Bersey Electric Cab
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The Bersey Electric Cab (also known as the London Electrical Cab) was an early electric-powered vehicle and the first electric taxi cab in London. Developed by Walter Bersey the vehicles reportedly had a top speed of and could carry two passengers. An initial service of 12 cabs began on 19 August 1897 and a total of 77 were built, with a maximum of 75 in service at once. They were initially popular and were nicknamed "hummingbirds" for the sound they made and their distinctive livery. The vehicles suffered badly from wear in service owing to their heavy weight. This damaged the batteries and tyres, which were expensive to replace, and made their operation unprofitable. The cabs were withdrawn in August 1899 and electric cabs did not return to the streets of London until the Nissan Dynamo was introduced in October 2019.


Design

The Bersey cab was designed by Walter Bersey, an electrical engineer who had earlier constructed an electric powered bus and van as well as private cars. The cab was driven by a Johnson-Lundell electric motor described variously as 3.5 or 8
horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are t ...
or 2.2 kilowatts. Power was supplied by a bank of 40 grid-plate traction batteries with a total capacity of 170 ampere hours (assuming a 30 ampere demand). The batteries weighed 14
hundredweight The hundredweight (abbreviation: cwt), formerly also known as the centum weight or quintal, is a British imperial and US customary unit of weight or mass. Its value differs between the US and British imperial systems. The two values are distingu ...
() and, being delicate, were hung underneath the chassis on springs. Before going into service the batteries went through testing on Bersey's "shaking machine" to ensure they would stand up to the rigours of use. Speed was controlled by means of a lever that provided three options: , though a top speed of up to has been reported. Braking was by means of a foot pedal that disconnected the electrical drive circuit. The cab as a whole weighed and could carry two passengers. The range on a full charge was approximately , barely sufficient for a day's work. The first cabs were constructed by the Great Horseless Carriage Company, with bodies made by the coachbuilder Mulliner and designed to resemble a traditional horse-drawn coupé cab. Internal and external electric lighting was provided. The vehicle's four wheels were clad with solid rubber tyres that were intended to provide grip on London's greasy pavements. A later version of the cab with larger capacity batteries was built by the Gloucester Railway Waggon Company. A total of 77 cabs of both types were constructed. Bersey said the advantages of his invention were that "there is no smell, no noise, no heat, no vibration, no possible danger, and it has been found that vehicles built on this company's system do not frighten passing horses".


In service

The Bersey cab was first exhibited at a motor show in
South Kensington South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...
in 1896. An example was entered into the 14 November 1896 London to Brighton emancipation race which was a celebration of the passing of the
Locomotives on Highways Act 1896 The Locomotives on Highways Act 1896 removed the strict rules and UK speed limits that were included in the earlier Locomotive Acts which had greatly restricted the adoption of motorised vehicles in the United Kingdom. It came into operation on ...
which relaxed regulations and speed limits for road vehicles. The Bersey cab's range was insufficient to complete the entire route so it was partly transported by train. The London Electrical Cab Company ran a service of 12 Bersey cabs in central London from 19 August 1897 after an inauguration presided over by eminent electrical engineer
William Henry Preece Sir William Henry Preece (15 February 1834 – 6 November 1913) was a Welsh electrical engineer and inventor. Preece relied on experiments and physical reasoning in his life's work. Upon his retirement from the Post Office in 1899, Preece was m ...
. They became the first self-propelled taxis in the city. As part of their licensing conditions the Metropolitan Police had required them to meet four conditions: That they be driven only by professional drivers; that they could stop on demand; that they could turn around in a small radius and that they were capable of climbing
Savoy Hill Savoy Place is a large red brick building on the north bank of the River Thames in London. It is on a street called Savoy Place; Savoy Hill and Savoy Street run along the sides of the building up to the Strand. In front is the Victoria Embankmen ...
, which was the steepest in the city. The cabs charged the same rates as those used by horse-drawn cabs and were initially quite popular; even the Prince of Wales (the future
King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...
) travelled in one. The cabs quickly became known as "hummingbirds" for the noise made by their motors and their distinctive black and yellow livery. Passengers reported that the interior fittings were luxurious when compared to horse-drawn cabs but there were some complaints that the internal lighting made them too conspicuous to those outside the cab. The fleet peaked at around 75 cabs, all of which needed to return to the single depot at Lambeth to switch batteries. This was achieved by means of hydraulic lifts that could complete the operation in 2–3 minutes. The London Electrical Cab Company planned to introduce additional battery charging and exchange depots in the future to expand its coverage and range. Owing to the expense of electricity available at the time the company invested in its own electricity generators.


Fate

The tyres of the cabs suffered due to the heavy weight of the vehicle. After six months of operation they tended to be badly worn which led to increased vibration. The vibration had a bad effect on the delicate glass plates in the batteries and an increase in noise emitted by the vehicle. The operation became plagued by breakdowns and oftentimes the cabs were slower than the horse-drawn alternative. The high cost of replacement batteries and tyres made the operation unprofitable and the London Electrical Cab Company reported losses of £6,200 in its first year. The cabs were withdrawn from service and the company closed in August 1899. The downfall of the company was said to have been caused in part by a campaign by horse-drawn cab drivers and a run of bad press caused by breakdowns and accidents. Fully electric cabs did not return to the city's streets until the introduction of the Nissan Dynamo in October 2019. A Bersey cab survives in the collection of London's
Science Museum A science museum is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in ...
.


References

{{reflist Cars introduced in 1896 1890s cars Veteran vehicles Electric car models Taxi vehicles Electric vehicles introduced in the 19th century