Electra (ship)
.jpg) Sketch of the Electra
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The Electra was an electrically powered test boat from Siemens & Halske , which carried out test drives on the Spree in 1886 to solve the local traffic problem in Berlin . It was named after the figure from Greek mythology Elektra .
history
When planning public transport in Berlin at the end of the 19th century, comparisons were often made with Paris and London. In a report on the municipal administration of what was then Berlin in the years 1877 to 1881, it was found that steamers were of particular importance for local passenger transport in London. In Berlin, on the other hand, passenger shipping was limited to the Oberspree area and served exclusively for recreation and pleasure . Regardless of this, it was written in the report from 1882 to 1888 to pursue the idea of using ships, in this case steamships, for passenger transport, as these did not have to use the urban transport facilities, i.e. the streets that were already congested for the time. However, the steamships were very labor-intensive, labor-intensive and not without danger. There have been repeated reports of boiler explosions. Many residents felt annoyed by smoke and dirt. The testing and introduction of electric vehicles should improve the situation.
The ship
The sheet steel hull and the propeller of the Electra were delivered to Berlin by the Schlosswerft in Harburg . The technical equipment, such as the drive system and the accumulators , was installed by Siemens & Halske . The electric boat was presented during the Berlin trade fair . The press reported extensively on the trips.
Newspaper report of the Daily Rundschau from 1903
- From art, science and life
Quote: Our technical reporter writes to us: As a result of the almost rushing inventions and discoveries of the modern age, mainly from the field of electrical engineering, mankind has been literally dulled. She is no longer surprised about anything and looks at achievements that were thought to be utopias just a few years ago with an unequaled calm. ... during a test drive of the electric boat Electra , which we were allowed to take part in thanks to the permission of Chief Engineer Frischen from Siemens & Halske . ... the journeys of the Electra take place without a run-up on the beach, ... and seems to have no idea that one day electricity will displace all previous driving forces on the water as well. ... in the case of electricity, on the other hand, we have to do with a force whose essence is completely unknown and which is completely invisible. ... at Electra we only see a number of boxes in which electrical current, i.e. something intangible, was stacked, and a dynamo-electric machine that is hardly expected to have as much power as a sewing machine, and it is also not bigger. Finally a thin shaft and when we bend down a miniature screw (propeller) forty centimeters in diameter. The equipment completes a crank, as long as a coffee grinder, attached near the steering wheel. The captain orders: Go! Grabs the crank and moves it to the right. Immediately a huge current flows out of the boxes, called accumulators, and the dynamo-electric machine comes to life in a very inexplicable way and begins to rotate around its axis up to 900 times a minute. The screw follows its example without a jolt and the ship shoots noiselessly towards the target at a speed of four meters per second. The boat should stop. The helmsman turns the crank backwards and in a few seconds, what you only believe when you see it, the machine goes from breakneck speed to a standstill, and then works backwards just as quickly when the crank is turned to the left. Even the most inexperienced person can learn to operate the engine in a minute.
Further developments
The electric drive has not been able to establish itself in Berlin passenger shipping for a long time. The reasons for this were the not fully developed technology, the high space requirement and the high weight of the technology, especially the batteries. Another reason was the small radius of action. In addition, there was the rapid further development of internal combustion engines such as the diesel engine. At that time, petrol engines were also used in smaller vehicles.
Berlin ferries with electric drive
In areas with short distances, this has changed since January 2014, because the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) have used low-emission and therefore environmentally friendly solar ferries such as the FährBär on two ferry lines so far. Two more are in preparation. The ferry lines are operated by the White Fleet in Stralsund. They are designed for the transport of up to 35 people with 28 seats. They can also transport two wheelchairs and ten bicycles.
literature
- Kurt Groggert: Personenschiffahrt auf Havel and Spree Berlin contributions to the history of technology and industrial culture , Vol. 10, Nicolaische Verlagsbuchhandlung Berlin, 1988, ISBN 3-7759-0153-1
- Daily Rundschau, Berlin, Protestant national newspaper on November 24, 1886
- Photo of the new solar ferries see: http://www.ostsee-zeitung.de/Vorpommern/Stralsund/Neue-Faehren-auf-Berliner-Gewaessern-am-Start
Individual evidence
- ^ Daily Rundschau, Berlin, Protestant national newspaper on November 24, 1886 (founded in 1881, discontinued in 1933)