EEVC NEWSLETTER Published by the Eastern Electric Vehicle Club Peter Cleaveland, Editor Vol 25 No 2 Club Address: P.O. Box 134, Valley Forge, PA 19481-0134 FEBRUARY, 2005 email [email protected] President: Oliver Perry, 5 Old Stagecoach Turn Shamong, NJ 08088, (609) 268-0944 Copyright © 2005, Eastern Electric Vehicle Club, all rights reserved Now affiliated with EAA

TURNING THE PRIUS INTO AN EV

Numerous www.cal- owners of . the Toyota org/prius- Prius have evbutton- wished at install.pdf. one time or CalCars another that describes there was a itself as a way to use non-profit the hybrid startup as a formed by a plug-in EV. group of There’s a California group in There is a way to operate a Prius as an EV for short distances entre- California preneurs, devoted to doing just that, and they have a engineers, environmentalists and consumers fairly simple way to do at least part of it (if to jump-start the market for plug-in hybrids, you’re handy with electronics and don’t and are working on an assortment of pro- mind voiding the warranty, that is): a button. jects, up to and including making the Prius On January 29 USA Today ran a story into a plug-in hybrid. They’re building a about a mysterious button found on the prototype PHEV and plan to harness the col- dashboard of the Prius. In U.S. cars it has no lective vision and purchasing power of indi- function, but in Europe and Japan it puts the viduals and corporate and government car into the EV mode and allows it to go a fleets. CalCars aims to engage with a major mile or so on battery power alone. Toyota car maker to produce plug-in versions of has never explained why it doesn’t work in existing sedans and SUVs. In the mean time U.S. cars. a spokesman for Toyota professes astonish- An organization called the California ment that anybody would want to plug in a Cars Initiative (CalCars) has developed a set Prius. The whole point of the Prius, he of directions to make the button work. asserts is to eliminate the need for plugging They’re available at CalCars’ Web site, in the car. If only he understood! EEVC The Roots of an Industry TRIBUTE TO PAUL HAFER The early iron furnaces of the Boyertown Part II area laid the groundwork for vehicle manu- facturing by Pennsylvania Dutch craftsmen, Introducing an author many of whom traced their roots to the Ger- When we remember Paul Hafer we remem- man Rhineland. Iron and cannons, iron for ber a man from Boyertown, PA and The Boy- cannon balls, iron for wagon axles, iron for ertown Auto Body Works. The rich history of wagon wheel rims, and even the Conestoga The Boyertown Auto Body works as well as wagons themselves were products of export the related history of vehicle making in Berks from the Boyertown region in those early County is recorded in a wonderfully pictured days of our nation’s history. book titled A Century of Vehicle Craftsman- Paul Hafer’s life work had its beginning a ship by Paul’s wife Erminie. Erminie’s book century later when Jeremiah Sweinhart was dedicated to the craftsmen who made founded a carriage factory in Boyertown in Boyertown and the surrounding area a 1872. Erminie Shaeffer Hafer points out in bustling hub of vehicle activity for more than her book that by the mid nineteenth century a century. Most of the information in our trib- Berks County had eleven iron furnaces and ute to Paul Hafer comes from her book. thirty-six bloomeries, forges and rolling mills. One of the largest iron mines was the one in Boyertown. In 1868 a shaft of 588 feet was made on the east side of what is now South Reading Avenue. A twenty-two foot thick vein of 50% magnetic content was dis- covered. Several more shafts were sunk in nearby locations and as many as 6000 tons of ore were being extracted by 1870. (The text did not stipulate the time span required to reach those 6000 tons.) Peak production years were reached in 1890. A frequent visi- tor to the mines was Thomas A. Edison who also owned iron mines nearby. The need for wagons Erminie Florence Shaeffer was born of Ore, when taken out of the ground, must Pennsylvania Dutch heritage in September be transported. Ore wagons, often pulled by 1911. Erminie grew up and graduated high six-mule teams, were constructed by the school in Boyertown and received a college same craftsmen who had produced the Con- degree from West Chester State Teachers estoga wagon, which to quote Erminie, were, College. After teaching elementary school for “all hand forged and reflected the Pennsylva- several years Erminie married Paul Hafer in nia German pride in creative arts.” Carriages 1933. Soon she was appointed to the board of and wagons of all sorts, including sleighs, directors of the Boyertown Auto Body Works proliferated in the region when Sweinhart where she has maintained active participation founded his carriage factory in 1872. Sur- to the present. She co-founded the Hafer rounded by talented wagon and carriage mak- Foundation with her husband Paul and has ers Sweinhart had the resources to build car- served many years as a trustee of the Boyer- riages and wagons at his disposal. But Swein- town Museum of Historic Vehicles. The book hart himself was also a skilled carriage and she wrote was planned as a part of a 100 year cabinet maker. So began the production of celebration of the Boyertown Auto Body some of the finest carriages in the country. Works. Erminie spent several years in Many were custom built, a doctor would get, painstaking research for her book, resulting “just what the doctor ordered,” as would a in a graphic masterpiece. local fire company. (The first hand-made doctor’s carriage and a fire carriage are on

2 display at the Boyertown Museum of Historic that changes were needed if they were to Vehicles). remain competitive. Displayed on their float in the November 11, 1918 Armistice Day Change of hands, a new direction parade was a banner which heralded; “The On January 1st, 1884 Jeremiah Sweinhart carriage days are passed; now we make truck placed an advertisement in the local paper bodies.” announcing his plan to sell his business at a low price. The vehicles for disposal were Berks County jumps on the new wave buggies, milk wagons, and elegant sleighs. Many of us were reared at a time when The business became Strunk and Fisher, most vehicles seen on public highways were named after the men who purchased it. Fisher mass produced in Detroit and places outside quickly sold out his share to a man by the Southeastern Pennsylvania. It is difficult for name of Frank Hartman. Hartman and me to appreciate how significant a role the Strunk, the Carriage Builders, quickly Boyertown area played in the history of auto- expanded the carriage company beyond its motive industry. From page 66 of A Century original size. Amid a rich farming, mining, of Vehicle Craftsmanship, “Indeed it would and industrial area, Boyertown was the ideal appear that all of Berks County had become place for their company to meet the rapidly automotively enthused, anxious to join in this expanding transportation trade. Whereas latest campaign in the Vehicle Revolution. Jeremiah Sweinhart had specialized in luxury Just as many Berks County craftsmen had type carriages, the new successors expanded hastened to take part in the flourishing wagon the business to include bakery, milk, huck- industry of the century previous, so too were ster, and ice cream wagons. their descendants quick to align themselves with those entrepreneurs of the new century More changes whose avowed aim was to make people for- In 1890 Milton Strunk retired from the get all about the horse as a mode of trans- business, leaving his partner Frank Hartman portation.” on his own. One of the early decisions Frank Many of the skilled mechanics from the made was to switch from steam power to Reading Pa region helped to lay the founda- electricity to run his carriage plant. The tions for the Fleetwood Metal Body Compa- wiring was done by J. William Shaeffer, Boy- ny, whose automobile bodies would become ertown’s first electrical contractor. Paul Hafer known on several continents and whose sig- would later marry his daughter, Erminie. The nificance cannot be underestimated in the whole plant was powered by two large elec- development of the automobile industry in tric motors, not by internal combustion Berks County. By 1917 the Fleetwood plant engines as were other industrial plants in the in neighboring Reading was acknowledged vicinity. In 1911 Hartman decided to relin- as one of the largest and best equipped in the quish his thriving business to four of his most country. It gave work to over 400 men and trusted employees. After a short period of the trade name “Fleetwood” soon represented training the new name of “The Boyertown superior quality coachwork. In 1925 Fleet- Carriage Works Ltd,”emerged. Of the four wood was merged with of men directing the company, only the pair by Detroit and within a year became a division the names of Gilbert and Derr remained to of Corporation. Through mainstay the reputation of good will and 1928 the Berks County plant turned out the quality craftsmanship. The duo assumed con- new and LaSalle bodies. (Examples trol in a time when the transportation trade on display at the Boyertown Museum) was rapidly changing. Although Gilbert and Derr were still able to hold possession of the Unique times, unique cars loyal and dedicated work force, they could Another interesting car company also not prevent the newer trends in transporta- operated out of Reading Pa at the same time. tion. “Soon more steering wheels would be Originally called the Acme Motor Car Com- sold than buggy whips, more cars than car- pany, and then changed to the S.G.V., this riages.” Gilbert and Derr quickly recognized company was the first car company to

3 employ a hot-water-jacket intake manifold manufacture whole trucks but eventually preventing the flooding of the carburetor. The went out of business by 1934. However if S.G.V. Company was proud that their entire complete auto and truck manufacturing busi- car was built within their own facilities. The nesses could not make it in Berks County, a vehicle became generally acknowledged to Boyertown company that specialized in truck be among the finest luxury cars in America bodies only, would. and was seen in the most distinguished drive- Gilbert and Derr managed to survive the ways of the world from the Vanderbilts to the “in between” horse and horseless days by ser- Astors and from kings and queens to movie vicing both. But the time eventually came for stars. But, according to A Century of Vehicle the Boyertown Carriage Works to make a Craftsmanship, an experimental electric complete changeover to truck bodies only. As gearshift which also included lights and igni- Erminie Hafer put it, “to their everlasting tion, resulted in a “recall “calamity. In 1914 credit Messrs. Gilbert and Derr found three the company folded. gentlemen who were enthusiastically willing Other car companies from Berks County to take over the Boyertown Carriage Works also made brief but important headlines in the and set it on its future course.” One of the initial stages of the automobile world. Com- three was Paul Hafer’s father, as I mentioned panies such as Duryea, Daniels, and Dile also in Part I last issue. The Carriage Works left their legacies and marks in Berks County became the Boyertown Auto Body Works history. (On display at the Boyertown Muse- and the success story of the Hafer family. um) It was in this initial automotive age that the Boyertown Carriage Works made the Steel replaces wood transition from horse drawn carriages to self The Hafers initiated their careers in the propelled vehicles. They adapted their well- exciting pioneering years of truck body made wagon box to sit on a truck chassis, building. Steel panels replaced wood, plymet- fully utilizing the skills in carriage making al replaced wooden beams, and eventually that they had mastered. For a time they ser- steel channels, angles and zee members viced both the horse and horseless trade. But replaced all wood. The Hafers kept abreast of unlike their local competition, Boyertown developing technology and adapted. They Carriage Works survived and thrived well wisely formed alliances with suppliers who past the mid point of the twentieth century. were capable of producing the newer and Perhaps it was because the Boyertown Car- higher quality materials. When the Mack riage Works never attempted to build an Truck Company of Allentown asked Boyer- entire vehicle. They stuck to what they did town Auto Body Works to design and build best. They made carriage bodies. an all steel bus body the Hafers looked to Alan Wood Steel Company for the new Truck bodies only “Danaloy” steel (a new high strength low The first commercial delivery truck body alloy non-carbon steel) and to Parish Pressed produced by the Boyertown Carriage Works Steel in Reading to shape it into the standard was built in 1914 and is on display in Boyer- shapes needed for the bus body. That initiated town. It was built with wooden frame mem- a lasting working relationship between Boy- bers and poplar wood panels with metal rein- ertown Body Works and Parish. Parish was to forcements. The original Boyertown Carriage eventually become one of the world’s leading Works primarily built buggies, horse drawn producers of heat-treated truck frames. delivery and farm wagons. It was relatively easy to adjust their work to that of building High quality craftsmanship becomes the truck bodies. When a bread delivery compa- Hafer trademark ny recognized the potential for light self pro- Under the Hafer leadership The Boyer- pelled trucks to expand their market they town Auto Body Works successfully chose Dodge and White to make truck chas- designed specialized truck bodies, tailored to sis and Boyertown Carriage Works to add the their customer’s needs, and assembled the bodies. The Schwartz Motor Truck Corpora- outsourced components, which were always tion, another local company, attempted to manufactured to Boyertown specifications.

4 Hafer’s dedication to quality began with the Works. By 1961 the company had purchased correct choice of basic raw materials and even more property and had a new automated extended to the parts that went into every assembly plant in operation. Here they had truck. Great emphasis was placed on the use the latest in truck body production methods of high strength, corrosion resistant steel. and straight line assembly. Paul Hafer made what he called an important breakthrough in truck body manufacturing by “Hello Mr. Softee!” using a complete new family of Parish-manu- Page 154: A Century of Vehicle Crafts- factured parts in his new family of bodies for manship: “In September of 1959 the casual the Boyertown line. New developments in visitor to Boyertown might have again metallurgy that produced high strength low thought that the town was the ice cream capi- alloy steels were quickly utilized in produc- tal of Pennsylvania.” Two brothers, William ing solid route service trucks. The best (and and James Conway, had pioneered and suc- often the latest) manufacturing equipment cessfully marketed a new type of ice cream available was usually selected for use in truck called Mr. Softee on the streets of Philadel- building. Often the companies providing phia. Within a year they had dealerships in goods and services for Boyertown Auto three states, within seven years, twenty-four Body Works ended up ordering trucks for states.”In 1959 the energetic Conway broth- themselves. The Boyertown Auto Body ers approached the Boyertown Auto Body Works frequently did business with the same Works with their idea of building 800 mobile companies that provided parts for the biggest ice cream stores. The Boyertown firm, names in the truck building profession. together with the Ford Motor Company, Erminie Hafer recorded a sizable number of worked out the details for the Mr. Softee detailed historical descriptions of such joint trucks.” venture companies in her book. Growth in “The Amazing Sixties” Time for the military As Boyertown Auto Body Works entered With the advent of both World War I and II the sixties, Paul Hafer asked his employees to all transportation-related companies became face the future with renewed faith and vigor engaged in military vehicle construction. Fol- for predicted expansion and growth. The lowing the bombing of Pearl Harbor the Boy- Mini- delivery body became an answer to ertown Auto Works joined thousands of other the increased demand for a more compact companies in becoming 100% military pro- delivery vehicle. A modern conveyorized duction. Boyertown was selected by the mili- system with five additional assembly lines tary to develop and produce front line ambu- was added to the fabrication plant. Pho- lances and mobile machine shop repair units tographs of the time showed the continuous even before the war officially began. A total conveyor belt carrying parts, body panels, of 2563 mobile units were constructed for the and assemblies through cleaning and paint war effort. On May 24th 1943 the Army- drying ovens and onto the truck body assem- Navy “E” award was presented to the Boyer- bly line without interruption. town Auto Body Works for excellence in In 1961 Paul Hafer was awarded the Boy- their war time service. ertown Jaycees annual “: Man of the Year” presentation for stimulating economic devel- Post war expansion opment in the Berks County region. In prais- Prosperity and expansion followed with ing Hafer for his contributions to Boyertown the close of the war. Conversion to commer- the Jaycee representative added that Paul’s cial truck bodies began in a 35,000 square leadership and civic assistance was felt feet of floor space in a single building. In beyond the community in scouting, manufac- 1947 a down payment was made to purchase turing, and engineering. One of Paul Hafer’s 18 acres of neighboring abandoned mine passionate interests was the Boy Scouts of properties for industrial development. 47, 000 America. He had received numerous awards square feet of additional floor space was in Scouting, including the Silver Beaver planned for the future Boyertown Auto Body honor and the Silver Buffalo Award, the

5 highest national honor. Investment in modern management In the early sixties the Boyertown Works Management of a rapidly growing compa- helped the US Post Office engineer a vehicle ny provides challenges. “Ours is a brand-new with a new windshield design, one that pro- Matrix planetary form of company,” stated vided drivers with better visibility of pedes- Paul Hafer in 1968. The board of directors trians. 500 of these vehicles were shipped to determined corporate policy. Line production the US Postal System from Boyertown. A departments were each led by experienced new body design complete with the most up trained superintendents and supervisors. to date and elaborate rescue equipment was Senior line production leaders trained their created for the Salvation Army Mobile Can- fellow line workers. All line departments teen Emergency Division. A substantial num- were serviced directly by highly trained staff ber of the famous “Boyertown Bookmobiles” people who took care of payroll, purchasing, were built and shipped to countries in Asia, bill paying, costing, and estimating sales, Europe, Africa, and South America. advertising, engineering, research, and new The following quantities of a few selected product development. Superintendents, items provide an additional glimpse of the supervisors, and leaders were trained in the size and scope of the Boyertown Auto Body latest management techniques by outside Works at the end of the sixties. From 1948 to consultants. 1972 the General Seating Company of Top- In order to reach the right solutions to ton, Pennsylvania, provided Boyertown with “people problems” the board supplied an 70,000 seats. From 1958 until 1972 the industrial relations consultant and a personal Works received over one million feet of rub- relations director. Line leaders and office ber extrusions. In the late sixties the Works group managers usually served as the hands was using 25,000 feet of windshield wrap per on personnel mangers but an office was set month. Normal monthly use of industrial up to provide consultation to anyone who coatings and paint products was usually faced a personnel problem or who felt that between 800,000 and a million gallons. his opportunities on the job were in need of adjustment. Quality demands quality (to be continued next month) As president of the Boyertown Auto Body Works, Paul Hafer had to form stable work- MUCH ADO ABOUT WIND ing relationships with his many industrial By California Pete suppliers. The high quality truck bodies of Boyertown depended greatly on the quality Wind energy is rapidly of the products of Boyertown suppliers and increasing in popularity, the company’s dependability. Paul Hafer took and for obvious reasons: great care to establish long lasting business it’s environmentally be- agreements with many excellent manufactur- nign and inexpensive. ers and he was as proud of their success as he What’s not to like? The was his own. American Wind Energy In 1965 one of Boyertown’s truck bodies Association (AWEA), created interest in Hollywood. Lawrence which projects more than Welk purchased a Boyertown Multalloy bod- 2000 MW of new wind power capacity in ied truck to transport the instruments used by 2005, as wind developers rush to complete his orchestra. But, as best I could judge from their projects before the Production Tax pages of Erminie’s book, the “bread and but- Credit expires at the end of the year. That ter” of the expanding company appeared to growth rate, AWEA says, will easily beat the be military . It does not seem that the records set in 2001 and 2003, when just specialty division, although creative, could under 1700 MW of wind power were have existed solely on its own. These special- installed. It will also be a significant ty vehicles, however, gave the company its improvement over 2004, when only 389 MW unique flavor. of wind power were installed. A new rule proposed in late January by the

6 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission power 200,000 households, is also the worst (FERC) may make wind energy grow even in the country for slaughtering birds. more quickly. The proposed FERC rules for The area has a sizeable population of gold- connecting wind plants to the grid aim to en eagles, red-tailed hawks, American remove barriers to wind-generated electricity kestrels, burrowing owls and other raptors, while helping to ensure continued reliability and about 4700 of them are killed in colli- of the power grid. To ease concerns about the sions with the turbines every year. Seventy of effect of wind plants on the grid, FERC pro- these are golden eagles. The problem is that poses to require wind plants to demonstrate the turbine blades don’t turn fast enough for the ability to continue operating when the the birds to see them as moving objects, and grid experiences a low-voltage condition. they knock the birds out of the air. Wind facilities would also be required to A study recommends replacing many of have supervisory control and data acquisition the existing turbines with more modern ones (SCADA) capability to ensure real-time com- that sit on higher towers that create less dan- munication with the operators of the trans- ger for the birds. They’d also like to move mission grid. the towers to the leeward side of the hills, to A February 2 story in the Chicago Tri- get them out of the raptors’ soaring area. bune by Michael Hawthorne and Diane Rado The problem, of course, is cost: replace- reports that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich ment can run $1 million per megawatt. wants more of the state’s electricity to come Some companies are cooperating, and offi- from wind turbines and other renewable cials are meeting to discuss license renewals sources. The initiate would require at least 8 for existing turbines. We’ll keep you posted. percent of the electricity sold in Illinois to come from renewable sources by 2012—which should amount to 4000 MW. ELECTRIC DRAG RACES SET FOR Most of this would come from wind turbines, JUNE finally capitalizing on Chicago’s nickname as The Power of DC electric drag races, orga- “The Windy City.” A 400 MW wind farm is nized by the National Electric Drag Racing already proposed in addition to an existing 50 Association (NEDRA), will be held at the MW installation in LaSalle County. Mason Dixon Dragway in Hagerstown, MD on June 11. Gates open at 11:00 a.m.; racing begins at 12:00 noon and ends at 5:00 p.m. The cost is $25.00 per race vehicle and $10 per spectator. For more information contact Chip Gribben at [email protected] or . go to www.powerofdc.com.

NEWS UPDATE Hybrids’ popularity limited: survey So everybody (except perhaps utilities, and An AP story dated February 3 by John Ted Kennedy, who doesn’t want an off-shore Porretto reports that a study from the fore- wind farm to spoil the view from his estate casting arm of J.D. Power and Associates on Martha’s Vineyard) loves wind energy, predicts that hybrids will probably peak at right? about 3 percent of U.S. sales, up from 88,000 Not so fast. Some environmentalists con- or about 1/2 percent of sales in 2004. sider wind turbines to be wildlife killers. A Nissan Motor Co. chief executive Carlos December 19 story in the San Francisco Ghosn recently voiced reservations about Chronicle by Jane Kay reports that Califor- hybrids from a business point of view. nia’s Altamont Pass, the world’s largest wind farm with 5000 windmills in a 50-square- Toyota, Fuji Heavy in talks for hybrid mile area and producing enough electricity to vehicle partnership

7 A Feb. 2 Kyodo story reports that Toyota COMING EVENTS Motor Corp. and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. said Wednesday have started negotiations to form a technology-sharing partnership in 2005 Clean Heavy Duty Conference hybrid electric-gasoline vehicles. Fuji Heavy, Feb 22-24, Palms Springs, CA. Contact (maker of Subaru), is expected to use Toy- Susan Romeo, 626-744-5686 or visit ota’s hybrid technology in its Legacy and www.weststart.org other models. Toyota is already supplying the NHA Hydrogen Conference 2005 technology to Nissan Motor Co. and Ford. March 29-April 1, Washington, DC. Contact The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that Fuji the National Hydrogen Association, 202-223- Heavy is considering supplying Toyota with 5547, or e-mail [email protected] technology for lithium ion batteries for use in POWER-GEN hybrid vehicles under the partnership. March 1-3, 2005, Las Vegas, NV. Contact Donna Welch, 918-835-3161, http://pgre05 Honda FCVs to Las Vegas .events.pennnet.com. Automotive Industries reports that the city EVS-21: The 21st Worldwide Battery, of Las Vegas will lease two Honda FCX fuel Hybrid and Electric Vehicle cell vehicles for two years at a cost of $500 Symposium & Exhibition per vehicle per month. The vehicles will April 2-6, 2005, Monte Carlo, Monaco. Con- operate on a regular daily basis as part of tact the EVS-21 Monaco Organization, +377 their normal fleet operations and be refueled 97 77 54 21/+377 97 77 54 22. at a city-owned and operated hydrogen sta- 2005 SAE World Congress tion. With the addition of the city of Las April 11-14, Detroit. Contact Tim Mellon, Vegas, Honda has a total of 14 FCX vehicles 724-772-7162, [email protected]. in regular daily use with six customers in 11th National Clean Cities Conference three states. May 1-4, 2005, Palm Springs, CA. Contact Annalloyd Thomason, 702-254-4180 x23 or Kawasaki makes strides in Hydrogen dis- 702-294-2333, or e-mail [email protected] tribution Power of DC electric drag races Kyodo News Service reported on January June 11, Mason-Dixon Dragway, Hager- 26 that Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. says it stown, MD. Contact Chip Gribben at has succeeded in transporting liquid hydrogen [email protected] in a special container over a distance of some 5th International Advanced Automotive 600 kilometers. Kawasaki built the container, Battery (& Ultracapacitor) Conference including a 15-cubic-meter storage tank, under (AABC-05) a 60 million yen government program. June 13-17, Honolulu. Contact Advanced Kawasaki said it will develop liquid hydrogen Automotive Batteries, 530-692-0140, containers for trains and ships as well. [email protected]. Mitsubishi considering FCV Kyodo News Service reported on Feb 7 MEETING SCHEDULE that Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and Mitsubishi Meetings are held in Room 35, Plymouth- Heavy Industries Ltd. are considering joint Whitemarsh High School, 201 East German- development of a fuel-cell vehicle as part of town Pike in Plymouth Meeting, PA, and the struggling automaker’s revival effort begin at 7:00 p.m. under the heavy machinery maker’s leader- ship. The development project would March 9 enhance the effect of collaboration for the rehabilitation of Mitsubishi Motors, which is April 13 mired in multiple vehicle defect coverups, sources said. May 11 June 8

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