Fritchle Automobile & Electric Storage Battery Company

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Fritchle Electric Storage Battery Company
Fritchle Automobile & Electric Storage Battery Company
legal form Company
founding 1903
resolution 1920
Seat Denver , Colorado , USA
management Oliver Parker Fritchle
Branch Automobiles

Fritchle Automobile & Electric Storage Battery Company , previously Fritchle Electric Storage Battery Company , was an American manufacturer of automobiles .

Company history

1908 advert for the Fritchle Electric with 100 miles (160 km) range

Oliver Parker Fritchle experimented with batteries from 1897 . In 1903 he received a patent . A little later he founded the Fritchle Electric Storage Battery Company in Denver , Colorado . First he manufactured batteries and from 1905 also electric cars. The brand name was Fritchle , possibly with the addition of Electric . 1907 presented vehicles at the Denver Automobile Show . In 1908 Fritchle personally took part in a long-distance drive with one of his vehicles. It led over 3424 km from Lincoln to New York City . A range of 160 km was praised. Fritchle promoted his product, increased production numbers, and achieved success. He also changed the company name to Fritchle Automobile & Electric Storage Battery Company .

After 1911, sales fell and fell below the 100 mark in 1915. In 1916 a hybrid vehicle was introduced. It had both a gasoline engine and an electric motor . The sales figures remained low. Vehicle production ended in 1920. A total of over 1500 vehicles were built.

vehicles

Most of the vehicles were electric cars. The Stanhope and Victoria superstructures have been handed down for the period from 1905 to 1908 .

From 1909, the models were called 100 Mile Electric based on their range . In 1909 there was a coupe with 213 cm wheelbase , a roadster with 244 cm wheelbase, and Stanhope and Victoria.

In 1910, a coupé with a 213 cm wheelbase, a Victoria Phaeton with a 203 cm wheelbase and a roadster with a 254 cm wheelbase were in the range.

In 1911 the Victoria had 213 cm wheelbase and the Coupé 218 cm wheelbase. The roadster remained unchanged.

From 1912 the reference to the range was dropped. For the Victoria with 218 cm wheelbase and for the touring car with 254 cm wheelbase, there was a choice between chain drive and cardan drive . There was also a Torpedo Roadster and an Extension Coupé with cardan drive and 224 cm wheelbase as well as a Colonial Coupé without further data.

For the time after that, the type of power transmission is no longer mentioned. Between 1913 and 1915 there was a four-seater Colonial Coupé with 224 cm wheelbase, a two-seater roadster with 244 cm wheelbase, a five-seater Brougham with 262 cm wheelbase and a four-seater roadster with 264 cm wheelbase.

In 1916 there were three models in the range. The Colonial Coupé with 244 cm wheelbase and a Torpedo Roadster with 264 cm wheelbase were electric cars. The hybrid car was a special feature. It had an air-cooled four-cylinder engine . At $ 3,000 , it was priced between the other two models.

In 1917 the offer was limited to an Electric 100 Mile as a coach with a 264 cm wheelbase.

There were no changes in 1918.

From 1919 to 1920 the only structure was a brougham. The wheelbase was shortened to 254 cm.

Model overview

year model Wheelbase (cm) construction
1905-1908 Electric Stanhope, Victoria
1909 100 mile electric 203 Stanhope, Victoria
1909 100 mile electric 213 Coupe
1909 100 mile electric 244 Roadster
1910 100 mile electric 203 Victoria Phaeton
1910 100 mile electric 213 Coupe
1910 100 mile electric 254 Roadster
1911 100 mile electric 213 Victoria
1911 100 mile electric 218 Coupe
1911 100 mile electric 254 Roadster
1912 Electric 218 Victoria
1912 Electric 224 Torpedo Roadster, Extension Coupé
1912 Electric 254 Touring car
1912 Electric Colonial Coupe
1913-1915 Electric 224 Colonial Coupé 4-seater
1913-1915 Electric 244 Roadster 2-seater
1913-1915 Electric 262 Brougham 5-seat
1913-1915 Electric 264 Roadster 4-seater
1916 Electric 244 Colonial Coupe
1916 Electric 264 Torpedo Roadster
1916 Gas-Electric Car
1917 Electric 100 mile 264 Coach
1918 Electric 100 mile 264 Coupe
1919-1920 Electric 100 mile 254 Brougham

Production numbers

year Production number
1905 1
1906 2
1907 17th
1908 33
1909 187
1910 214
1911 323
1912 187
1913 141
1914 133
1915 97
1916 88
1917 71
1918 23
1919 17th
1920 6th
total 1540

literature

  • Beverly Rae Kimes, Henry Austin Clark Jr .: Standard catalog of American Cars. 1805-1942. Digital edition . 3. Edition. Krause Publications, Iola 2013, ISBN 978-1-4402-3778-2 , pp. 616-617 (English).
  • George Nicholas Georgano (Ed.): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile . Volume 1: A-F . Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 , pp. 594 (English).

Web links

Commons : Fritchle Automobile & Electric Storage Battery Company  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Beverly Rae Kimes, Henry Austin Clark Jr .: Standard catalog of American Cars. 1805-1942. Digital edition . 3. Edition. Krause Publications, Iola 2013, ISBN 978-1-4402-3778-2 , pp. 616-617 (English).
  2. ↑ George Nicholas Georgano (Ed.): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile . Volume 1: A-F . Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 , pp. 594 (English).