Tesla has based its success on building its own batteries. BYD was a large battery manufacturer that has created its own brand. But more than four decades ago, Globe Union made a pioneering attempt that anticipated what Tesla and BYD have already achieved.
At the end of 1973, the Yom Kippur War broke out, when Egypt and Syria attacked Israel on the great Jewish holiday. The conflict lasted from October 6 to 25 and ended with the Israeli occupation of the Sinai and the Golan Heights. According to it, there was an immediate reaction from the Arab countries, which decreed an oil embargo on the West, which led to an increase in the price of fuel. The automobile industry began to explore other alternatives to gasoline and at the same time overcome the new obstacle of incipient emissions regulations.
Global Union, which was the largest supplier of automotive batteries to Ford and numerous aftermarket brands, saw a great opportunity. The firm decided to study the possibility of entering the market with an electric car.
The intention, more than entering the automobile business, was to show what could be done with an electric vehicle, open the eyes of manufacturers and builders and thus strengthen their battery production business.
His declaration of intent when presenting his first project, the Endura, in 1978, could not be clearer. The pamphlet read: “You all know very well that the United States has no alternative to cars powered by conventional fuels. “We have created a car that doesn’t care about oil crises or [oil] cartel deals.”
Globe Union did not hesitate to hire Bob McKee, an engineer with solid racing experience, where he had already explored the world of alternative engines. McKee, through his company McKee Engineering, had also created an electric car, the Sundancer, almost a decade earlier. But he had done it with the help of Exide, one of Global Union’s big rivals.
The engineer made two remarkably different cars for Global. One, which we could call classic, called Maxima; and another groundbreaking and advanced one, the Endura. Both, with lead-acid batteries, the usual ones in the sector (lithium ones would arrive much later).
His first creation was the Endura, designed precisely as an alternative electric car to the sedans of the moment. In this it differed from the models that were being presented then, which were mostly urban, tiny in size.
McKee employed a patented center tunnel chassis scheme. This idea was inspired by the chassis of the Lotus Elan, by the brilliant Colin Chapman, but in this case the central beam became a tunnel to house the batteries, which could be removed by removing the front of the car (a subframe mounted on rollers).
There were no less than twenty lead-acid batteries to power an electric motor, supplied by General Electric, of 20 HP. With this engine, a top speed of 104 km/h could be reached, but it was recommended not to exceed 56 km/h to have a range of 160 kilometers.
The four seats were mounted around this beam. The body was built of fiberglass – instead of steel – to contain the weight. The set reached 1,450 kg, of which 580 corresponded to the batteries. And it also allowed a change of configuration: the tailgate was removable, so that the sedan could be converted into a pick-up by changing one part.
The aforementioned autonomy may seem scarce, but it was enough to cover daily trips. Of course, to recharge the batteries it took seven hours if the domestic current was 220/240 Volts, and twice as long with 120 Volts current, still quite common. Obviously, fast chargers had not been invented and no one thought about the option of recovering energy while driving.
The car did not have a very attractive design. It did have some interesting details inside, which were unusual then: for example, equipped with a kind of LED screen and micro switches.
Apparently only three Enduras were made, two for Globe Union and one for McKee. No investors were found to launch it on the market. The oil crisis subsided and both this and the second project were forgotten.
In 1980, a second project, the Maxima, was shown. Although the drivetrain was apparently the same, the base chosen was the Ford Fairmont Wagon, a family car with some success in the market.
Apart from the mechanical changes, some aesthetic changes were made: the front changed with the assembly of six headlights from side to side and other details were added, such as a striking Globe shield on the hood. This car also did not make it into the series.
