THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, JULY 12, 1910. THE STORAGE BATTERY CAR.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10038, 12 July 1910, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, JULY 12, 1910. THE STORAGE BATTERY CAR.

Though it may be some years before Masierton is able to profitably run an ) electric 1 tram service it is interesting to know what improvement is being made in the direction of electric j traflia. The Edison-Beach storage battery cars have been to such a degree of perfection ag to warrant their being brought into general use. Masterton for years has been advocating light line railway?, and with Edison's latest invention there is a prospect of the cost 01 railroads reduced to a price that will admit of the back blocks of the country being brought into touch with the towns. Many visi ors to Wellington have gazed

with wonder at the workings of the overhead trolleyjtram service, and although in the local residents familiarity may have bred contempt for the danger, the multiplicity of overhead wires in such narrow streets does not tend to imbue the visitors with a feeling of security. If Wellington could only have foreseen the ! perfection of the Edison Storage Battery Car, thousands of pounds I would have been saved to the ratepayers iir> tho construction of the electric tram car service, and many pounds annually in its maintenaiica —at least one third in the original investment, and one third in operation. Unfortunately it is not possible to alter the overhead trolley cars into storage battery oars, and to abandon the present service for a new one

would take Bnme nerve to propose. These cars have been running in the United States for about five years, and are past the experimental stage. The batteries which form the power plant of the car, are Edison niokeliron storage batteries. The car runs along smoothly without any visible power plant, as the power to drive the car is furnished by storage batteries, which are hidden within the car, under the saats. Each car has a seating capacity of 26, and a maximum speed of 15 miles an hour. The batteries have sufficient capacity to run the car 150 miles without recharging, if run continuously. The cars' weight is about half that of the ordinary street car of the same size. A Dart from the lightness, durability, and greater efficiency of this j new nickel-iron battery over the | usual storage batteries, ic is siated that the capacit.vof the battery ipcreases in service, so that after working for some time, its efficiency ig greatly increased, and there is a correspondingly greater output obtained. The battery canno; be irjured by overcharging, it docs not deteriorate when left uncharged, and, finally, it is easy of manipulation, and any cell forming a series of batteries can be readily removed and another cell substituted. The batteries are guaranteed for three years, but so far every thing indicates they will last ten or twelve years. The cost of each car complete is in round figures set down at £I2OO.