WI: Early electric locomotive?

[Shtudmuffin]

I was browsing the Internet today, and I discovered that this guy invented a form of electric locomotive as early as 1842. His electric locomotive was powered by the earliest battery, the Voltaic Pile, and used early electric motors to turn the wheels. Unfortunately, the prototype was destroyed by railway workers who were concerned for their jobs.

My question is, if the prototype wasn't destroyed, what would have happened? Might we see battery-powered locomotives take a foothold in the railway business? Or would the prototype sink into obscurity because of the costs of battery replacement (as the Voltaic Pile Batteries used by the locomotive were not rechargeable)?

 

[historyfool]

He was in no regards the only one experimenting with electric locomotives. C. G Page built one about 1850 in the US and there were at least two Germans experimenting with it in the 40s, Johann Philipp Wagner and the other name escapes me atm. All failed for one or more of three reasons: Failure to upscale their working models, less reliability than steam engines and/or the much higher production and working costs. For Davidsons engine it was later calculated that the battery he used was 40 times as expensive as using a steam engine to achieve the same. So without significant advances in electric technologies in general electric locomotives won´t be successful at this point.

 

[Shtudmuffin]

He was in no regards the only one experimenting with electric locomotives. C. G Page built one about 1850 in the US and there were at least two Germans experimenting with it in the 40s, Johann Philipp Wagner and the other name escapes me atm. All failed for one or more of three reasons: Failure to upscale their working models, less reliability than steam engines and/or the much higher production and working costs. For Davidsons engine it was later calculated that the battery he used was 40 times as expensive as using a steam engine to achieve the same. So without significant advances in electric technologies in general electric locomotives won´t be successful at this point.

But what made Davidson's model 40 times more expensive than its steam counterpart?

 

[wietze]

But what made Davidson's model 40 times more expensive than its steam counterpart?

because the batteries consumed zinc, and the price of the zinc that was consumed over a given distance was 40 times more expensive than the price of coal used to cover the same distance by coal powered steam.

 

[NHBL]

Need a role...

Electrics at the time COST, and cost a LOT. So, there's a need for a reason to invest in them. Often, to make something happen earlier, follow the money...

The electric streetcar came along as soon as anyone could make it work well...

 

[Shtudmuffin]

because the batteries consumed zinc, and the price of the zinc that was consumed over a given distance was 40 times more expensive than the price of coal used to cover the same distance by coal powered steam.

Damn. Was this just because Coal was cheap or was it because Zinc was expensive? If the latter, how can that be fixed?

 

[carlton_bach]

Damn. Was this just because Coal was cheap or was it because Zinc was expensive? If the latter, how can that be fixed?

It was because batteries really are not the way you want to go here. We can barely make batteries work for heavy-duty vehicles today. In the 1800s, that was simply not a realistic option. Zinc was just the first of the problems. Voltaic piles need management, regular reassembly, the charges reduces at the end of their useful life...

What you need to make an electric train work is an external power source. And I think to get that, you need big generators and AC transmission.

 

[Just Leo]

Probably need an earlier Tesla to create efficient motors and power transmission methods.

 

[ArKhan]

I was browsing the Internet today, and I discovered that this guy invented a form of electric locomotive as early as 1842. His electric locomotive was powered by the earliest battery, the Voltaic Pile, and used early electric motors to turn the wheels. Unfortunately, the prototype was destroyed by railway workers who were concerned for their jobs.

My question is, if the prototype wasn't destroyed, what would have happened? Might we see battery-powered locomotives take a foothold in the railway business? Or would the prototype sink into obscurity because of the costs of battery replacement (as the Voltaic Pile Batteries used by the locomotive were not rechargeable)?

I imagine they'd have a cart full of replacement batteries similar to a coal cart. However, being as it was the 19th century and people didn't give a shit, I can also see them just dumping the old batteries over the side of the train, making a huge toxic mess all along the rail lines. wheather this would be better or worse then the environmental effects of coal in the long run is hard to say however.