Life, 1910-06-16 · page 43 of 44
Life — June 16, 1910 — page 43: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire**—it's a straightforward advertisement for Detroit Electric automobiles equipped with Thomas Edison's nickel-steel batteries. The page features Edison's photograph and endorsement of his own battery technology, emphasizing its superiority over lead-acid batteries: it's more durable, lighter, requires minimal maintenance (just weekly water and annual solution renewal at $50/year), and won't deteriorate when discharged. The ad positions electric cars as the modern choice for 1910, claiming that next season, gas-engine cars will be "as out-of-date as a single cylinder gas engine"—a strikingly inaccurate prediction, given that internal combustion engines ultimately dominated. The illustration shows a well-dressed woman with the vehicle, targeting affluent female buyers who preferred the quiet, clean operation of electric cars. This represents a moment when electric vehicles were genuinely competitive technology before gasoline engines became dominant.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
PRES = |THIS BATTERY WILL OUTWEAR YOUR CAR Do you know that there is an electric battery that has The DETROIT is the only electric of the 1910 season finally solved the problem of battery repairs or in which a sufficient number of cells of the larger renewe a battery that will outlast the life of size (A-6) battery of 225 ampere-hours capacity your car? may be installed. ) Thomas A. Edison has perfected just such a battery. The success of the DETROIT with the EDISON bat- 1 ! The elements of nickel and steel are practically tery has passed even the expectations of its in- . 4 indestructible. The solution is an anti-acid mix- ventor. Next season an electric not thus equipped ture of caustic potash and water. will be as out-of-date as a single cylinder gas engine. hat yes: ers. 0. eden Every one of our nine models is equipped to carry the lead or the large size ‘‘A-6”’ Edison Battery. The EDISON battery does not dete- The EDISON ‘‘A-6"" has 225 ampere-hours capacity riorate when left discharged. You as inst 168 in the lead. It weighs 50% less per may charge the battery at high capacity than any other make of battery. — It in- a rate OF, OVERS harge it without in- creases with use, 30% above its rated efficiency. jury. It is not liable to leakage, aid. breakage or corrosion. If you want a car now that is ‘‘modern-to- y ght ff hha 0 Bain All the care it requires is to fill the bat- the-minute”’; that will be up to date next tery with water once a week, and to renew the solu- season, get a DETROIT with an EDISON tion about once a year at a cost of about $50.00. battery. ‘| ANDERSON CARRIAGE Co., » Detroit, Mich. THE WILLIAMS PRINTING COMPANY comicbooks.com