Amsterdam’s electric taxis

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It’s not that we stand for electric vehicles here at PreWarCar, but the fact that they were a pretty common sight over a century ago remains a bit of a surprise time and again. And this picture fits with that surprise factor particularly well. This is central Amsterdam, where a company named ARM, formerly known for their horse and carriage transport, started using a number of electric vehicles from 1909-on. Now under the ATAX banner.

The cars are supposedly vehicles by Namag, although we couldn’t find out anything more about that, while another source mentions they were Lloyds. With their spare wheels at the front they are quite recognizable though. You may well know more about these..? We also have no idea what kind of cycle these vehicles had, but one historical society in Amsterdam doesn’t omit the information that there was a separate loading station in another part of the city where ATAX chauffeurs could change batteries. They also note that by 1914 the company had no less than 60 of these electric taxis running, which seems quite a number.

Also of interest is that another source mentions that ATAX's choice of electric was dictated by the municipal council, who preferred battery powered vehicles over ones with combustion power because of the lower cost price and ‘their absence of harmful exhaust fumes and leaking petrol also’. Mark our words: history will be repeated here very soon.

Words by Jeroen Booij. Picture courtesy of Ons Amsterdam.

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