LIBERTY'S ELECTRICS.
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Why They Displaced Petrol Vehicles. Town Deliveries and Long Waits.
FIRM aiming to cater for refined tastes (and, . let it be hero asserted, succeeding in a • marked manner) may, not unnaturally, be looked to for correctness in essential details• of its
• business arrangements. For this reason, the fact that Messrs. Liberty and 'Co., of Regent Street, London; have adopted the electric vehicle for their special kind of delivery work gives point to the claims advanced on behalf of this type of vehicle. They at present operate three electric vehicles' and this embryo fleet will be augmented by other battery-driven machines as soon as manufacturing and other conditions permit. If not the London Pioneers of the electric, this concern was one of the earliest to adopt it, their first experiments being carried out with this type in the early months of 1913. At that time they possessed a number of petrol-driven machines which were giving good all-round service, and they had no intention or desire of resorting to an alternative system. The running cost of their vehicles was found to be consistent with that obtained by other m§ers of the petrol' vehicle. The wheels of progress, however, brought into contact with the directors of the concern an astute salesman picturing the claims of the electric in such glowing terms that it was decided to experiment in this direction. A few weeks running of a 10-cwt. machine
under ordinary service conditions presented much food for thought. It was found, following a careful watch on the possibilities and limitations of the electric, that for their particular requirements, this type of vehicle was the ideal form of propulsion. The pros and cons of the whole question were minutely entered into following the favourable jmpression created by the trials.. Although it Was fully appreciated that initial outlay would be high, it was anticipated that the additional advantages offered would soon afford recoupcaent. The machine which underwent the tests, a 10-cwt. Detroit to wit, made by the Anderson Car .Co., Detroit,. Michigan, was purchased. During the first year's running the van did much strenuous work, and the mileage covered was a big one. It will suffice in recording the running of this machine over the year if we reproduce the follow 050 ing table of operating costs (excIusive.of wages and garage, rents, etc., items common to both type's) : The mileage run being 15,000, the cost per mile run is 2.446d. Naturally, these are pre-war figures. As a direct result of this most satisfactory running, Liberty and Co. wrote in 1914 as follows to the makers of the machine. " We are so swell pleased with the delivery van you supplied to us lastJune, and the saving effected, that we are sending you an order for early delivery of two further cars. Compared with a petrol van doing similar work our experience is that besides economy in tyre mileage and lubricants, its cost of running is two-thirds less." It must be readily understood that the machine was principally at work within the London area ; 30 miles out was the limit of its travel. This means that much inter-city work was accomplished,.and it is admittedly for this particular class of delivery that the electric is ideally suited.
We were,. able to secure a few moment's Chat with the engineer in charge of Messrs. Liberty's electrics, who vouchsafed some information concerning the working of the machines.
" Two of the machines," he said, "are used for identical work. That is to say, each vehicle carries Out deliveries of light furniture and silk and Other goods to our customers within a defined radius. The third machine is chiefly used for carrying bought goods to the packing rooms, a few-minutes run only, for transit."
" Isn't that an unprofitable means of conveyance ? The distance is BO short," we commented. "Not at all," was the quick reply. " You must
• view the question in this manner. The work has got to be done either by horses or electrics ; obviously, petrol vehicles, are not suitable for such shortsdistance hauls.
"In my opinion, the petrol machine should not be classed as a rival of the electric at all. Each class of vehicles possesses qualifications for totally dissimilar duties. The antagonist of the electric is the horse. But to further my point. If we employed horses for•this short-distance work the standing time, which is infinitely greater than the journey-time, would have to be taken into account. The horse eats money when it is not at work; in fact, is more costly when not employed. With the electric, so soon as running ceases, operating charges likewise come to a halt."
" Bid on such restricted work you are hardly utilizing the full capabilities of the machine."
That may be so-, but we are not out to work the machine to destruction. Apart from what other work it may do—granted not much—it ful
fils its requirement to the letter. This van only covers eight miles per day." "Have we our own charging plant ? • Yes. It was installed soon after the acquisition of our last two machines. Previous to that we used to charge direct from the generating station. After the completion of each journey and the return of the vehicle to the garage, the batteries are re-charged. If the journey is only a matter of three or four miles the same procedure is adopted. I make this a rule for this reason. In a business undertaking, such as ours, urgent delivery work is a feature. It is not an unknown' thing or delivery of goods to be made before the customer's return home. We study • the buyer to the extent of being prepared for an emergency delivery which may have to be made."
The electric current converters and the switchboard can be clearly seen in • one of our illustrations showing one of the vans being charged through a plug hole in the front of the machine. Until quite recently the cost of current consumption was id. per mile, but this has now increased a fraction, due to an additional charge being made from the power station.
"Iwo vans have done as many as 60 miles on one battery filling. Of course, the time taken for re-charging the batteries to their full capacity is a variable one. On the van that only covers eight miles per day the batteries are charged once a week. The machines employed for suburban deliveries each cover about 180 miles per week." "Have you yet formed any idea as to the life of the batteries ? " we questioned.
"Well, no. To a great extent it is an x quantity. The batteries we utilize, Edison to wit, are guaran teed for three years. I remember that, when we had under consideration the purchase of electrics, much argument had been brought to bear before we were convinced that the batteries were economically sound. The fact, however, that a three-year guarantee is now given is positive proof of reliability in this direction." We were given to understand that the batteries are cleaned every three months by compressed air. Our i , formant is of the opinion that this is the most satisfactory method of getting rid of all accumulation of dirt, dust, oil or grease from inaccessible crevices, such as between the batteries. He does not think that steam or water under pressure is an efficient means to this end. "A word about tyres. What makes do you use and what mileage do you get? "
"To tell the truth, we've tried various makes ; De Nevem, St. Helens and Connolly have each given good results and it has not been an infrequent occurrence to obtain 15,000 miles from each tyre thus outliving the maker's guarantee of 12,000. Of course, it should be borne in mind, when considering the mileage of tyres fitted on electric.vans, that the comparatively lower speeds of running and the lower mechanical upkeep make for greater mileages. This feature is influenced somewhat at the present time by the fact that conditions are so abnormal. Road inequalities, taken into account with slight overloading of the vans, must naturally have a tendency .to govern the mileage obtained."
"What of the future of the battery-driven vehicle ? " we finally questioned. " In a nutshell, the electric vehicle undoubtedly has a big industrial future, if it is utilized in the particular field of application to which it is most suited. Our experience has conclusively proved the superiority of the electric for inter-city work. .,In my opinion, this class of machine should be of intrinsic value to big commercial houses and departmental stores where relatively short journeys are the rule and much stopping and starting occur. It is far more economical for this work than any other form of transport. I anticipate that when the initial cost of the electric drops it will be more in evidence in industrial and manufacturing cities than ether classes of locomotion. So far it has not had a fair chance of making good."
We were invited to take a short run on one of the machines, and we were particularly impressed with its simplicity of control and ease of handling in some of the narrow and congested roads we traversed. ' Its power of acceleration was most marked.