Energizing a 1904 Electric Woods Road Wagon
This is a production electric car manufactured in 1904 with lead-acid batteries. Since the original style batteries are no longer available and it never had an on-board charger, SHIFT EV was asked to develop and install a Lithium replacement system.
As ambassadors for early electric vehicle awareness, owners Larry and Scheryl are sharing this vehicle as living history and a mobile museum. While some restoration purists might disapprove of the modern battery pack, the owners have great respect for the originality of the vehicle. It works with the original mechanical speed control that switches both motor and battery packs into different series/parallel combinations. This provides 4 speeds in forward and in reverse. In 1904 this electric car had a range of about 50 miles. After this conversion, it has a 140-mile range. At top speed, that is a seven-hour ride.
With the access panel open, the mechanics of the original forward-reverse switch are visible. The electric drive system on this car is stock after the battery connections.
