An Electric for Full-day Use
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OBJECTIONS to the use of batteryelectric vehicles for heavy loads concern the size of the batteries that it is necessary to employ, and the need for maintaining a reserve set of batteries if the vehicles are to be available for long periods each day.
With the mechanical-horse type of articulated vehicle in which one tractive unit may be used with one or more semi-trailers, a ready solution lies in installing the main batteries on the semitrailer, and others of smaller capacity on the tractive unit. The latter set would be required only for supplying the power to run the tractive unit, hut when the tractor was coupled up to its semi-trailer, the batteries on the latter would be available to supply power for the complete outfit.
Such a scheme has been covered by Mr. A. Wilson, and Walson Ltd.. Cannon Street, London, E.C.4, in patent No. 654,773. As the semi-trailers in this type of articulated machine are available at frequent intervals and for long periods, such as when being loaded or when awaiting the arrival of the tractor, a number of opportunities may occur during the day to give the batteries a booster charge.
Vehicles of this type, if used on a shuttle service as they so frequently are, could be kept running all day. Charging facilities would be made available at the loading • and discharging bays, so that the semi-trailer batteries could be plugged in to the charging plant immediately on arrival.
The patent covers a means for causing an automatic change-over from the tractor batteries to those on the semitrailer when the two units are coupled up. It is suggested that the smaller batteries on the tractive unit could be charged during the nigh:.