In August 2017, the new (TXe) electric black cabs started to ply their trade on London’s streets. You may have seen one of them at the recharging station outside the Dog House pub.
But did you know however that the first fleet of electric taxis came into service in 1897 in a company that was based here in Kennington at Juxon Street?
The London Electrical Cab Company ran a service of 12 electric-powered Bersey cabs in central London from 19 August 1897. They became the first self-propelled taxis in the world, with a top speed of 9-12 mph,
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The Inventor
The Electric cab was the idea of the young designer & inventor Walter Charles Bersey who was just 23 at the time but had been designing and patenting electric vehicles for several years already.
“there is no smell, no noise, no heat, no vibration, no possible danger, and it has been found that vehicles built on this company’s system do not frighten passing horses”
“Whilst petroleum may become the motive power in country districts, and steam will probably be used for very heavy vehicles, there is no doubt that electricity will be the most advantageous where the traffic can be located within a radius.”
The cabs quickly became known as “hummingbirds” for the noise made by their motors and their distinctive black and yellow livery.
Extract: September 1897 edition of The Engineer
“The vehicle resembles very closely a horseless and shaftless coupé. It is carried on four wooden solid rubber-tired wheels. There is ample space for the coachmen. The accommodation within is luxurious. The propelling machinery consists of an 8-horse power Johnson-Lundell motor, with double wound armature and fields, so that by the use of a suitable switch or controller a variety of speeds can be obtained.”
The cabs can travel between thirty and thirty-five miles per charge.”
The vehicle had speed settings of three, seven, and nine miles per hour, controlled by a lever at the side of the driver’s box. A powerful footbrake that broke the electrical circuit could also be applied, halting the vehicle in short order.
As part of their licensing conditions, the Metropolitan Police had required them to meet four conditions:
- each vehicle was accompanied by a driver
- drivers were capable of stopping the carriage on demand
- the taxi could turn in a small space
- be able to climb the steepest hill in London, Savoy Hill
The cab could take two passengers and were fitted with electric lighting both inside and out. The cabs charged the same rates as those used by horse-drawn cabs and were initially quite popular; even the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII) travelled in one.
The fleet peaked at around 75 cabs, all of which needed to return to the single depot at Juxon Street, Kennington to switch 700 kg batteries. This was achieved using hydraulic lifts that could complete the operation in 2–3 minutes
The London Electrical Cab Company planned to introduce additional battery charging and exchange depots in the future to expand its coverage and range.
The Decline
However, despite gaining a steady business of regular customers, the company lost £6,200 in its first year. Following a series of issues with the tires — which were far too fragile to take the weight of the car — and a costly project that saw the firm generate its own electricity,
This was largely prompted by a campaign led by London cab drivers fearing for their jobs, a campaign supported by the press which published a series of stories on the vehicles’ breakdowns and accidents, including the
The first ever drunk driving conviction
The first-ever drunk driving conviction was handed out to 25-year-old driver George Smith who on 10 September 1897 drove his electric cab onto the pavement and into the front of 165 Bond Street (George was fined £1).
First death
Thirteen days later Schoolboy Stephen Kempton, age 9, dies in Stockmar Road, Hackney, after his coat got caught in the chain drive after he had jumped onto the outside of an electric cab.
Just two years after their inauguration the Bersey taxis were removed from the streets of London but Walter Bersey continued to design and develop his ideas and created a range of private electric vehicles.
