Justus B. Entz

Who was Justus B. Entz?

Justus Bulkley Entz was an electrical engineer and inventor. He was the inventor of the electromagnetic transmission and a pioneer in the early automobile industry.

In 1887, Justus Entz began working with Thomas A. Edison and served as an electrician at the Edison Machine Works. Entz worked for Edison until 1890 and left as a chief electrician. Entz entered into several patent agreements with Edison and was granted royalty payments for any future use of certain patents.

During the 1890s, Entz became fascinated with the new invention of the automobile, and by 1897 he was working as a chief engineer at the Electric Storage Battery Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1897 the Electric Storage Battery Company introduced the electric-powered cab to the streets of New York and Philadelphia. It was in Philadelphia while working for the Electric Storage Battery Company that Entz designed a gas-powered automobile with an electric drive transmission. This car was built as the prototype Columbia Mark IX by the Pope Manufacturing Company. On the vehicle’s test run, driven by Hiram Percy Maxim, an electric spark ignited fuel in the gasoline tank and destroyed the car. Still, the basic design was good, and Entz took out a patent on it.