Berliner Elektromobilfabrik Three-Wheeler

The Berliner Elektromobilfabrik translated into English means Berlin electromobile factory. It was an electric Three-Wheeled Vehicle.

The Berliner Elektromobilfabrik is, without doubt, one of the hardest researches we have done into three-wheeled vehicles.

The reason it was so difficult was we found a reference to a German-made three-wheeler called the BEF, but research into the BEF drew a blank.

Many months later we were told that BEF stood for Berliner Elektromobilfabrik so we tried to research again and discovered another problem, all the info we found was in German.

Anyway, after translating the info we can finally tell you a bit about the Berliner Elektromobilfabrik.

Berliner Elektromobilfabrik was in production from 1907 until 1913.

The reason for it only being in production for 5 years seems to be down to legal reasons.

Victor Harborn designed the Berliner Elektromobilfabrik in 1906 and it was shown in an Automotive exhibition in Berlin in 1907.

Victor left the company in 1910 and it seems he only allowed them to build his design for another 3 years.

While the above is the only reason for the end of production we can find it does seem a strange reason and we wonder if the fact that Germany was in a huge arms race at the time as they prepared for war in Europe had more to do with it, an electric vehicle hardly being suitable for war.

Berliner Elektromobilfabrik Mail Van

For a while doing our research we could only find one use of the BEF and that was it was a mail van.

While clearly, the most common use of it was a mail van it was not the only use, it was also used as a delivery truck and there was also a four-seater car version made but in limited numbers.

Power

The power originally came from a 2.5-kilowatt motor that powered the front wheel. It seems, later on, they made them with 1.5hp, 2hp, 4hp, and 5 hp motors.

The steering was from a rather simple steering column via a steering wheel.

The suspension was semi-elliptical leaf springs.

Are there still any Berliner Elektromobilfabrik?

As we had a problem finding an image of the Berliner Elektromobilfabrik we suspect that sadly there are none left not even in museums. If you know of any and have a photo we could use please contact us.