring gears at each rear wheel. A
steering wheel turned the center pivot front carriage with a pinion gear and
curved rack; a foot pedal locked the wheel in place. The battery took up a
large tall box in the back holding forty 11-E chloride accumulators wired in
four blocks of ten cells each, providing speeds of 4, 8, & 16 mph on good
level roads. At 8 mph the car could go 40 miles on a charge. The carriage rode
on wood carriage wheels with steel tires. It weighed almost 3,000 Lbs.
Spring 1895, Holtzer-Cabot delivered a new open car to an unnamed “wealthy resident,” built
by Chauncey Thomas & Co (Boston)
in the style of a Break. It used ball bearing axles and had a series wound,
4-pole, 7½ hp, 250 RPM, motor, weighing 450 lbs, which drove the rear wheels
through an intermediate shaft by means of two chains. The 5,100 lb, bicycle-handlebar
steered, carriage could accommodate six passengers on three forward facing
seats. The position of the wheels could be locked in place by means of a toothed
segment. The two rear seats were mounted on a floor that was hinged behind the
front seat so they could be raised up for access to the 44-cell 250 Ampere-hour
battery. The lead chloride battery was in four groups of 11 cells switched for
speeds of 5, 8, & 15 mph.
Hoosier Scout 1914 Warren
Electric & Machine Co
Indianapolis, IN
Hoyt 1900
American Manufacturing Co
1904 Hoyt Electrical Instrument Works
Penacook, NH Meter
maker Adrian Hazen Hoyt was with Whitney as manager 1880-1900
1900 Hoyt is said to have built six electric and
five steam cars.
Hub 1899-1902
Hub Motor Transit Co, Chicago, IL
Charles Berg (real estate) and H. L. Irwin
(attorney). Designed by Fred J. Newman and Joseph (Josef) V. Ledwinka. (The Electrician,
London, Oct 26, 1900)
Their hub motor was patented Dec 5, 1899 #638,843.
This car utilized an 11-inch diameter motor in the
hub of all four wheels (pat #680,804), similar to the Porsche designs of 1900-1905.
Westinghouse made the motors in Pittsburg.
They were threatened by a suit from J. M. Hirsh of the United States Construction Co, who claimed Ledwinka
got the idea from him three years earlier while in his employ. Porsche made
vehicles of similar design in Austria about the same time.
Newman went on to work at Woods. Ledwinka became head engineer at Budd.
1899 Break, 4-passengers, lever steering, four-wheel
drive, 42” wood wheels, full elliptical springs at the corners restrained by
shackles with no reach rods between axles. Monocle headlight and forward
reflecting side lights. Three speeds 4, 7, & 15 mph. Wagon brakes were
applied at the rear tires.
Huebner 1914
O. E. Huebner, Brooklyn, NY
Cycle
car
Hunter Electric 1899-1904
Randolph M. Hunter, Philadelphia, PA
Hupp-Yeats 1910-1919
1910-1912
Hupp Corporation
115-185 Lycaste Street at
Jefferson Ave. (Factory 285 Monroe St). Detroit,
Michigan
1912-1914
R-C-H Corporation
133 Lycaste St., Detroit,
MI
1914-1919 Hupp-Yeats Electric Car Co Lycaste St. and the Detroit Terminal RR, Detroit, MI
Robert Craig Hupp worked for Ransom E. Olds and
Henry Ford. In 1908, he started the Hupp
Motor Car Co, maker of the Hupmobile.
Just as with Ford and Olds, who were forced to
sell their interest in eponymous first companies to their financial partners,
Hupp found that his idea of a car company was different than that of his
backers, as he wanted to become a major manufacturer quickly.
1910 R. C.
Hupp set up a new company, with his younger brother Louis G. Hupp, as secretary
and treasurer; also Robert T. Yeats and Sidney B. Winn. At first, his new
company was called the Hupp Corporation.
1911 Hupp
was forced off the board of the Hupp Motor Car Co, and the original company
sued to restrain him from using his name for any other car company.
1912 April,
Hupp lost the branding suit and changed the new company name to R-C-H Corp, using His initials. Bert Q.
Hazelwood (Grand Rapids), was VP
November 1, 1912, L. G. Hupp resigned.
Westinghouse sued for notes that
were not honored by the bank.
November
24, Robert C. Hupp, president; Charles P. Sieder, VP; J. H. Hartz, treasurer and general manager. Also on
the board of directors were; G. W. Rodgers (Akron, OH), J. G. Robertson
(Akron), C. G. McCutchin (Jackson, MI), John Kelsey
(Detroit), and Frederick Mason Randall (Detroit).
They
were represented in New York by M. G. MacDonald
1913 R-C-H reorganized by Charles P. Sieder.
1914 May, Hupp-Yeats split from R-C-H
1916 September,
3rd, A Michigan State factory report showed Hupp-Yeats
as having 7 employees.
The electric car kept the Hupp-Yeats name, featuring luxury coaches designed by mechanical
engineer Emil A. Nelson, who also designed explosion engines and cars for the Hupp Motor Car Company.
The car had a low hung body for ease of egress,
lower center of gravity, and a more modern look, using a Renault style hood. They called the cars “of French design.” The
low center of gravity was stressed as being a safety feature as well as a
styling element. The car originally used Hecla
steel bevel drive gears, with a very short drive shaft, in a dust proof housing
(originally of aluminum, later of cast Iron). A 4-pole Westinghouse motor (V-33, 48 Volt, 26 Amp, 1,700 rpm) was hinged to
the chassis at the suspension pivot point. A pinion gear was mounted at the end
of the motor’s armature shaft.
The chassis was of 5/32” thick pressed steel
channels, with a dropped frame. They advertised “less useless weight,” using
aluminum body panels and cast aluminum running boards. Fenders and hoods were
of steel.
The front suspension used half elliptic springs,
and the rear used ¾ elliptic springs. The rear axle was semi-floating with 1
3/8” shafts, on annular ball bearings.
The controller was a Westinghouse type 501 F2 continuous current controller, which gave
4-speeds to 17 mph. With use of a speed shunt it ran up to 20 mph. Two sets of
expanding rear drum brakes were operated by two foot-pedals.
1910 75 Regent Coupés were made by the years end, #13 was
shipped mid December.
1911
1-A
Regent Coupé, 4-passengers, 9”
ground clearance, Le Moine
front axle, a fairly small 54 Volt 135 A h battery was under the front hood,
dark blue leather upholstery, dark stained mahogany window frames, available in
French grey or Richelieu blue, 86” wb w/50” track, 32 x 3½ ” pneumatic tires,
120 tooth ring gear with straight bevel & 10-1 reduction, $1,750.
1912
Torpedo Runabout, $1,650
1-A
Regent Coupé, 4-passengers, dark
blue panels with black undercarriage, hand buffed gunmetal colored leather, 27
cell Hycap
battery under front hood, mileage recorder, 2,400 lbs, 86” wheelbase, Bailey tread tires, still $1,750
2-A Torpedo
Roadster,
on same platform, folding top and windshield, $1,650
1-B Patrician
Coupé,
the wheelbase was increased to 100”, claimed to be the longest in an electric. Panel
colors as requested, domestic broadcloth, whipcord, or leather upholstery. Mileage
recorder, Exide 13 plate Hycap or Ironclad battery of 30 cells, in three
trays under the bonnet, giving a claimed range of 100 miles, 2,750 lbs, $3,000
1-B Deluxe
Patrician Coupé,
4-passenger body 12” longer than the regular Coupé, morocco leather or French
tapestry upholstering, gold plated metalwork, 2,800 lbs, $4,000,
Royal Limousine, 5-passengers, 4 doors, wheel
steering, 2,950 lbs, $4,500,
Imperial Limousine, 5-passengers facing forward,
fancier interior than the Royal, with a glass partition that could be raised to
separate the front and rear compartments, wheel steering at the front, 2,950
lbs, $5,000
1913
Westinghouse type V33 motor, 26 Amperes,
to 1,700 RPM, short-coupled bevel drive
1-A Regent Coupé,
4-passengers, 8” ground clearance, frame had 9” rise at rear, 27-cell Exide battery in three trays, bevel/spur
drive with 4-1 reduction, 86” wb, semi-floating rear axle, lever steer
standard, 5-speed rotary controller,
$1,750
1-B Patrician Coupé, $2,150,
2-A Torpedo Runabout,
$1,650
1914
About 20 cars were made, from parts in stock, as
the company sought new capitol.
The company’s reputation was hurt by trouble with
the bevel drive unit, which the company essentially recalled in September of
1914. The whole rear axle assembly had to be removed from the car and shipped
back to the factory, the unit was returned with a new worm gear drive.
1915
An updated series of cars, with worm drives from
the Cleveland Worm & Gear Co, and
a larger battery.
Desperate to save its reputation from the bevel drive disaster Hupp-Yeats announced "A Guarantee
for Life." The company guaranteed its product free from defects in
material or workmanship during the life of the car, and guaranteed to replace,
free of charge, any defective material returned to the factory for inspection. In this case “life”
meant the life of the company, which was less than five years.
1-A Regent Coupé,
96” WB,
3-A Regent Coupé,
$1,600
4-B Regent Coupé,
$1,750
1916
3-A Regent Coupé,
27 cells, $1,500
4-B Regent Coupé,
30 cells, $1,750
5 Patrician Coupé, 36 cells, 100”
wheelbase, $2,000
1917-19 Models 4 & 5 were continued
1920 Westinghouse sued Hupp-Yeats again, for
$5,939.83 in unpaid bills from December 1914.
I
Ideal 1905-1906
Ideal Motor Car Co, Cleveland, OH
Ideal 1909-1912
Ideal Electric Co, 444 West Indiana St, Chicago IL.
John S. Ryerson, president; S. H. Peterson, VP;
Carl J. Holdredge, Secretary
and general manager.
A transverse motor was under the seat in this
double side chain car. A band brake was on the drum at one end of the motor.
The motor and/or the drive assembly were removable as separate units.
1910
Brougham 4-passengers,
92” wb, 40 cell 112 A h battery, Westinghouse
motor & controller, imported annular ball bearings, 2,500 lbs, double chain
drive, $1,875. It was promoted as having the longest wheelbase, being five
inches wider, and having finer trimming, for less money. In September of 1910
they claimed “nearly” 3,000 happy clients.
1911
Brougham, 4-passengers, chain
drive, 80 Volt series/parallel Westinghouse
motor, 92” wb, 30” front and 32” rear wheels, cushion tires (pneumatic optional),
running board 12” above ground, $2,000
In 1912 Borland-Grannis
bought Ideal, and put Borland’s name on
the car.
Illinois 1909-1914
The Ovenbolt Co,
Galesburg, IL
Illinois Electric Vehicle
Transportation Co,
the
1899
Chicago, IL,
Samuel
Insull, president.
The Chicago franchise of the EVC taxi syndicate.
This company ran EVC cabs in Chicago for about a year.
Immisch 1888-1907
Immisch & Company, London
England.
1894-1897 Acme Immisch
Electric Works Ltd.
Chalk Farm, London NW
1897-1907
Immisch Electric Launch Co
An electric launch builder/operator
Moritz Immisch made
motors from 1 to 12 hp, at 48, 65, 95, or 120 Volts. Immisch motors were used on several of
the earliest electric vehicles.
1888
Dogcart, built for the Sultan
of Turkey at the cost of $1,000. Four passengers dos-à-dos, full elliptic
springs front and rear. Steered by a crank handle on a shaft that ran though
the floorboard to a pinion gear engaged with a toothed rack. Belt drive to the
right rear wheel with the 1½ hp (48 Volts 20 Amperes) Immisch motor bolted to the
underside of the carriage. The cart ran at 10 mph. Center pivot steering.
Imperial 1902-1907
Imperial
Electric Motor Co. and the Commercial
Truck Co of America, Philadelphia, PA
16 hub-motor double deck buses.
designed
by Joseph Ledwinka.
Runabout Twin hub-motor
front wheel drive
Heavy truck 4-hub motor platform
Imperial 1904-1905
The Anti-Vibrator Co Ltd. Croyden,
Surrey, England
A 3-hp motor in each drive wheel, low to the
ground
Induhag 1922
Industrie-und Handels-Gesellschaft
GmbH, Dusseldorf, Germany
International 1898
Societé
Des Transports Automobiles,
The Hague, Netherlands
Trucks
Interurban 1905
F. A. Woods Auto Co, Chicago, IL
A one-passenger car with two, interchangeable,
motor axles. The main axle was electric, but for long trips, one could swap it
out for the 2-cylinder gasoline motor axle. The entire axle pivoted for
steering.
Ivanhoe 1901-1904
Bicycle maker CCM
(Canadian Cycle and Motor Co)
Toronto, Ontario
J
Jeantaud 1881-1906
51 Rue de Ponthieu, Paris, France
An innovative carriage builder; in 1878 Charles Jeantaud improved Ackermann steering (wheels pivoting near
the hubs at the ends of the front axle instead of the entire axle pivoting at
the center; patented 1817) by making the turning wheels align with the vehicles
pivot center, rather than stay parallel with each other.
In 1881, Jeantaud built
an experimental electric vehicle using a Tilbury
style buggy, with a Gramme motor, and
Fulmen
battery. He continued to use this buggy as his experimental platform, with
different motors and batteries, until he started vehicle production in 1893.
Jeantaud made a variety of
electric vehicles, but the bulk of production was cabs.
Jeantaud’s cars set land speed
records in 1898 at 39.24 mph, and in 1899 at 43.69 mph. Most models had wheel
steering.
1896 He showed
an electric carriage at the fourth annual “Salon du Cycle” in Paris Dec 12-27th.
1898 ¾ Coupé wire
wheels, single motor front wheel drive with traction transmitted through sets
of conical pinions coupled to conical gears, the pivot center of these gears
was on the same pivot center as the steering knuckles. 17-plate, 50 cell
battery.
1899 Coupé 2-passengers
Cab 2-passengers
Mylord (similar to Victoria,
with driver at back), 2-passengers plus driver
Jenatzy 1897-1903
Jenatzy-Martini, Brussels,
Belgium
Compagnie
Internationale des Transports Automobiles, Boulogne-sur-Seine.
1900-1903 Société Generale des Transports Automobile.
Camille Jenatzy
(1868-1913) designed, built, and raced electric and (later) gasoline cars.
In May of 1899, Jenatzy ran a Kilometer in forty-seven & 4/5 seconds
from a standing start, and 34 seconds with a flying start (65.8 mph), to beat
Count Chasseloup-Laubat’s land speed record of 57.65
MPH, set in a Jeantaud
electric.
Jenatzy’s torpedo-bodied 2,200 lb car, “Jamais Contente” was
built by Rheims & Auscher.
Two Postel-Vinay motors drove the rear axles
directly, with no reduction gears, and drew down the 160 Volt battery in a few
minutes. The torpedo body, made of “Partinium,” an
aluminum & tungsten alloy, did not completely enclose the driver (who stuck
out through a hole in the top), or the running gear. This car was an early
attempt (possibly the first) at aerodynamics, which only covered half the
problem.
In August 1903 the Jenatzy Electrical
Works, owned by Camille’s brother, was destroyed by fire.
In 1904 Camille’s father died, after which he made no
more cars.
Camille Jenatzy was killed in a hunting accident in 1913 when his
practical joke went awry, and he was mistaken for a wild boar.
1897 Dos-à-dos,
prototype
1898 30 cabs
for Paris, 4-passengers, chain drive, Fulmen accumulators, 1,669 kilos. 30 Amps at 90 Volts ran
the cab at 10 kmh on level paving. Electric &
mechanical braking, pneumatic tires. The motor could be heard under the seat.
1899 The Jenatzy vehicles used a large rheostat and three buttons,
rather than a knife switch or rotary controller.
Coupé 2-passengers
Victoria 4-passengers
Cab 2-passengers
Delivery
1900 Dog Phaëton, 5-passengers
(two under the folding top) 4-hp motor 7½ mph, chain drive from armature
shafts, the battery was in two sets of 22 cells each, under the drivers seat,
and under the box in the rear. A pedal actuated a brake on the differential
gear.
1901 Gasoline/Electric hybrid capable of 65 mph. Built by Fabrique Nationale
d’Armes de Guerre. Herstal, Belgium, designed by Jenatzy.
A 4-passenger tonneau, with a 6 hp Mors
engine with the Pieper drive system.
Joel 1900-1902
National Motor Carriage Syndicate Ltd.
37 Walbrook, London,
England
Henry
Francis Joel was the inventor of an “engine dynamo and motor,” profiled in the
Scientific American Supplement of July 3, 1886
1900
Phaëton, 4-passengers, two
12-pole (4 is typical) motors of his own design, each weighing 140 lbs, and
rated at 2 hp, were mounted to a ridged under frame. Unlike most sub-frame cars,
the axles were sprung from the frame, reducing road shock to the motor and
body. There was a 2-1 gear-reduction at the motor and a 5-1 reduction through
the twin chain drive. The controller provided up to 8 forward speeds by
combination of series/parallel battery switching and the use of field shunts.
This car, with Rosenthal accumulators
(pasted-plate type), went 53 miles, from London to Brighton, on a single
charge, good range for 1900.
k
Kaha 1921-1922
Electromobilewerk Kaha GmbH
Wasseralfingen, Germany
Kaiser 1911-1913
Premier Werke AG, Nuremberg, Germany
Justus Christian Braun
Kammann 1897
The Kammann Electric Co,
Minneapolis, MN
January
1897, announced intention to build electric cars and boats
Kamman 1903
Kamman Automobile Co, Chicago,
IL
In 1903, announced move to Dubuque, IA
Aluminum body panels and pneumatic seats
KAW 1904-1908
Cologne Accumulatoren-Werke,
Cologne-Kalk
Battery maker KAW
made about 1,500 electric vehicles. The early ones were similar
to the Kiéger
design, The passenger vehicles were branded KAW, and the commercial ones were branded
Urbanus
Keating 1899-1900 Keating Wheel & Automobile Co Johnson St. Middletown,
Connecticut
Innovative bicycle maker Robert M. Keating hired
electrical engineer Ulysses S. G. Croft away from Riker.
They introduced a “Delivery Auto” November 10,
1899. The company was already heavily in debt to A. L. Garford
& Charles D. Rood. They were not able to raise new capitol to finance
production
Delivery Driver
and assistant, built for the Siegel-Cooper department store, with the driver on
the left, with center lever steering. Twin motors drove ring gears at the rear
wheels. Three speeds to 14 mph, with a range up to 45 miles.
The steel frame was hinged from the wheels with a
pivoting mechanism that allowed the body to remain level on uneven ground. Ball
Bearings throughout, The 44 cell Willard
battery was dropped below the frame and could be charged in 55 minutes. On
downhill stretches, putting the car in reverse charged the battery. The apple
green prototype worked well, and Keating figured he could sell them profitably
for $1,800 - $2,000.
Runabout prototypes were also made.
Kelland 1923
Trucks
Keller 1899
Keller Electrical Shops, Canton, OH
Announcement
of EV production (the Horseless Age)
Keller-Degenhardt 1892
Columbia
Perambulator Co, Chicago, IL
Emil Ernest Keller and Frederick E. Degenhardt
made two of the thousand electric tricycles they had promised for the World’s
Columbian Exposition; and a larger 4-passenger vehicle.
Keller was put in charge of installing the Westinghouse electrical system for the
Exposition, so he became quite busy. He got patent #523,354 for his
“Electrically Propelled Perambulator” Filed April 20, 1892, and granted July
24, 1894. Degenhardt had a patent for a steering gear. They used Perret motors
Tricycle Perambulator two
passengers on a bench seat in front with a driver perched on a chair over their
shoulders. A small front wheel turned for steering and the rear axle was driven
with small (¼ & ½ hp) motors by means of a worm gear.
Runabout, 4-passengers
Dos-a-dos, tiller steering, 1 hp motor
Kennedy 1898
Electric Power Development Co, Philadelphia, PA
Charles W. Kennedy, electrical engineer; storage
battery & motor patents, with electrician Francis Agnew Pocock, and Ralph
Ashley.
Piano
box runabout,
two-passengers, wire wheels. The car had a unique semi-center pivot steering
system with the pivot center well behind the axel, with front wheel steering
and front wheel drive. The multi pole motor was on the front axle, powered by
44 cells. The cells were built in shallow rubber trays, the plates were held in
position with sand. One of the first batteries designed explicitly for an open
road vehicle
Kerston Gas-Electric 1917
920 Kersge
Bldg. Detroit, MI
Harry Kerston resigned
from Studebaker on April 28, 1917, and partnered with J. William Barnes to make
a hybrid.
Kensington 1899-1904
Kensington Automobile Manufacturing Co
Buffalo, NY,
Formerly; the Kensington Bicycle Co.
Steam and electric cars.
A light runabout with a tube steel frame
Kensington-Mildé 1899-1904
The
British branch of Mildé
Kentucky Electric 1911
Kentucky Wagon Co
Kimball 1888
Fred Kimball of Boston made an electric tricycle
in the style of the high wheeler bicycles. There was a suspended platform for
the battery and motor, with a seat perched on the axle. 12 Volts, 5 mph.
Kimball 1910-1913
C. P. Kimball & Co, Chicago, IL
Factory on Michigan Avenue 300 feet from the
repository at 315 Michigan, on the corner of Harmon
court (now E. 11th St)
1847 Charles
Porter Kimball started his first carriage company in Norway, Maine: later becoming
a wealthy pillar of the community in Portland, Maine. He moved to New York in
1876, to be involved with Brewster &
Co, which continued production of his popular Portland Cutter sleigh.
In January 1887, he started a new company in
Chicago, with his son Charles Fredrick Kimball, a recent law school graduate.
They were one of the first American carriage builders to use rubber tires. C.
P. Kimball passed in March of 1891.
C. Frederick Kimball was one of the judges for the
1895 Chicago race, and the three Electrobats were
headquartered at the Kimball Company repository.
1905 - C. Frederick Kimball, president; A. A.
Carpenter Jr. (lumber baron), VP; James R. Walker, treasurer; Louis E. Burr, secretary;
F. A. B. Smith, assistant secretary.
By 1908 Kimball had become the Chicago agency for Rauch & Lang electric cars.
C. Frederick Kimball started producing electric
cars around 1907. They were built in limited quantity to customer specifications,
with whatever controls or drivelines were preferred; most cars had wheel
steering with the controller above the wheel. The cars were not marketed
outside of the Chicago area. C. Frederick Kimball passed away in January of
1909, shortly after his wedding. C. F. Kimball was succeeded by his 24-year-old
half brother C. P. Kimball II. Kimball also made limousine bodies for other
electric car companies.
MODEL DESRIPTIONS
1910
E-7 Extension Coupé, 4-passengers, driver
in front of cab with roof and windshield, 40 cell battery, $3,000
E-8 Victoria Phaëton, 3-passengers with
rumble seat, 40 cell battery, 72” wb, $2,900
F-10 Town
Car,
6-passengers, 42 cell battery, 108” wb, 33 x 4 ½ “ solid tires, double chain
drive, $3,800
1911
Victoria, 2-passengers, with a rumble seat behind the
top
George IV Phaëton
Coupé, 4-passengers, inside steering, tiller or
wheel.
Station Wagon (limousine), driver (& footman)
outside with a steering wheel, 4 passengers in the coach, solid tires, 100” wb,
42-cell thirteen-plate battery.
1912
The standard bodies were a Coupé and a Victoria.
Kimball also made the Bodies
for the Borland Limousine.
1913
Victoria, the remaining example was designed in the old
style, with right hand drive, open double side chain-drive by countershaft,
driven with a transverse motor. Cyclops headlight, with very attractive oval
carriage lights at the front quarters. Leather top with open sides, an oval
rear window, and leather fenders on steel frames. The car had a clever
windshield with a top half that could drop down in front of the lower half. The
brass windshield frame sat in front of a small vestigial leather dash. The car
ran on 60 Volts with a 32-Ampere, 3¼ hp General
Electric motor rated at 1,200 RPM.
Kitsee, Isidor 1900
Electric “Motocycle,” Patent
#650,014 5-22-1900
Kriéger 1897-1907
Compagnie Parisienne des
Voitures Électriques
45 Blvd. de Valmy, Paris.
1907-1908
in Colombes
Founded in 1895. A subsidiary of Indusmine, Paris. July
25th, 1900, capitalized as stock company at 3 million francs.
Kriéger Electrical Carriage
Syndicate, Ltd, Gillingham St. SW London. A livery service garage from 1903.
Founded by Louis Antoine Kriéger
(1868-1951), and Ernest Cuénod. A later technical
director was Sigismund Meyer.
Cuénod designed their series
wound drive motors, made by Postel-Vinay, with
a second set of parallel field windings for regenerative braking. Mostly large,
heavy, outside drive Landaulets and Broughams for use as cabs.
About 800 were made at the Paris factory, 400
being Landaulets. They were also made, under license, in Germany and Italy.
Kriégers were owned by the king
of Italy (three), and Great Britain, the shah of Persia, and the khedive of
Egypt.
1894
While working at the Fulman battery company Kriéger converted a Victoria
carriage into an electric by modifying the front wheel assembly into a tractor
unit, with a pair of motors. Said to have a 30 km range.
1897
Hack, driver up front and two passengers at the rear,
with a folding top. Two motors and a battery were in the front drive traction
unit, the entire traction unit rotated for steering, aided by shunting the
motor armature on the wheel at the inside of the curve. The motors were geared
to large outside toothed ring gears through an intermediate helical gear with a
reduction of 10-1.
Carriage, 5-passengers, 4,144 lbs,
16 cell Julien type battery designed
by M. H, Meynier with 450 A h capacity and weighing
1,410 lbs.
1898
Early Kriéger vehicles
used the same front traction system, two series/parallel wound 3-kW motors
rotated the front wheels by a pinion engaging a large ring gear on each wheel. The
battery was at the center. Bodies were interchangeable, for seasonal service. Cells
were in new ebonite (hard rubber) cases, as the previous celluloid cases were
too flammable.
Coupé, 1,360 kg, Fulmen accumulators,
Brougham
1899
Louis Kriéger applied
for a US patent in June, which was issued October 31, 1899. The design used two
motors on a center pivot front carriage. Speed reduction was through simple
straight cut gears to a spur gear driving a large ring gear at each wheel. The
patent drawing featured a Victoria body.
Coupé 4-passengers
Coupé 2-passengers
Victoria 2-passengers
1900
The
“Powerful” Made under license by the British
and Foreign Electric Vehicle Co (an importer of European and American
electrics), this was a 2½-ton vehicle designed for distance. It had a pair of 3
hp motors geared to the front wheels; there were six forward speeds. The motors
were wired to function as electric brakes or generators as needed. Entered in
the English Electric Vehicle Trials of November 6 to 8, it had 60 Leecoll cells
with 250 A h capacity weighing 3,360 lbs. In the trial, with two passengers, it
went 59 miles on one charge.
Coupé Driver
and footman outside in front with two passengers inside, 2-motors, attached to
the front steering-pivot wheels, geared to a ring gear on each wheel hub. The
motors were four pole, with two windings in series and
shunt, allowing regenerative braking. Pneumatic tires, 12 mph.
1904
K1 Landaulet
The rotary controller was in the steering column
1908
The battery was carried in one or two groups,
depending on body type.
Coupé, two
passengers, £688
Landaulet, Two
motors on front wheels driving through enclosed helical gears, the motors also
were utilized in steering, the motors provided regenerative braking on
downgrades, a single pedal for starting and stopping, the controller wrapped
around the steering column actuated by a lever at the steering wheel; position
1, reverse; 2, electric braking; 3, neutral; 4, first speed; 5, second speed;
6, battery recuperation at 40 Volts; 7, hill climbing speed; 8, third speed; 9,
recuperation at 80 Volts; 10, fourth speed; 11, top speed. 43 miles to a
charge, £720
1908 February/March, the electric taxi business was
eclipsed by internal combustion vehicles, and the company filed for bankruptcy.
Kriéger-Brasier 1903-1906
These were the hybrid versions, (Georges Richard) Brasier was a gasoline car company owned
by Indusmine,
the same parent company as Kriéger.
Chauvin & Arnoux
made a special meter for these cars, with three faces.
Kuhlstein 1898-1902
Kuhlstein Wagenbau,
Berlin, Charlottenburg, Germany
Kruse 1900-1905
Hambourg, Germany
Gebruder Kruse