Edison’s electric cars

• 

Oh yes – we wrote about the rise and fall of the early electric car before. You know internal combustion engines won it from their electric equals many moons ago due to their supposedly more adventurous character. Oh, and the electric car’s’ high cost, low top speed, and short-range of course. But every now and then the subject is brought to our attention once again. And the picture seen here is a great example of just that.

What we see is an electric vehicle alright. But the man standing next to the car christened the Bailey Electric is no one less than the great Thomas Edison himself – the prolific inventor with 1,093 patents to his name in the US alone plus many more in other countries. Teaming up with Edison must have been the collaboration which dreams are made of for S.R. Bailey & Co., who were ever so keen to use Edison’s name in their marketing efforts.

From one of its ads: “Until the arrival of the Bailey Electrics there were no fast electrics to take the place of the gasoline cars in your service. You can now replace the gasoline cars with the Bailey and thus give a great stimulus to a business which is of the utmost importance to you.”

It is said that Edison had a close friendship with Henry Ford, but he also believed in electric cars and was a keen promoter of the manufacturer of these, with Bailey of Amesbury, Massachusetts as the preferred builder. Equipped with Edison’s state-of-the-art battery, the Bailey Electric managed to make 100 miles on a full charge under ideal conditions. In September 1910 they even competed with much bigger petrol-powered cars in a 1,000 miles long endurance run. The tour started from New York ran Mount Washington, New Hampshire and back. Two Bailey Electrics were used, both finishing the drive successfully and to the amazement of many. Still, Bailey & Co. disappeared by 1915, not being able to compete the more powerful petrol-fuelled cars. Thomas Edison retained his own personal electric automobiles, which can still be seen at the Thomas Edison Museum in West Orange, New Jersey, today – together with some exotic petrol-powered cars, that is…

Words by Jeroen Booij.

Originally published on September 17, 2020

Make a comment, ask a question, give your opinion, share additional information or start a discussion by filling in the fields below.