Justus B. Entz
Encyclopedia
Justus Bulkley Entz was an electrical engineer and inventor. He was the inventor of the electromagnetic transmission
and a pioneer in the early automobile
industry.
In 1887, Justus Entz began working with Thomas A. Edison and served as an electrician at the Edison Machine Works. Entz worked for Edison until 1890 and left as a chief electrician. Entz entered into several patent agreements with Edison and was granted royalty payments for any future use of certain patents.
During the 1890s, Entz became fascinated with the new invention of the automobile, and by 1897 he was working as a chief engineer at the Electric Storage Battery Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. In 1897 the Electric Storage Battery Company introduced the electric-powered cab to the streets of New York and Philadelphia. It was in Philadelphia while working for the Electric Storage Battery Company that Entz designed a gas-powered automobile with an electric drive transmission. This car was built as the prototype Columbia Mark IX by the Pope Manufacturing Company
. On the vehicle’s test run, driven by Hiram Percy Maxim
, an electric spark ignited fuel in the gasoline tank and destroyed the car. Still, the basic design was good, and Entz took out a patent on it.
By 1902, Entz was working on ways to perfect his electromagnetic transmission. The device he ultimately came up with used a magnetic field to drive a propeller or driveshaft. By varying the intensity of the field, a vehicle could go faster or slower without using a clutch. In 1912, Walter C. Baker
purchased the patent rights to the Entz Transmission and then licensed the technology to Raymond Owen of R. M. Owen & Company. Owen used the technology to produce a gasoline powered automobile that utilized the Entz electromagnetic transmission. It was called the Owen Magnetic
.
Justus Entz ultimately was granted 75 patents in automotive engineering. He died at age 79 in 1947.
Transmission (mechanics)
A machine consists of a power source and a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Merriam-Webster defines transmission as: an assembly of parts including the speed-changing gears and the propeller shaft by which the power is transmitted from an engine to a...
and a pioneer in the early automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
industry.
In 1887, Justus Entz began working with Thomas A. Edison and served as an electrician at the Edison Machine Works. Entz worked for Edison until 1890 and left as a chief electrician. Entz entered into several patent agreements with Edison and was granted royalty payments for any future use of certain patents.
During the 1890s, Entz became fascinated with the new invention of the automobile, and by 1897 he was working as a chief engineer at the Electric Storage Battery Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. In 1897 the Electric Storage Battery Company introduced the electric-powered cab to the streets of New York and Philadelphia. It was in Philadelphia while working for the Electric Storage Battery Company that Entz designed a gas-powered automobile with an electric drive transmission. This car was built as the prototype Columbia Mark IX by the Pope Manufacturing Company
Pope Manufacturing Company
Pope Manufacturing Company was founded by Albert Augustus Pope in Hartford, Connecticut. The company began with the introduction of the "Columbia High Wheeler" bicycle in 1878.-History:...
. On the vehicle’s test run, driven by Hiram Percy Maxim
Hiram Percy Maxim
Hiram Percy Maxim was an American radio pioneer and inventor, and co-founder of the American Radio Relay League . He originally had the amateur call signs SNY, 1WH, 1ZM, 1AW, and later W1AW, which is now the ARRL Headquarters club station call sign...
, an electric spark ignited fuel in the gasoline tank and destroyed the car. Still, the basic design was good, and Entz took out a patent on it.
By 1902, Entz was working on ways to perfect his electromagnetic transmission. The device he ultimately came up with used a magnetic field to drive a propeller or driveshaft. By varying the intensity of the field, a vehicle could go faster or slower without using a clutch. In 1912, Walter C. Baker
Baker Motor Vehicle
Baker Motor Vehicle Company was a manufacturer of Brass Era electric automobiles in Cleveland, Ohio from 1899 to 1914.-History:The first Baker vehicle was a two seater with a selling price of US$850. One was sold to Thomas Edison as his first car. Edison also designed the nickel-iron batteries used...
purchased the patent rights to the Entz Transmission and then licensed the technology to Raymond Owen of R. M. Owen & Company. Owen used the technology to produce a gasoline powered automobile that utilized the Entz electromagnetic transmission. It was called the Owen Magnetic
Owen Magnetic
The Owen Magnetic was a brand of hybrid electric luxury automobiles manufactured between 1915 and 1922. Car models of the brand were notable for their use of an electromagnetic transmission and were early examples of a electric series hybrid drivetrain. The manufacture of the car was sponsored by...
.
Justus Entz ultimately was granted 75 patents in automotive engineering. He died at age 79 in 1947.
Patents
Dynamo electric machine.- CA Patent 204067 Transmission and control for motor vehicles.