Believing that the future belonged the electric
car, Edison set out develop battery for that was
lighter and more economical than the traditional lead-acid
battery. Edison had
decided apply his electrochemical expertise the newly
developing automobile market. Building which had been the site the ore
milling research, was converted for experiments duplicating
record cylinders. Edison too was
fascinated the potential self-propelled vehicle and as
early 1896 had the lab experiment with motorized
tricycle. garage was erected the main laboratory yard to
. Building the chemistry lab, became a
beehive activity with dozen chemists assigned finding a
lighter alternative the lead-acid battery. To
undertake these different projects, Edison and his men
reorganized several the buildings the laboratory and
added new ones. (Illus 8-1 The year 1900 began with labor force
of 700 and the end the year Edison's secretary estimated
that 1000 men were employed the Works and 150 the
laboratory— significant increase over the work force the
1890s 3
The experimenters and machinists West Orange were busy
with many different projects, ranging from new
electromagnetic meter developing alkaline storage battery
to testing new kilns for manufacturing Portland cement.VIII- 2
expansion. From 1895 onward, America entered
into automobile craze, with the popular press celebrating
every invention related the automobile
