Nikola Tesla's Electric Pierce Arrow
After the AC induction motor,
we think that the greatest invention of Nikola was the electric car. This
was no ordinary battery driven car because this car took its power from the
ether just like an automobile antenna picks up radio waves from the ether.
In 1931, under the financing of Pierce-Arrow and George Westinghouse, a 1931
Pierce-Arrow was selected to be tested at the factory grounds in Buffalo, N.
Y. The standard internal combustion engine was removed and an 80-H.P. 1800
r.p.m electric motor installed to the clutch and transmission. The AC motor
measured 40 inches long and 30 inches in diameter and the power leads were
left standing in the air óno external power source and no recharging of any
batteries was necessary.
At the appointed time, Nikola Tesla arrived from New York City and inspected
the Pierce-Arrow automobile. He then went to a local radio store and
purchased a handful of tubes (12), wires and assorted resistors. A box
measuring 24 inches long, 12 inches wide and 6 inches high was assembled
housing the circuit. The box was placed on the front seat and had its wires
connected to the air-cooled, brushless motor. Two rods 1/4" in diameter
stuck out of the box about 3" in length.
Mr. Tesla got into the driver's seat, pushed the two rods in and stated, "We
now have power". He put the car into gear and it moved forward! This
vehicle, powered by an AC motor, was driven to speeds of 90 m.p.h. and
performed better than any internal combustion engine of its day! One week
was spent testing the vehicle. Several newspapers in Buffalo reported this
test. When asked where the power came from, Tesla replied, "From the ether
all around us".
"The car was a standard Pierce Arrow, with the engine removed and certain
other components installed instead. The standard clutch, gear box, and drive
train remained.... Under the hood, there was a brushless electric motor,
connected to [or in place of] the engine.... Tesla would not divulge who
made the motor.
Set into the dash was a "power receiver" consisting of a box ... containing
12 radio tubes.... A vertical antenna, consisting of a 6 ft. rod, was
installed and connected to the power receiver [which was] in turn, connected
to the motor by two heavy, conspicuous cables.... Tesla pushed these in
before starting and said: "We now have power."
If this tale is to be believed, it would mean that Tesla had also installed
one of his powerful oscillators somewhere near Niagara Falls to provide the
wireless energy needed to power the vehicle."(Seifer, Wizard. The Life and
Times of Nikola Tesla, p. 419).