Baker Motor Vehicle

Baker Motor Vehicle Company

Industry	Automotive
Genre	Electric automobiles
Fate	Merged with Cleveland, Ohio automaker Rauch and Lang
Successor	Baker, Rauch & Lang
Founded	1899
Defunct	1914
Headquarters	United States
Products	Vehicles Automotive parts

Baker Motor Vehicle Company was an American manufacturer of Brass Era electric automobiles in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1899 to 1914.

History

Baker Electrics logo, 1912

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.^[1] Edison also designed the nickel-iron batteries used in some Baker electrics. These batteries have extremely long lives with some still in use today.^[2]

Early production

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.

The Runabout had 0.75 hp (0.6 kW) and weighed 650 lb (295 kg). The Stanhope cost US$1,600, weighed 950 lb (431 kg), had 1.75 hp (1.3 kW) and three-speed transmission. It was capable of 14 mph (23 km/h).

In 1906 Baker made 800 cars, making them the largest electric vehicle maker in the world at the time.^[1] 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."^[3]

1909 Baker Suburban Runabout

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."^[3] One of the most unusual 1906 Bakers was the Brougham with the driver on the outside, in the back.^[4]

Baker Electrics advertisement, The Washington Post, 19 October 1913

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.^[5]

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."^[5]

Special Baker Electrics

A Baker Electric was part of the first White House fleet of cars.^[6]
A Baker Electric was bought in 1903 by the King of Siam. It was trimmed with ivory and gold.^[6]

Commercial vehicles

Baker Motor-Vehicle Co. Commercial Car Department, 1912

The Baker Motor-Vehicle Company, located at 63 West 80th Street in Cleveland, Ohio, specialized in vehicles for the commercial market. By October 1912, the company had a Commercial Car Department and had dealers situated in several leading cities around the United States.^[7]

During late 1912, Baker advertised that the average cost for deliveries over the "steep hills" of Spokane, Washington, by Crescent Department Store were four cents a piece, including all operating charges, maintenance, interest and depreciation.^[7]

By late 1913, the company advertised their new model as "The magnificent new Baker Coupe" and that the car was "just what the public demanded, a genuine automobile, not an electrically driven coach". That year, the car had "increased roominess, full limousine back, longer wheelbase, graceful, low-hung body lines, with both interior and exterior conveniences and appointments which have set a new mark in motor car refinement". Another new feature were revolving front seats which faced forward or "turn about".^[8]

Baker's former showroom and service facility on Euclid Avenue

Merger

Baker Electric - Quality Service in 1913

In 1913, Baker was overtaken in sales by Detroit Electric and, in 1914, merged with fellow Cleveland automaker Rauch and Lang to become Baker, Rauch & Lang.^[1] The last Baker cars were made in 1916, but electric industrial trucks continued for a few more years. Baker, Rauch & Lang produced the Owen Magnetic under contract.

Founder Walter C. Baker's Torpedo land speed record racer was the first car to have seat belts. The car was capable of over 75 miles per hour (121 km/h).

Walter Baker joined the board of Peerless Motor Company in 1919.^[1]

A 1906 Baker Electrics Advertisement - The Draw-Bar Pull of Baker Electrics - The Washington Post, June 17, 1906

Baker Motor Vehicle Company advertisement - Automotive Industries, 1906

Baker Electrics - 1910 Advertisement - Syracuse Journal, December 3, 1910

Baker Electric - 1911 Advertisement - Country Life in America, May 15, 1911

Advertisement 1912 - Baker Motor-Vehicles Co. of Cleveland, Ohio - Commercial Car Department - Power Trucks, 1912

References

1 2 3 4 Georgano, N. (2000). Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. London: HMSO. ISBN 1-57958-293-1.
↑ "EV Education" Secari Motor Company
1 2 Automotive Industries, Volume 15. The Automobile Weekly. The Class Journal Company, New York, New York, 5 July 1906. Retrieved 2010-07-23.
↑ Kimes, Beverly (1996). standard catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. Krause publications. ISBN 0-87341-428-4.
1 2 "Baker Motor-Vehicle Co.". Syracuse Journal. Syracuse, New York. December 3, 1910.
1 2 Karolevitz, Robert F. (1968). This Was Pioneer Motoring. Superior Publishing Company.
1 2 Power Wagon, Issues 92-97. The Power Wagon, Chicago, Illinois. June 1912. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
↑ "Baker Motor-Vehicle Co.". Washington Post. Washington D.C. October 19, 1913.

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