1926 DEW Electrowagen

J S Rasmussen purchased the struggling Slaby-Beringer firm in 1924. Slaby-Beringer began manufacturing a small electric powered 'klein-wagen' and, although a very basic vehicle, it sold relatively well. Jorge Rasmussen had placed a large order with the company but financial problems prevented them from fulfilling the order. In typical fashion, Rasmussen purchased the company and made Rudolf Slaby his director of vehicle development. https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2017/06/1919-slaby-beringer-elektrowagen.html

In 1926 J S Rasmussen and Co introduced a new, improved electric vehicle that targeted the taxi / suburban delivery vehicle market. Construction principles remained largely the same as the earlier Slaby-Beringer kleinwagen, being based on a self-supporting plywood body without a chassis. An AEG electric motor provided the motive power. Due to the limitations of batteries of that time, range was limited to only about 100 kilometres or less if in delivery van specification. The DKW brand name was not applied to the electrowagen, but Rasmussen used a similar acronym - DEW, with the 'E' meaning 'electric.'

The following article, which provides much more extensive information is a translated paraphrase from a French automotive blog freely adapted from a chapter of "Die Geschichte der DKW Automobile 1907-1945" by Thomas Erdmann in German.

"From the start of the automobile age, three forms of motive power competed for dominance among the first manufacturers: steam, electricity and petroleum. Steam was quickly eliminated from the running because of its many drawbacks. Petroleum engines increasingly gained dominance, but for a time electricity provided a seemingly solid alternative. Electricity was attractive due to its ease of use, silence in operation and almost zero maintenance, however, it had the disadvantage - still unresolved more than a century later - of low range, which effectively prevents long journeys without long recharging stops. However, in the early years of motoring, many companies adopted electric power for local, urban traffic services where long distances were not involved and electrical supply was abundant  Before becoming the largest manufacturer of “2-stroke” motor cars, J.S. Rasmussen ventured into the electric motor vehicles in the early 1920s.

The bankruptcy of SB-Automobil-Gesellschaft in September 1924 prompted J S Rasmussen to buy the small electric car manufacturer outright so as not to completely lose the shares he had invested in it. On 1st March 1925 he entrusted its management to its former owner, Dr Rudolf Slaby, in recognition of Slaby's driving and creative spirit. The company was located on the Markgrafendamm in Berlin but henceforth became a part of the Zschopauer Motorenwerke J.S. Rasmussen AG. The company continued to produce spare parts for the "SB" electric carts, but now also began manufacturing fittings and components for Zschopauer Motorenwerke. On its letterhead, the Berlin plant presented itself as a specialist in woodworking, assembly, vehicle repairs, mechanical services, painting and as a depository for spare parts for DKW motorcycles. Rasmussen also probably had an ulterior motive in using this new plant for the manufacture of automobiles.

In 1926, at the instigation of Dr. Georg Klingenberg, professor at the Technical University of Berlin and member of the board of directors of AEG, a joint venture was agreed between AEG’s accumulator factory, AFA, and the Zschopauer Motorenwerke. The purpose of this cooperation was to develop and build an electric powered taxi and small utility vehicle.

Compared to other big German cities Berlin had a decisive advantage for an electric vehicle - its city and its surrounding region was perfectly flat. There were also numerous potential customers whose journeys would be relatively modest distances. In fact, the vast majority of electric vehicles built at that time in Germany came from Berlin, which led the trade press to rename the German capital "Elektropolis", a nod to the 1927 film by Karl Lang "Metropolis.” While electric cars no longer represented a significant share of the 1920s automobile market, taxis using this engine proved reliable and inexpensive to maintain.

Based on his experiences with the "SB" carts, Dr. Slaby developed a lightweight car with a self-supporting plywood body protected from the weather by thin copper sheets. The front and rear suspensions were provided by transverse leaf springs mounted directly to the car hull. Simple U-shaped profiles connected the front and rear axles, interposed with silent blocks. The engine was a 4.6 hp AEG electric motor located in the center of the car under the driver's seat. The transmission was provided by a cardan shaft driving the differential placed between the rear wheels. A four position switch controlled the vehicles 4 speeds, while a pedal activated the drive. The switch and the starter were interconnected so that the starter could not be activated while the engine was on. The gears were thus activated without current or producing a spark or an electric arc. Each gear of the switch was engaged via a starter resistor which avoided any mechanical connection between the gears.

Under the front hood was an AFA battery of 40 cells providing a current of 120 AH. The batteries were made available to the owner under a kind of rent agreement, which included recharging and maintenance. Several charging stations were established in Berlin, which made maintenance and the exchange of batteries particularly easy and quick.

The first official presentation of DEW electric cars was made at the Berlin Motor Show in November 1926. The specialist magazine "Der Motor" published this article:

“Opposite the main stand of DKW is a smaller stand of its Berlin subsidiary “SB-Werke.” You can see here two electric cars, a taxi and a van. The taxi has already received several hundred orders. It is interesting to note that the battery is not supplied with the car but - and this should appeal to taxi owners -  can be supplied at specialized stations in large cities. These stations also provide a battery exchange and maintenance service. The brand of these new vehicles is DEW, Der Elektriche Wagen (the electric car).”

Another review wrote:

“The Zschopauer Motorenwerke is now building an electrically powered taxi. Compared to the existing taxi models this one is particularly light thanks to its plywood frame which limits its weight to only 900kg, including battery. This taxi is relatively wide so that two people can comfortably sit side by side. Next to the driver, seated on the left, is a place for luggage. The maximum speed of 40km/h is reached thanks to a 4-speed transmission, which is more than enough for intra-city travel [ed, the average road speed in Germany at this time was only 50kph to the poor road conditions]. The battery provides a range of approximately 100 km. The acceleration is remarkable, making it possible to go from 10 to 30 km/h in just 12 seconds.”

In addition to the taxi version, DEW provided a limousine or Landaulet body as well as a closed body delivery van capable of carrying 600 kg of payload.

In October 1927 the Zschopauer Motorenwerke rented an area of industrial wasteland from the Deutsche Industriewerke AG, which was then in liquidation, in the Spandau district of Berlin. The new, larger site offered interesting expansion possibilities, but this would not be realized until later with the production of DKW 2 stroke engine cars in the 1930s. In the meantime, the production of DEW electric cars was transferred to this new address.

From 1 January 1928 the new factory received a new name - Zschopauer Motorenwerke J.S. Rasmussen AG-Werk Spandau-DKW Automobilfabrik. It was the beginning of a new era for J S Rasmussen. Shortly after the move to the new factory, the production of electric cars was stopped. Some sources speak of a total production of around 500 vehicles or all types, but unfortunately the surviving archives cannot provide any details.

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