Car Guy Magazine Car Guy Magazine Issue 914 | Page 21

LEFT The driver sits behind the passengers on a plush leather bench. It seems odd at first, but not as odd as the utter silence when under way.
ABOVE LEFT Befitting the vehicle’s typically female clientele, a complete toilet kit was included with the Ohio Electric.
ABOVE RIGHT Turn of the century details abound on this 1914 Ohio Electric Model 40 Dresden Brougham.
Interior details are sparse by later standards, but every detail shows the extraordinarily opulent atmosphere that was lavished
on the car’s drivers back in 1914. Intricate
window sashes, beautifully stitched roll-up
window shades and fine silk curtains were
standard equipment and are still present
today on this feature car. There were no ashtrays included because society women were
not expected to smoke, though there was a
dainty Sterling silver bud vase mounted to a
roof pillar.
There was little in the way of gauges
other than an ammeter, a voltmeter, an
eight-day clock and a floor-mounted
speedometer and odometer. There was
a rearview mirror, called “Mirr-O-Scope” in
promotional materials.
The upright cabin, a hand-hammered
aluminum body that gives the vehicle its striking appearance, features copious headroom
so that women did not need to remove the

fashionable hats of the day. Aerodynamics
were clearly not even a consideration, which
helps explain the low 28 mph top speed
with a full charge.
But underhood – and there are two
hoods – there is no indication that the electric cars were designed to be powerhouses.
Seven six volt deep cycle batteries sit under
a hinged hood outside of the front and rear
of the cabin. They provide about 92 volts D.C.
power when they’re fully charged. The electric motor is a General Electric Automotive
Motor.
Power was modulated through a unique
magnetic control hand knob that took the
place of a conventional gear lever. There are
four forward speeds and an additional accelerator speed engaged by pressing a foot
pedal and there are four reverse speeds. Unlike a traditional transmission, this system
provides something more akin to four “on/
off” switches for different vehicle speeds.

To further reduce power-robbing friction, the car has no universal joints in the
drivetrain. The motor and the rear axle are
connected by a solid shaft balanced on a
ball, much like a teeter-totter. When the motor moves upward after hitting a bump, the
axle moves down, and vice-versa. This fairly
simple setup reduces power loss that would
otherwise occur as a result of friction and yet
it still maintains drivability.
Magnetic drum brakes operated at the
press of a button, though conservative drivers would avoid heavy use of the brakes and
rely on power-saving coasting instead. There
is also a pedal-operated parking brake.
With an advertised range of 100 miles,
conservative driving was an absolute must.
And unlike internal combustion cars, gas stations – charging stations in this case – weren’t
on every corner.

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