Time to dream

Automotive Industries,  May, 2005  by Ed Richardson

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E.P. INGERSOLL, editor of The Horseless Age, wrote those words over 100 years ago. His passion stemmed from his belief that through innovation, the future of motor vehicles would be forever young. And while his magazine soon changed its name to Automotive Industries, his challenge that automakers dare to reinvent themselves withstood the test of time.

Nothing much has changed. Ingersoll would have been quite at home reporting on the search for alternative modes of delivering power to the wheels. Much of the focus has returned to the electric car--a design that predates the combustion engine. As early as the 1830's Robert Anderson of Scotland built the first electric carriage. This was followed by fast-paced technological advances that included the rechargeable battery.

Early electric vehicles, such as the 1902 Wood's Phaeton, had a range of 18 miles, a top speed of 14 mph and cost $2,000. Later in 1916, Woods invented a hybrid car that had both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. Electric vehicles lost their market share as late as the 1920's due to the paving of country roads, which meant that motorists could travel farther, the discovery of cheap oil in Texas, the invention of the electric starter by Charles Kettering and Henry Ford's introduction of mass production.

Advances in battery technology, hybrid vehicles, cheap flights and car hire, mean that distance is no longer an issue. Neither is cheap Texas crude--not at a predicted $100 a barrel for oil. And, yes, it is possible to mass-produce electric vehicles. As anyone with a computer knows, the price of electronics drops exponentially as volumes increase.

Readers of this, the first edition of Automotive Industries under new management, will find that there are a number of complimentary developments. These include the increasing use and availability of new materials that reduce weight, lower costs and add to passenger pleasure and safety. One of the developments that would have had the dreamers at the turn of the century being regarded as distinctly odd is that of information technology. The industry is having to meet a number of challenges, not the least of which is the tough environment under the hood.

As our first editor understood so well, it is a challenge to which the industry will rise.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Diesel & Gas Turbine Publications
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