Americans loved their early electric cars because they did not have to crank-start them, or change gears either. However, internal gasoline combustion alternatives were catching up, and developing superior performance. The owners of the Baker Motor Vehicle Company decided it was time to change that perception in 1901. Their answer to critics two years later was the electric Baker Torpedo.
Electric Baker Torpedo Revolutionizes Electric Transport
The electric Baker Torpedo race car had a radical design few others had ever dreamed of. It was tubular, and streamlined with a removable ‘conning tower’ like a helmet for the driver to peer through. Co-founder Walter C Baker was at the controls in 1903, while a ‘brakesman’ sat behind him in an uncertain supporting role.
This dual crew complement was a departure from a tradition that believed in reducing auto weight. However, it hardly made any difference in this instance, because the lead batteries packed on either side of them weighed 3,000 pounds total. The company entered their vehicle in a race against internal gasoline combustion race cars, with the stated intention of exceeding 60 miles-per-hour.
But disaster struck when Baker lost control, and his Torpedo slid sideways into the crowd. There was stunned silence when organizers discovered two spectators died, and a number of others had injuries. The incident set back electric car popularity quite considerably. If only the Torpedo Kid as Baker was known had succeeded in his quest.
The Torpedo Had None the Less Performed Spectacularly
A post by Classic Car Trust of Lichtenstein, Europe (see link below) suggests something remarkable happened on that day. Their authors state that Baker believed his torpedo car was capable of around 130 miles-per-hour. And it certainly was doing well until it reached a curve at the end of a straight track.
The sideways momentum of the heavy batteries overwhelmed the vehicle, which the Classic Car Trust of Lichtenstein considers was moving at 104 miles-per-hour at the time.
This would have exceeded the current land speed record for several years to come. And undoubtedly improved perceptions of electric vehicles, had things turned out differently that tragic day.
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