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Baker Motor Vehicle

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Defunct American motor vehicle manufacturer

This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points . Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. (January 2022)

Baker Motor Vehicle CompanyIndustryAutomotiveGenreElectric automobilesFounded1899Defunct1914FateMerged with Cleveland, Ohio automaker Rauch and LangSuccessorBaker, Rauch & LangHeadquartersCleveland, OH, United States<br>Number of locations<br>1250 West 80th St.[1]ProductsVehicles<br>Automotive parts<br>Baker Stanhope (1902)<br>Baker Surrey (1904)<br>1913 Baker Electric<br>Baker Runabout 1.5 kW (1907)<br>Baker Queen Victoria 1.5 kW (1907)<br>Baker Inside Driven Coupé 1.5 kW (1907)<br>Baker Roadster 2.6 kW (1907)<br>Baker Brougham 4.3 kW (1907)<br>Baker Motor Vehicle Company was an American manufacturer of Brass Era electric automobiles in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1899 to 1914. It was founded by Walter C. Baker.

History<br>[edit]

Baker Electrics logo, 1912<br>The first Baker vehicle was a two seater with a selling price of US$850. One was sold to Thomas Edison as his first car.[2] Edison also designed the nickel-iron batteries used in some Baker electrics. These batteries have extremely long lives [citation needed].

1902 accident<br>[edit]

In May 1902, Baker took part in a speed trial on a public road on Staten Island, New York.[3] The vehicle was built specially for racing, having previously raced in Cleveland, and was a streamlined and enclosed 'torpedo' body with a small conning tower and even smaller mica window for the driver. A crew of two were carried, one acting as brakesman whilst W C Baker, the driver, steered. Although carrying two people increased the weight, this was a small matter when the car already weighed 3,000 lb (1,400 kg), mostly of lead-zinc batteries. The intention was to exceed 60 mph and to cover 'a mile a minute' from a standing start, beating the performance of the more powerful gasoline cars and the 1901 electric record by a Riker of 1:08.

The Baker was car 39 from the start and set a good time for the first part of the course, but then lost control and slid sideways into the crowd. Two spectators were killed and others injured. In the aftermath, the Automobile Club of America resolved to stop races on public roads and there was a general loss of confidence in the safety of electric cars.[4][5][6]

Early production<br>[edit]

The model range was expanded in 1904 to two vehicles, both two-seaters with armored wood-frames, centrally located electric motors, and 12-cell batteries.[7]

The Runabout had 0.75 horsepower (0.56 kW), weighed 650 pounds (290 kg), and had a wheelbase of 58-in.[7] The Stanhope cost US$1,600, weighed 950 pounds (430 kg), had 1.75 horsepower (1.30 kW) and three-speed transmission. It was capable of 14 miles per hour (23 km/h).

In 1906, Baker made 800 cars, making them the largest electric vehicle maker in the world at the time.[2] They bragged that their new factory was "the largest in the world" in advertisements. The company also made a switch from producing Baker Electric Carriages to automobiles. According to the company promotionals; "We employ the choicest materials in every detail of their construction and finish, producing vehicles which in every minute particular, cannot be equaled for thorough excellence."[8]

1909 Baker Suburban Runabout<br>The 1906 Baker Landolet was priced at $4,000. The company also manufactured the Imperial, Suburban, Victoria, Surrey, Depot Carriages, and other new models "to be announced later."[8] One of the most unusual 1906 Bakers was the Brougham with the driver on the outside, in the back.[9]

Baker Electrics advertisement, The Washington Post, 19 October 1913<br>By 1907, Baker had seventeen models, the smallest being the Stanhope and the largest the Inside Drive Coupe. There was also the US$4,000 Extension Front Brougham with the driving seat high up behind the passengers mimicking a hansom cab. Baker also introduced a range of trucks with capacity of up to five tons in 1907.

In late 1910, the Baker Electric was quite luxurious and priced at $2,800. It had a seating capacity of four passengers and was painted black with choice of blue, green or maroon panels. The latest model also offered a Queen Victoria body as "interchangeable on chassis" priced at an additional $300.[10]

The Baker of 1910 was the only electric that had a heavy series-wound motor of 300 percent overload capacity, with a commutator "absolutely proof against sparking and burning under all conditions."[10]

Special Baker Electrics<br>[edit]

A Baker Electric was part of the first White House fleet of cars.[11] It was driven by Helen Taft, wife of William...