Here is something to think about during the time period when this truck and the others of the fleet 17 in all ranging from 1/2 ton newspaper transports to the 5 ton trucks there were even some of the 5 ton trucks that had trailers these also carried a complement of batteries and were 4 wheel drive as well and though they were rated at 5 tons they could safely carry 10 tons in the truck and 10 tons in the trailer they could run a full 10 hour shift on a charge unless carrying the really heavy loads like 10 tons of coal which would have required extensions to their side boards as well
Often the battery packs would be pulled out onto carts and replaced with a fresh charged pack. The front and rear axle / motor assemblies were symmetrical only a pair of cross links converted one into a ridged non steering axle and vice versa. the motors could develop 16 HP so that would mean a truck and trailer could develop 128 HP and could run at up to 8 MPH,all this back in the day when horse and wagon were still the chief form of cargo transportation through city streets. think of how many teams and wagons it could take to haul the same amount of cargo plus the care grooming feeding and noise of several teams of horses clomping on the pave cobbles of the streets of Pittsburgh not to mention the necessity of constantly cleaning up the droppings and stabling all of those horses.
these trucks small and large operated nearly silently through the wee hours of the mornings while people still slept through out the day as well.
Reportedly these things were nearly immune to getting stuck in snow obviously they would not fair well on deep muddy roads if the ruts were more than about a foot deep.
No petrol vehicles of the time could compete with them on a day in and day out basis, except maybe the smaller 1/2 to 1 1/2 ton varieties but for the most part none of them would have been 4 wheel drive either =, Even though Charles E. Cotta had patented his steam powered chain driven 4 wheel drive in 1900 and had built 4 by 1902
Electric 4x4 trucks ranging from 1 through 5 ton with 4 wheel steering capabilities date back to 1904 by the Couple Gear Freight Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan who by 1908 had made a hybrid with a 4 cylinder engine generator on board.
