Hedag Electric Brougham

A heavy electric motor was mounted on each front wheel of this Hedag unfortunately, one has been lost.

A heavy electric motor was mounted on each front wheel of this Hedag Electric Brougham – unfortunately one has been lost. The batteries are located under the drivers seat and at the rear. The range is about 80 km, with a top speed of 23 km/h. Unusual for that time is that the Hedag has brakes on all wheels. On the fenders there are turn indicators in the form of black little boxes. When a button is pressed, the boxes flip open and a little illuminated hand appears, while at the same time a crackling sound signal can be heard. Also note the bell at the front, necessary because people cannot hear the car approaching. The Hedag Electric Brougham was designed as a taxi, but this example was privately owned in the Netherlands. The original N provincial license plate of Noord-Brabant is still present on this car. Hedag is an abbreviation of Hamburger Elektrische Droschken Aktien Gesellschaft. The company received a concession to operate taxis in Hamburg after cities such as Hamburg and Berlin issued a ban on gasoline taxis.