The Flocken Elektrowagen is a four-wheeled electric car designed by Andreas Flocken (1845–1913), manufactured in 1888 by Maschinenfabrik A. Flocken in Coburg. It is regarded as the first real electric car.[1][2][3]
| Flocken Elektrowagen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Maschinenfabrik A. Flocken |
| Production | 1888 |
History
editIn 1888, Flocken added a department for electrical engineering to his company Maschinenfabrik A. Flocken in Coburg and from then on experimented with electric vehicles.[4] In the same year, the first Flocken electric car was built. This vehicle was originally a chaise, similar to the Daimler Motorized Carriage in 1886 by Gottlieb Daimler,[5] but it was equipped with an electric motor. Little is known about Flocken's development work. In 1888, he provided a high-wheeled, iron-tyred carriage wagon (high center of gravity, narrow track width, turntable steering, etc.) with an electric motor, the power of about 0.9 kW (1 hp) of which was transferred to the rear axle by means of leather belts.[6] The wooden vehicle is said to have reached a top speed of 15 km/h (9 mph) and weighed 400 kg (882 lb).[7]
In the following years, further models were developed. For example, there is a photo of a two-seater from around 1903 in the Deutsches Museum. This model had a stub axle steering, spoked wheels with pneumatic tires of the same size with ball bearings and fully elliptical springs and a battery box over the front axle. The tie rod was moved down and had a control handle. In addition, the vehicle had electric headlights, which is considered a possible novelty.[8]
Vehicle construction at Flocken was discontinued in 1903.[4]
References
edit- ^ Boyle, David (2018). 30-Second Great Inventions. Ivy Press. p. 62. ISBN 9781782406846.
- ^ Denton, Tom (2016). Electric and Hybrid Vehicles. Routledge. p. 6. ISBN 9781317552512.
- ^ "Elektroauto in Coburg erfunden" [Electric car invented in Coburg]. Neue Presse Coburg (in German). Germany. 2011-01-12. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
- ^ a b Christian Boseckert: Als Coburg Automobilgeschichte schrieb.[permanent dead link] In: Digitales Stadtgedächtnis, Stadt Coburg, letzte Aktualisierung 3 June 2014, retrieved 2 April 2018:
Die einschlägige Literatur dazu erwähnt, dass im Jahre 1903 der Wagenbau ein Ende gefunden habe.
- ^ Daimler Motorkutsche, 1886. In: M@RS, ein Angebot von Mercedes-Benz Classic, retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ Stefan Pischinger, Ulrich Seiffert (Hrsg.): Vieweg Handbuch Kraftfahrzeugtechnik. 8. Auflage. Springer, Wiesbaden 2016, ISBN 978-3-658-09527-7, S. 174.
- ^ Simone Bastian (2013-04-20). "Erstes Elektroauto der Welt kam aus Coburg". www.infranken.de (in German). Retrieved 2018-08-08.
- ^ Friedrich Rauer: Elektroauto in Coburg erfunden. In: Neue Presse, Coburg, 12 January 2008, retrieved 30 March 2018.