All About Inventions and Discoveries
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iio All About Inventions possibilities, acting in the capacity of a feeder to a tramway system. It is cheaper than the latter to instal, inasmuch as the rails do not enter into the question. The fact that the trolley-bus is not regarded as a serious contribution to the problem of rapid and cheap inter-urban and intra-mural locomotion is offered by the United States. In that country, which is admittedly exceedingly enterprising in matters per- taining to transportation, and where authority offers little interference, the hybrid method is not regarded seriously. It lacks the carrying capacity of the tram-car, and is not so speedy. Moreover, it cannot operate upon the multiple unit system, which has now come extensively into favour. The trolley-bus would appear to be in danger of becoming superseded before it has become established. Commendable efforts are being made to adapt ordinary vehicles to electric propulsion, and during the past two or three years decided progress has been recorded. Davidson’s electric battery propelled car has never been forgotten. It has always been realised that if the accumulators could be improved so as to give a greater radius of action upon a single charge, and that with a reduction in the weight, dimensions and bulk of the accumulators themselves, then the elec- tric vehicle might come into its own and be able to compete with other forms of mechanical traction. The first experiment which was made in these islands in this direction proved a failure, since the draw- backs were quite as pronounced as in Davidson’s trial car. Moreover, the difficulty and expense of recharging the batteries were too formidable to be