New , 1-ton Battery-electric with Two Body Sizes A NEW 1-ton battery-electric
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chassis available with three types of control gear and alternative axle ratios, battery sizes and medium and long bodies, is to be exhibited by Austin Crompton Parkinson Electric Vehicles, Ltd., at the Dairy. Show, which opens at Olympia, London, on October 27.
The driving position has been moved forward to improve visibility. Body capacities of 175 Cu. ft. and 210 Cu. ft. are offered. The turning circle has been reduced and the price is low.
The new 1-tonner has a heavier frame and axles than its predecessor and the suspension has been improved and incorporates rubber-bushed springs and shackles. By shortening the wheelbase to 6 ft. 10 in., a turning circle of 31 ft. has been obtained and the overall length -of the vehicle is seduced slightly without affecting the payload space. The shorter vehicle, termed the S.D.20, has an -overall length of 12 ft. 9 in., whilst the other, the M.D.20, is 14 ft. 31 in. long. '
Other major differences in the mechanical construction include wider axles, with a choice of two ratios for the final drive, a battery carried in two banks and mounted on retractable crates to permit access through the body side panels, and a Girling hydraulic braking system with two leading-shoe units on the front axle.
The electrical system has a solenoid contactor control giving three farward speeds and reverse, but units providing four or five stages of control are also available, The standard Crompton 36-cell lead-acid traction battery supplied with the 1-tonner has 216 amp. hr. capacity, although there is an oversize unit of 243 map-hr.
By moving the driving seat nearer to the front of the body and modifying the windscreen, forward visibility has been improved by almost 4 ft. and the full-width mirror over the windscreen gives the driver an excellent view of the road immediately in front of him. Complete with standard battery, • the S.D.20 chassis costs £735 10s. and the M.D.20, £744 10s.
The body types available include an enclosed van and open dairy pattern.