Edison's Electric Model T came alive in Young Indiana Jones
A new Indiana Jones movie is coming to theaters this May. New episodes of the short-lived Young Indiana Jones TV series were released on DVD recently. I caught an episode on the History Channel called Spring Break Adventure which includes a story about an electric car. The plot involves a scientist in Thomas Edison's laboratories working on a battery for a Ford electric Model T. The scientist says "when I perfect the Edison battery, the age of the combustion engine will be over forever" and "we will have noise-less cars without exhaust."
The story was clever but what I found most interesting was the mention of a fiction book called Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout. Indy says Tom Swift, the young inventor protagonist of the adventure book series, invented a "lithium and potassium hydrate" battery that took his electric runabout to 100 MPH. I had to know more, so I ordered the book (written in 1910) and another called Tom Swift and His Electric Locomotive (written in 1922) for good measure. I'm reading both books right now and I will write about the details of Tom Swift's electric vehicles very soon.
White you wait, I recorded a short clip from the Young Indiana episode with the mention of Tom Swift's battery; you can watch it below the fold.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Misty 4:23PM (2/01/2008)
My grandfather used to own one of these Model T cars in the MidWest. I wonder how many of these are still left in storage or museums.
Reply
Ernie 3:06PM (1/21/2008)
This is indeed the case. Thomas Edison did spend a good deal of his later life looking for a battery chemistry that would make electric cars useful over longer distances.
See also: http://edison.rutgers.edu/biogrphy.htm. It's mentioned near the end.
Reply
Ron Fischer 7:49PM (1/21/2008)
Relevant passage from the above reference: "Aware of the weight problems with lead acid batteries, Edison decided to experiment with alkaline electrolytes, such as those used in the Edison-Lalande cell in order to develop a lightweight and long-lasting battery. However, it took him a decade to develop a commercially viable iron-nickel battery and by that time automobiles powered by internal combustion engines had become dominant. Edison did find an extensive market for his battery in a variety of industrial uses, and it was the most successful product of his later life."
Reply
Jim 10:12PM (1/22/2008)
It is worth remembering that the internal combustion engine was itself seen as a solution to environmental problems of that time. Andthat line about putting the oil companies out of business is so out of place is a 1920's script.
Reply
Lascelles Linton 7:16AM (1/23/2008)
Jim, What environmental problems?
Reply