Tribelhorn 3to Kettenwagen 1918

Tribelhorn 3to Kettenwagen 1918 by Autocult

Too far ahead of its time!  
Although the name of the former car manufacturer “Tribelhorn” may still be well known in the Swiss vehicle scene, this is unlikely to be the case outside of Switzerland. The history of the Tribelhorn brand is a first-class example of the fact that much of what is advertised as “new” today, is actually already well known! Specifically, this refers to heavy electric trucks that drove reliably and safely in Switzerland 100 years ago.   The driving force behind the electric motorization at that time was Johan Albert Tribelhorn, who already produced boats with electric drive in 1902 and shortly afterwards began production of electric vehicles. From 1907 the business developed very well and from initially offered passenger cars Tribelhorn was soon able to fulfill almost every automotive wish.   Sales of electric cars ran well until the outbreak of World War I, but with the beginning of the war it collapsed abruptly. Only with the ongoing duration of the war the sales recovered slowly and more and more administrations, the post office and some branches of industry, which apparently saw electric vehicles as an alternative to the rationing of gasoline, were among the customers.   After the war, Tribelhorn increased the number of trucks from 2.9 tons to up to five tons of payload. The buyer was able to customize exactly the battery arrangement, depending on the intended use, mileage and load. If the vehicle was mainly used on inclines, a special transmission was installed, which was advertised with the name “Duplex” or “Mountain Gearbox” in the sales brochure. The special transmission was installed directly into the axle, the voluminous batteries were placed between the axles in the frame and weighed up to 1,700 kg – with a total weight of the empty truck of 3,420 kg. The range of a battery charge was between 30 and 60 kilometers, depending on the criteria selected at the time of the order.