Woods Motor Vehicle Company was an American manufacturer of electric automobiles in Chicago, Illinois, between 1899[2] and 1916. In 1915, they produced the Dual Power with both electric and internal combustion engines, which continued until 1918.
The company was founded by Clinton Edgar Woods, who wrote the first book on electric vehicles, The Electric Automobile: Its Construction, Care and Operation. [3]
The 1904 Woods Stanhope was a Stanhope model. It could seat two passengers and sold for $1,800. Twin electric motors, situated at the rear of the car, produced 2.5 hp each. The car weighed 2650 lb with a 40 cell battery.
The 1904 Woods Victoria was also a Stanhope carriage-style model. It could seat two passengers and sold for $1,900. The Victoria had a tiller steering control.
A single electric motor was used; the motor was mounted on the front center of the rear axle in a sealed housing parallel to the axle and connected by gears. Four forward speeds were provided by a lever mounted on the left side of the seat controlling a mechanical rotary switch that selected taps on the series of batteries, thereby controlling the voltage provided to the motor and thus the forward speed. One reverse speed was provided by pulling the detent speed selector all the way to the rear. The car weighed 2700 lb. A forty-cell battery stack was used, with an 18 mi/h top speed and range of approximately 25 mile.