ELECTRIC AUTOMOBILES. 489 



advantage derived from applying the power to the front wheels, namely, 

 the ability to turn round in a small space. 



Another design for driving the front wheels which allows them to 

 swing round independent pivots, is shown in Fig. 14, which is a coupe 

 made by Krieger in France. The power is supplied by two motors, one 

 being mounted on each swivel point. The construction can be under- 

 stood by considering that in the lower part of Fig. 13 the motor would 

 be secured to a suitable support at the end of the frame L, being held 

 in such a position that the shaft would replace pivot D and a pinion 

 mounted thereon would gear into wheel E. What the advantage of 

 this construction may be, the writer is not able to point out; it certainly 



Fig. 15. Jexatzy Dog-Phaeton. 



shows, however, that there are many ways in which the object sought 

 may be acomplished. 



American manufacturers of electric vehicles, at least the great ma- 

 jority of them, resort to spur-gearing to transmit the motion of the 

 motor to the driving wheels, but with the French designers the chain 

 and sprocket appears to be in great favor. Fig. 15 shows a Jenatzy 

 vehicle (French), in which the chain is used. This construction would 

 not be received with favor by Americans, who as a rule desire to have 

 the mechanical part of the apparatus hidden from view as much as 

 possible. In the Jenatzy vehicle two chain gears are used, one on each 

 side of the body, and from the engineering point of view this is the 

 most desirable arrangement, as with it the driving wheels are inde- 

 pendently operated and a compensating gear need not be placed upon 



