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Search: F.E. Kenney Air driven car

It's a battery-powered electric car with a pneumatic drive line.
It would have taken a HUGE battery set to get any range. It could have accumulated air under pressure to provide high power output for short periods.
Average available power would have been substantially less that the electric motor's maximum power, and battery capacity would have severely limited range. Efficiency, or power in vs power out, would have been very poor. A version with a small, efficient gasoline engine as the primary power source would have made more sense.

With today's better battery and controller technologies, a Model T with a stock engine and a motor-generator in place of the magneto and transmission might be a good combination. A battery set weighing about 150 lbs could provide high power for hills, speed, or acceleration, and keep the battery set up to charge during normal operation. The stock starter, generator, and battery could be done away with. Such a set-up could provide as much torque as the frame and rear axle could tolerate, and make regenerative braking available. Engine RPM would no longer limit top speed. Overall car weight would remain near-stock, and driver controls could be integrated with the stock controls.

The car might be air driven, but the power source is the battery. This guy certainly invested a LOT of money & time to demonstrate how to add complication and weight at the cost of overall efficiency. I doubt that those tires got bald headed from actually driving that rig...

I don’t usually gravitate to “speedsters” but that 3rd photo looked interesting. Just wish that ‘beauty’ would move so a better view could be had of the body - the speedsters body. Cute little curved trunk with great distance fuel tank. Shovels on the runningboard appear a little incongruous tho’. Makes me wonder about the event.

The speedster (?) gas tank (?) looks like a carbide drum. The trunk may be 1/4 of 55 gallon drum. Early rear axles, late radiator. It looks like it is being used as a work vehicle, maybe fence building.

… so that would make it a 13.75 gallon drum/gas tank ?

13 gallon trunk.....

Two different 1917 coupelets....

The 8th photo from the top - this is the 3rd time I’ve seen a 2X12 “luggage rack” attached to the front AND rear fenders in Tom’s era photos. Must’ve been pretty popular

Erik J, I like the couplets. They are an odd anomaly in the early years of the model T. A bit fancier than they needed to be, and more costly than Ford was targeting.
The removeable pillar couplets were manufactured for less than two years, beginning about mid 1917 model year and continuing through 1918 model year with maybe a few leftovers late 1918 calendar year in 1919 model year.
The earlier folding top couplets were produced for a bit over two years, beginning in late 1914 calendar year along with the center-door sedan as the early 1915 production models (open cars were delayed by production problems. Serious production of 1915 open cars did not begin until January of 1915 (a very few 1915 runabouts were assembled in December of 1914).
Folding top couplets were built through two full model years, 1915 and 1916. They continued to be built for a few months early in the 1917 model year (many of those in the late 1916 calendar year). They were replaced by the fixed top removeable pillar couplets early 1917 calendar, mid 1917 model, year.
Photo thirteen shows the first manufactured style removeable pillar couplet. Sometimes referred to as the "hump top" couplet, these were only manufactured for a few months in mid 1917 model year.
This car is equipped with Firestone type demountable rim wheels, a popular option at the time for those that could afford them. It also has winter-fronts on the hood and radiator. Snow obscures some details, it may have some sort of material below the beltline of the doors and around the back of the body? Very interesting.
Original era photos of model T hump top couplets are unusual. Sure is nice to see this one here!

Photo number ten is the 1917 folding top couplet.

Photo number sixteen is another wire wheel center-door sedan! Tom! You are ruining me with all these era wire wheeled Ts!
Just kidding! I love seeing them.

Again Tom R, thank you.

The third picture.....Speedster. Here is a picture of what looks to be the same body. I have always thought that this was a factory-made speedster kit. But this is the first time I have ever seen a photo of this design speedster. This kit that I have, shows to never have been assembled. Since I have taken this photo, I have found the rest of the sheet metal and trunk lid. The side panels are shaped exactly like the wooden frame. The wood structure of this speedster does also look factory made. And looks to be very old. Made many years ago. This kit came from the Leon Parker estate. I wish someone had information about this kit. Advertising or anything.

Lyndon wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 01, 2025 11:37 am

The third picture.....Speedster. Here is a picture of what looks to be the same body.
WIN_20250401_09_59_08_Pro.jpg

Lyndon, Several companies manufactured and sold kits with a very similar style. Some had larger gasoline tanks, some had smaller tanks. Exact shape of the trunk and the lid varied somewhat, as did the basic body tub. Some had a bench seat arrangement, others two bucket seats attached.
A few years ago, Donnie Brown who posts here often restored a similar original style speedster. It should not be too hard to search out some of the many threads on his project, many of which had era photos of similar cars.

I love that project pile you have there! Seriously, it could become one of the finest model T speedsters at any speedster meet.

Photo #14 had ma fooled for a second. I though there was a two man top on that front car (speedster?)

TXGOAT2 wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 31, 2025 11:03 am

Search: F.E. Kenney Air driven car

It's a battery-powered electric car with a pneumatic drive line.
It would have taken a HUGE battery set to get any range. It could have accumulated air under pressure to provide high power output for short periods.
Average available power would have been substantially less that the electric motor's maximum power, and battery capacity would have severely limited range. Efficiency, or power in vs power out, would have been very poor. A version with a small, efficient gasoline engine as the primary power source would have made more sense.

With today's better battery and controller technologies, a Model T with a stock engine and a motor-generator in place of the magneto and transmission might be a good combination. A battery set weighing about 150 lbs could provide high power for hills, speed, or acceleration, and keep the battery set up to charge during normal operation. The stock starter, generator, and battery could be done away with. Such a set-up could provide as much torque as the frame and rear axle could tolerate, and make regenerative braking available. Engine RPM would no longer limit top speed. Overall car weight would remain near-stock, and driver controls could be integrated with the stock controls.

He might have done better with a sail.

FE Kenney with His Auto Motor Operated by Compressed Air
(Original Caption) A working model of an air-driven hydraulic motor, involving a new principle in automobile reconstruction, had been perfected by F.E. Kenney, Portland, Oregon, mechanical engineer. The machine is operated in much the same way as a locomotive or steam engine, except that air pressure instead of steam pressure is utilized as motive force. Power is derived from a small electric motor run by current from a storage battery. The motor operates an air pump which keeps up pressure in the tank. The compressed air, mixed with oil, is admitted to two hydraulic cylinders, where it drives the pistons.

Bryant wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 02, 2025 1:40 pm

FE Kenney with His Auto Motor Operated by Compressed Air
(Original Caption) A working model of an air-driven hydraulic motor, involving a new principle in automobile reconstruction, had been perfected by F.E. Kenney, Portland, Oregon, mechanical engineer. The machine is operated ...

"Perfected" was a much overused term in those days. Nearly every invention of the era claimed to have "perfected" this or that device or process. This design really would be perfect, were it not for those inconvenient laws of physics.

Experts stunned! Scientists in awe! Henry Ford furious! According to reports, backyard experimenter Niles Svensen, of Oswego, has developed a perfected battery-hydraulic auto capable of such amazing feats as climbing Pike's Peak with only a single dry cell for power! No smelly gasoline! No motor oil! No arduous cranking! No gears to shift and grind! No tricky clutch! No pesky radiator to freeze or leak!! According to Svensen, the car can be driven across several states at a fast clip on the charge in a single ordinary dry cell, and he further claims it will go faster up hills than down! Starts in any weather by merely throwing a single switch!