Hedag Electric Brougham

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

The batteries are located underneath the driver’s seat and at the rear. Its range was approximately 80 km and its maximum speed 23 km/h. The Hedag had four-wheel brakes, which was unusual at the time. Indicators in the form of small black boxes are situated on the mudguards. At the press of a button these boxes would open up and a little hand would appear, at the same time as the sounding of a crackling signal. Note the bell at the front which was necessary because you could not hear the car approaching. The Hedag was designed as a taxi, but this model was privately owned. The original number plate of the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant is still on the car. Hedag is an abbreviation of Hamburger Elektrische Droschken Aktien Gesellschaft. The company obtained a licence to run taxis after a ban had been imposed on petrol taxis in cities such as Hamburg and Berlin.