Tama E4S-47 History

The E4S-47 (model code: E = electric, 4S = 4-seater sedan, 47 = year, I = initial type) debuted in 1947, developed by Tokyo Electro Automobile Co., Ltd. — a company formed by around 200 former Tachikawa Aircraft engineers after Allied occupation forces shuttered Japanese aircraft production. The brand name 'Tama' derives from the Tama area west of Tokyo where the factory was located.

Post-war Japan faced an acute oil shortage while electricity was in surplus — few homes had appliances and industry was rebuilding. That energy equation made battery-electric vehicles commercially viable almost overnight. The E4S-47 carried two lead-acid battery compartments built into the cabin floor, each fitted with rollers so a depleted pack could be exchanged for a freshly charged one in minutes, enabling it to operate effectively as a taxi.

Specifications were modest but credible for the era: a 36 V DC series-wound Hitachi motor producing approximately 4.5 hp (3.3 kW), driven through a two-speed gearbox to the rear wheels, yielding a top speed of 35 km/h and an officially stated 65 km cruising range. At the Ministry of Commerce and Industry's inaugural electric-vehicle performance test in March 1948, the Tama achieved a 96 km driving range and topped the field, winning first place among competing EV designs.