Electric Makes Fifteen Hundred Miles in Fourteen Days

September 4, 1915 Electrical Review and Western Electrician Vol. 67 – No. 10

Over 1,500 miles in 14 days is a recent performance of an electric. This record in electric vehicle efficiency was made in the recent endurance test held by the Beardsley Electric Company, of Los Angeles, Cal. Mrs. Volney Beardsley, wife of the president of the company, volunteered to drive the car for the first 10 days, being accompanied each day by different women representing the press and acting as observers. During the last four days the car was driven by owners of Beardsley electrics to further demonstrate the possibilities of an electric when driven by any careful operator. Mrs. Beardsley timed her days so successfully that in no case did the daily run fall below 100 miles, the average daily mileage being 106.6.

On the tenth day, when she believed the test was coming to an end, she decided to make the longest record of the 10 days, and registered 117 miles. In each case the day’s run was made on a single charge of the batteries. The last four days increased the average to 107.5 miles per day, or a total of 1,505.6 miles covered in 14 days.

As to the battery efficiency, the owners themselves were not sure at the beginning whether the batteries, after being practically exhausted on 100 mile run each day, could be charged over night, ready to repeat the performance the following day. They proved, however, that this could be done not only for a second day, but for a steady two weeks’ grind, and upon examination of the batteries at the completion of this 1,500 mile run, the plates were in excellent condition, showing that the car was probably capable of keeping up this same average for a long time. The runs were made over all kinds of California roads, covering different routes, the greater part of which were country runs over hilly ground.