DKW Elektro Schnellaster in its old glory

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Created on January 24, 2015

Text:

Werner Bartholai

Photos:

Audi Tradition

DKW electric car (Schnelllaster) (1958) - A popular sight on the beach promenade on Wangerooge

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DKW electric express truck (1958) - Cars with combustion engines are banned on the North Sea island of Wangerooge. The DKW electric express truck transported vacation guests and their luggage there until the end of the 1970s

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DKW Elektrowagen (Schnelllaster) (1958) - The five-kilowatt drive motor moves the DKW electric Schnelllaster at a speed of 40 km/h

Between 1955 and 1962, Auto Union GmbH in Ingolstadt produced the DKW Schnellaster. Around 100 of these were delivered as electric cars. The customers were mainly energy companies, municipal utilities and battery manufacturers.

Only two of these electric Schnellaster still exist, one of which has now been completely restored by Audi Tradition. This DKW was driven on the North Sea island of Wangerooge, where cars with combustion engines are banned.

DKW electric express truck (1958) - Cars with combustion engines are banned on the North Sea island of Wangerooge. The DKW electric express truck transported vacation guests and their luggage there until the end of the 1970s

Electric instead of two-stroke engine

Normally, the DKW Schnellaster was equipped with a two-stroke engine - the "electric car", on the other hand, had a five-kilowatt in-line engine.

DKW Elektrowagen (Schnelllaster) (1958) - The five-kilowatt drive motor moves the DKW electric Schnelllaster at a speed of 40 km/h

The lead batteries stored in two boxes on the side had a nominal voltage of 80 volts and a capacity of 200 ampere-hours.

This was sufficient for a maximum travel distance of 80 kilometers. With a top speed of 40 km/h, short journeys in the city were the primary area of use.

Completely restored

The example now presented by Audi Tradition has been extensively restored over several years and is once again in operational condition following TÜV approval.

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