ELECTRIC AUTOMOBILES. 



487 



end, the parts are brought into proper position with reference to each 

 other. The shaded portion II is the lever C at the right side of Fig. 10. 

 The left-hand end of Fig. 12 shows a design for front axle wheels 

 which is one of the many modifications of the general arrangement just 

 described. In this construction the wheel swings round the stud C, 

 which is placed within the huh, and in a line, or nearly so, with the 

 center of the rim. The rod A is the axle and F is the lover extending 

 from the inner part of the wheel hub by means of which the steer- 

 ing is effected. The left-hand side of Fig. 12 is a view as seen from 

 the front and the right-hand side shows the device as seen from above. 

 In this last drawing it will be observed that as the lever F is attached 

 to the inner portion of the wheel hub, if it i~ moved to one side or the 

 other of axle A, by pulling or pushing on rod G, the wheel will be 

 swung round. The advantage of designs of this type is that there is no 

 strain whatever brought to bear upon the steering handle, and the 



5l \ 



J 



Wig. 13. * "onstri 



,s Showing Power Applied to Front W 



objection 1- that the wheel [nib i- made much larger and the whole 

 construction is somewhal mure complicated. 



The arrangement of the front axle, so as to swing the wheels round 

 a center close to the hub or within it, as described in the foregoing para- 

 graphs, is used on all types of automobiles and is not a distinguishing 

 feature of the electric carriage. In some of the lighter vehicles the 

 front wheels are held in forks of a design substantially the same as that 

 of the front wheel of the ordinary bicycle, the tops of the Fork- being 

 connected with each other by means of a rod, as in the lower part of 

 Fig. 10, so as to obtain simultaneous movement of the two wheels by 

 the movement of a single steering handle. 



In the majority of electric vehicles the power is applied to the rear 

 axle, but some are made with the motors geared to the front axle. In 

 a few of these designs the wheels and axle are made the same as in an 

 ordinary carriage, so as to swing round a pivot or king bolt located at 

 the center of the axle and reinforced by a fifth wheel. When this con- 

 struction is used the steering, gear is made so as to hold the axle in 

 position more firmly than in the other designs; but even with this 

 assistance the driver has a harder task than with the independently 

 swinging wheels. The advantage derived from swinging the whole 



