This is a 1917 Rauch & Lang JX7 Electric, it’s an electric car from the early days of the automobile, during a time when there were electric, gasoline, and steam powered cars all in production and vying to become the common standard.
Ultimately gasoline-powered cars would win out of course, their combination of affordability and the option to drive long distances would prove unbeatable. That said, there were many who prefer electric cars for their silent operation, reliability, and the fact they didn’t leak oil or blow smoke.
Fast Facts – The Rauch & Lang JX7 Electric
- The 1917 Rauch & Lang JX7 Electric represents an era when electric, gasoline, and steam-powered cars competed for dominance. Electric cars were favored for their silent operation, reliability, and cleanliness, but gasoline vehicles ultimately prevailed due to affordability and long-distance capabilities.
- Rauch & Lang, founded in 1884 as a carriage company, transitioned to electric vehicles in 1903. They gained popularity, especially among women who preferred them over hand-cranked gasoline cars. The company merged with Baker Motor Vehicle Company in 1915 to form Baker R & L Company.
- Despite producing 700+ electric automobiles annually by 1919, Rauch & Lang faced declining sales as gasoline cars with electric starters became prevalent. The company was acquired by Stevens-Duryea in 1920, produced electric and gasoline taxis, and ceased operations during the Great Depression.
- The restored 1917 Rauch & Lang JX7 Electric features new batteries, black exterior, white cord fabric interior, and unique seating with a rear bench and front swiveling captain’s chair. It’s controlled by pedals, a side lever, and a folding black tiller for steering.
Rauch & Lang – Electric Vehicle Pioneers
Jacob Rauch and Charles E. J. Lang would found the Rauch & Lang Carriage Company in 1884 in Cleveland, Ohio. Initially, the company produced horse-drawn carriages, and they quickly earned a reputation for high-quality work with resultantly higher price tags.
The Rauch & Lang Carriage Company had a reputation as the Rolls-Royce of Cleveland, producing some of the finest carriages and automobiles in the country. Image courtesy of the Rauch & Lang Carriage Company.
The company would begin experimenting with horseless carriages in 1903, the formative years of the automobile, and they would choose electric propulsion rather than gasoline or steam. At this time electric starter motors for gasoline automobiles weren’t in widespread use, so gasoline-powered automobile owners would have to hand crank their engine to start it.
This hand cranking requirement meant that many women avoided driving themselves, and they typically much preferred electric cars where it simply wasn’t a requirement.
With the quickly growing popularity of the automobile, Rauch & Lang’s carriage business began to taper off while their car sales increased year on year.
The writing was on the wall, and in 1907 they bought out the Hertner Electric Company to acquire their electric motors and controllers, and to bring company founder John H. Hertner onboard as their new chief engineer.
The Great War And The Merger
By 1908, Rauch & Lang were producing 500+ automobiles a year across a wide model range. The company continued to grow until the outbreak of WWI, which saw automobile sales begin to slow. They would merge with their former rivals, the Baker Motor Vehicle Company, and together the two companies would be renamed the Baker R & L Company.
Rauch & Lang advertising often promoted the fine quality of the cars, and offered clients extensive options lists to have their car made to their own tastes. Image courtesy of the Rauch & Lang Carriage Company.
By 1919 the Baker R & L Company was producing 700+ electric automobiles annually, however gasoline automobile sales had begun to far outpace both electric and steam powered cars, this was largely down to the increasing usage of electric starter motors which made them easier to operate.
Thus it would be the electric motor, albeit a small starter motor, that would be the catalyst in the downfall of early electrically-powered cars.
In 1902 Stevens-Duryea Company of Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts would buy out the Baker R & L Company, renaming it Rauch & Lang, Inc. and setting it up in a new factory in Chicopee Falls. This new firm would build both gasoline and electric taxi cabs until the 1929 Wall Street crash and the ensuring Great Depression led to it ceasing operations.
Interestingly, in 1929 not long before the company was shut down, Rauch & Lang engineers were working with an engineering team from General Electric on an experimental 60 bhp gas-electric hybrid automobile.
The 1917 Rauch & Lang JX7 Electric
The car you see here is a restored 1917 Rauch & Lang JX7 Electric that now benefits from the fitment of seven new batteries, with four in the front and three in the back to maintain the correct weight distribution.
The interior of the car has a couch-like bench seat in the rear and a swiveling captain’s chair in front. The driver sits on the left side of the bench seat where the controls are placed.
This Rauch & Lang is finished in black over a white cord fabric upholstered interior. Unusually the seating arrangement consists of a couch-like bench seat in the rear and a swiveling captain’s chair in front. The driver sits on the bench seat on the lefthand side, and their controls included two pedals and a side lever, with a folding black tiller for steering.
This car is now due to roll across the auction block with Worldwide Auctioneers in late August. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Worldwide Auctioneers
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
