T O one conversant with the 
admirable qualities of the 
electric automobile it seems 
strange that these modern pas¬ 
senger vehicles are not more ex¬ 
tensively used in the country. 
Perhaps the principal reason is the 
common notion that the electric, 
being especially adapted to city 
use, is, therefore, not suited to 
the country. 
Nothing is more erroneous. 
The very qualities which 
make the electric automo¬ 
bile suitable for city use 
make it even more desirable 
for country service. Fore¬ 
most among these qualities 
are reliability, economy of 
operation and simplicity of 
control. 
Reliability in an automo¬ 
bile should be of greater im¬ 
portance in the country than 
in the city, where garages 
and repair shops are near at 
hand, as well as the con¬ 
venient street car and taxi¬ 
cab, so that a car out of 
commission need not se¬ 
riously interfere with one’s 
plans. Because no satis¬ 
factory substitute is avail¬ 
able in the country and re¬ 
pairs are not readily ob¬ 
tained it is highly, desirable 
that 'the-.cfutbrnabile. for 
« country, ifse De, as. rfeliqbfe as 
.possible." c c‘ f 
> c “«‘ The economical operation 
A of an automobile is certdinly 
just as much Qf,a (fesidera- 
tum in the CQUj?try ’as" in the 
city, ( ° andj‘sirtiplicity of con¬ 
trol ‘is'even, greater impor- 
* tance. c As‘a rule, the ser¬ 
vices of an expert chauffeur 
are not available in the 
country. One either drives 
himself or else expects the 
man “about the place” to 
drive the car and to care for it. Herein is another advantage for 
the electric, for it is not only simpler to drive than the gasoline 
car, but requires a minimum of skilled attention to keep it in 
good running condition. 
Since we have introduced a comparison between the electric 
and the gasoline car, we may properly, in equine parlance, refer 
to the former as the "ladies’ horse” of the automobile world. It 
is a vehicle which the ladies of the house can readily drive with¬ 
out masculine attendance and without any fear of soiling either 
dainty hands or gowns. The customary types of electric cars 
afford the protection of enclosed bodies, a feature which seems 
especially designed for the 
feminine driver and pas¬ 
senger. 
The electric car has its dis¬ 
advantages : at least they are 
so termed by many people. 
One is its limited radius; that 
is, the electric can only run so 
far without having to have 
its battery recharged. An¬ 
other is the limited speed of 
the electric automobile. 
Improvements in recent 
years in the design and con¬ 
struction of the batteries used 
to furnish the power for 
operating electric automobiles 
have increased the mileage 
obtainable on a single charge 
of the battery to a point 
where runs of from seventy- 
five to one hundred miles are 
frequent. Distances of one 
hundred and fifty or more 
miles have been made in offi¬ 
cial test runs, but these have 
been made under somewhat 
different conditions than 
those which prevail in ordi¬ 
nary service. 
With the increased mileage 
radius of the modern electric 
automobile and the large 
number of garages and other 
places scattered about the 
country districts where fa¬ 
cilities are available for re¬ 
charging batteries, it is now 
possible to use these vehicles 
for touring. During the past 
year an electric was used for 
a trip from Chicago to Phila¬ 
delphia, and several runs be¬ 
tween New York and Boston 
and between New York and 
Philadelphia, Baltimore and 
Washington were recorded. 
A trans-continental tour for 
electric vehicles has even been 
Eustis planned for the coming sea¬ 
son, starting from New York 
and ending at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition at San 
Francisco. An investigation has disclosed the fact that there 
are a sufficient number of charging stations along the route of the 
proposed Lincoln Highway, situated at the proper intervals, to 
make this trans-continental tour entirely possible. 
It is not likely, however, that the electric automobile at the 
present stage of its development will be generally used for long¬ 
distance touring. This is a field in which the most ardent advo¬ 
cate of the electric is willing to acknowledge the superiority of 
the gasoline car. The above facts are noted for the purpose of 
showing that the electric can readily be used for short runs and 
(Courtesy New York Edison Co.) 
With no engine to freeze in winter, the electric car can readily be 
driven through the ordinary storm. Its ease of operation in such 
seasons will be a deciding factor for the woman in the country 
The Electric Automobile 
in the Country 
REVEALING SOME OF THE LITTLE KNOWN POSSIBILI¬ 
TIES OF THE ELECTRIC CAR—THE LOW COST OF 
MAINTENANCE—THE SAFE CAR FOR WOMEN AND 
CHILDREN 
John R. 
102 
