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| Images from a long Beach Craigslist Ad, now disappeared. |
In production from about 1940 till 1974 and fully street legal for the time, this little electric car was minimum powered transport for in-town use. I guess it's basically a golf cart and I'm surprised the first gas crisis didn't extend the vehicle's life. The Autoette was powered by a 24-volt 1½ hp modified Dodge starter motor, giving a maximum speed of about 25 mph, used batteries specially made by Trojan Battery Company that allowed a range of 60-100 miles. Did you know Long Beach used to be called Iowa by the sea? More Autoette story here.
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| Thanks for the tip, Rolf! |
I'm surprised and impressed that a starter motor could be used for a continuous duty application.
ReplyDeleteI followed the link and learned that they used "altered" motors and later, custom ones.
ReplyDeleteI recall looking through my father's collections of 1950s and 60s Pop Mechanics etc and whenever there was some sort of electric vehicle that's what was used. I guess the high torque characteristics of a starter motor and a 12 volt power source make for a natural combination, (plus availability of course). I've abused starter motors by making them turn for minutes at a time and pushing 12 volts through a 6 volt Ford tractor starter. They're tough! But you would think they would overheat even if a fan was blowing air over them.
ReplyDeleteI once ran out of gas in a 1970 Beetle one block from a gas station, so I put it in first, let put the clutch, hit the starter, and cranked it over to the pump.
ReplyDeleteClutch interlocks wouldn't let you do that now.
Don's story of his beetle reminds me of one of my father's stories of being in the U.S.A. combat engineers during WW2. I don't remember now if it was in New Guinea or the Philippines, but it was probably New Guinea after a very heavy rain. He was the passenger in a big truck (probably a "deuce and a half", but I really don't know). They were driving alone on a remote road when they came to a long flooded section of road. "Go slow but don't stop" my dad advised. Well, about half way across the engine stopped and the water was over the floorboards of the truck's cab. "Shift down as low as you can and then crank on the starter" my dad said. It worked, they were able to cross the flooded section under just the power of the starter motor, in spite of the water. Once across the engine wouldn't start, but they raised the hood and tried to dry the ignition wires as best they could. Eventually they got it started. As they were about to leave, a jeep came up, going the opposite way, containing a nurse wearing a white dress and driven by a captain. My dad hated officers. "Soldier, is this road passable?" the captain asked. "Yes sir! We got across!" my dad answered truthfully. As the jeep started across the water, My dad got in the truck with the driver and told him to "Go and don't stop!". They could hear the captain yelling from the submerged jeep as they drove. As I said, my dad hated officers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the story! I guess that shoes the advantage of water cooled starters!
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